"The Great Gatsby" & "Chicago"
Differences & Similarities
Wilson & Amos
Wilson from “The Great Gatsby” is similar to Amos from “Chicago”. Wilson and Amos were both naïve and taken for a ride by their greedy and promiscuous wives. Wives who treated them like mindless children, as they sat there without saying a word. Eventually they both wised up to what their wives were up to; but they handled the truth in drastically different ways. Wilson suffered from a great loss and therefore had a much more dramatic reaction. And unlike Amos, not only was his heart filled with grief and pain, but also vengeance.
Daisy and Roxie
Daisy from “The Great Gatsby” is similar to Roxy from “Chicago”. Daisy and Roxy were both a little ditsy but somehow attained just enough street smarts to know how to misuse someone. Daisy and Roxy were both criminals; murderers and abusers. They committed their crimes in a state of hysteria; and moved on without a flinch in the pursuit of their selfish desires.
Tom and Billy
Tom Buchanan
From "The Great Gatsby"
Billy Flynn
From "Chicago"
Velma and Myrtle
Velma Kelly
From "Chicago"
Myrtle Wilson
From "The Great Gatsby"
Themes
· Pursuit
- In both the book and movie, people were steadily busy pursuing something, whether it be money, love, or fame. Gatsby chased after love, Daisy after money, and Roxie after fame. Their pursuits were self-centered and placed others in harm. But they never gave up on the chase, from the beginning to the end.
· Selfishness
- People showed continuous acts of selfishness and carelessness, one action after another, and like dominoes things begun to fall apart. Daisy didn't care about Gatsby's love for her and abandoned him even in his death. Roxie misused and abused her husband without any remorse or guilt.
· Murder
- The way murder was committed in both the book and movie was out of vengeance, anger, and in an unstable state. Wilson pulled the trigger when he was still grieving over Myrtle's death and made two very bad decisions because of it. Roxie was hurt and angry because the man that "loved" her and promised her a future walked out and left her; she too ended up making a bad decision.
I Am From (Jay Gatz)
I am from wide open fields, from fisherman boats, and the cans of food that mom brought back from shop around the corner.
I am from old wooden homes.
I am from the deep waters beyond the dock, the corn fields, and marshes.
I am from son and pop shops and the Gatz’s long legs, from Uncle Ed and Aunt Kelly and Grandpa Jay.
I am from pure stubbornness and determination.
From "be proud of what you are" and "work hard for the things you want in life".
I am from "a good but distant God that sits back and watches our lives play out like a movie without interfering".
I'm from the Midwest, sausage and potatoes.
From Uncle Ed's hand-built boats, Aunt Kelly's kind words, and Grandpa Jay's long lectures.
I am from the little shack off the water that we rebuilt over and over when the storms came and swept it away.