The Window’ as an Emoticon in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby: an Analysis of the Cinematic Adaptation

Abstract

The flamboyant Nouveau Riche to whom the tall buildings, the cars, the parties belong to and the dirty, hardworking working class are the two polarities one gets to understand in Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Loyal to the book, with little portions omitted which do not directly contribute to the main plot; the cinematic adaptation brings to life from a vast two-dimensional narrative into the concise, rich and detailed narrative. The narration is by Nick Carraway and he chooses to tell the story as a man who doesn’t really fit in with either of the classes. This tragic story is a representative of early 1900’s America, brings forth images which stay with us even after we finish assimilating the book. These images are carried into the cinematic adaptation to retain the flavour of the times. Some images are what we started the abstract with. The palatial houses, the vast lawns, the extravagance of those times in terms of dresses, trophies, connections and the splurge in general. Amidst these material excesses, Scott Fitzgerald brings in one image, in the background, not so flashy, but becomes demonstrative of the emotional tumult the characters undergo. It is the window. Windows are everywhere, witness to some of the defining moments of the novel and the cinematic adaptation. This paper is an effort to decipher these emotional representations the windows stand for. There are nearly 38 mentions of the window as an icon of representation in the novel and equally an important role does it play in the unfolding of the cinematic adaptation.

key words : The Window emoticon The Great Gatsby Scott Fitzgerald digital emotional representations