The Great Gatsby - The True Meaning of Dreams

Picture this, some blonde poofy hair on a tiny girl, staring at the screen in awe. There was a sparkle in my eyes, as I watched in fascination the characters of the famous Fitzgerald come to life before me. Baz Luhrman has earned the title, a true adaptation of the novel, taking the beautiful words that once resided on the old brown pages of the book on my night stand and taking me on a whirl wind back to the roaring 20's. There have been tons of reviews about The Great Gatsby, I for one am quite tired reading about how the 3D glasses were unnecessary, how Leonardo's eyes were as blue as the sky and how amazing the music was.

This review of The Great Gatsby will be taking a different angle, one that questions the true meaning of our expectations in a fantasy. The main thing I praise The Great Gatsby about would have to be the depiction of a true reality. I felt the loneliness in each and every character's life throughout  the movie, and I am sure there is at least one scene which we can all relate to. 

The common question throughout the entire movie was, "Who is Gatsby?". The people were amazed by a character with a past that seems so incredible, it just might be true. However, they all lost sight of equally important questions, "Who is Daisy?" or "Who is Nick?". It's only natural we assume like most movies, we would have some sort of happy ending, though I personally think that an ending where we discover the true colors of each character is far more fascinating, which was the case in The Great Gatsby.

Gatsby showed us the true meaning of a dream, a dream so great that he had painted a picture of what he wanted his life to be, nothing and no one would stop him from achieving it. The thing about dreams is that it gives you this adrenaline rush, making you think it's all quite possible, and so you begin to work your heart out to get it. However, the thing dreams don't tell us, is that losing one is sort of like losing a loved one. You go through stages of grief, beginning with denial and you begin to surpass certain limits to achieve it.  Gatsby believed in a dream, it practically defined him, no amount of fire could destroy the fairytale life he had planned for himself. We saw the real Jay Gatsy appear, when Tom (Daisy's Husband) hinted that nothing he does or dreams about will change who he really is. As heart-breaking as it was to watch how Gatsby chased consistently after Daisy and devise quite the master plan, it showed you the powerful role a feeling such as denial could play. 

They all had dreams, Nick wanted to work at Wall Street, Gatsby wanted the love of his life and Daisy simply wanted a life filled with adventure. If anything Gatsby showed us a lesson, sure it's okay to dream, in fact plan a lifetime filled with dreams. More importantly make sure you understand the dreams of those around you. Nick lost sight of his dream, as we can see he was sent to an asylum due to the fact he was too busy chasing after Gatsby's own dream. Daisy found her satisfaction of an adventure, even more she learned the hard way that too much of something can lead to her doom. 

It is at a person's darkest point that we really know who we love, because that's the person we turn to. In Daisy's case it wasn't Gatsby, it never was. It goes to show you that people are who they are for a reason, right? Think about it, Gatsby's dream was to persuade the love of his life to leave her husband, so they can go on to live the life he wanted. Daisy was quite resistant throughout the entire movie, even in her weakest moments, her true colors and commitment remained to her husband. Sure it is a romantic gesture, whisking away your love on a past venture, hoping to start off from where you stopped, however life does not go that way. The Great Gatsby if anything was an excellent portrayal of reality and the true colors of each of us. Even in our most vulnerable moments, we are who we are and no one and no incident can change that, only we have the power to do that. 

The movie was a fresh breathe of air with an original ending, emphasizing the characters and their loyalty. Until the very last scene, Gatsby remained loyal to his dream, uttering Daisy in his last breath...