The Great Gatsby
I'm not sure which pages....
The story of the Titanic seems to be one of universal relation! Just as Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth sparked a memory of the movie, so has F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Certain characters in this book even directly remind me of specific characters in the Titanic. For example, let us examine the following excerpt:
"'You don't understand,' said Gatsby, with a touch of panic. 'You're not going to take care of her anymore.'
'I'm not?' Tom opened his eyes wide and laughed. He could afford to control himself now. 'Why's that?'
'Daisy's leaving you.'
'Nonsense.'
'I am, though,' she said with visible effort.
'She's not leaving me!' Tom's words suddenly leaned down over Gatsby. 'Certainly not for a common swinlder who'd have to steal the ring he put on her finger'" (Fitzgerald, 133).
Here, picture Tom as Cal, Gatsby as Jack (ironic because DeCaprio played Jack and is he not also playing Gatsby in the new movie?), and Daisy as Rose. Just as Tom see's Gatsby as a "swindler", so does Cal see Jack as a poor and trashy cheepskate. Just as Gatsby and Daisy have a secret love, so do Jack and Rose. Also, the mention of having to "steal the wring he put on her finger" instantly reminded me of one of the final scenes in Titanic before the ship began to sink when Jack was accused by Cal of stealing the Heart of the Ocean Diamond. I believe this comparison is well-founded and I was excited when I made the connection. I don't, however, believe that by making this connection I will be able to better predict the outcome of Gatsby, for there are no ships to sink in this story-only hearts to break. This is getting interesting, so I'm going to read on.
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