If someone asked me "what misconception and change about The Great Gatsby is the main cause of the misinterpretation of Jay Gatsby's character?" I'd be able to answer them in a heartbeat because it pisses me off to genuinely no end.
Before I even start this, let's get this out of the way: Gatsby isn't a great man at all. Without his possessions, he isn't magnificent. If he didn't have money or influence, he'd just be an awkward pining loser. Okay? Okay, yeah. Pretty obvious.
The scene change that became the downfall of Jay Gatsby was the infamous switch to Nick being personally called into Gatsby's chambers at the party, and not meeting him in the crowd. The 1970s film and the musical are the main culprits of this— I blame the musical way more because its change is so egregious that it deconstructs his entire character.
There is a reason that Gatsby is able to hide in the crowd with people still believing he "throws large parties that he doesn't attend". There are multiple, deliberate reasons for this. There is intent behind the fact that Nick looks Gatsby in the eye and does not recognize him. It is important when Gatsby says "I believe I've been a bad host". And most importantly, Gatsby having to tell Jordan his plan, who then tells Nick, is SIGNIFICANT! AND DELIBERATE!
I'm sure we've all heard our ELA teachers spout the saying, "well everything in this book is intentional!". We've probably all challenged them by finding the insignificant pieces as well. But this scene is so fundamentally important to understanding Gatsby's character (just as I could also argue that Nick's little one night stand with McKee is important to his character) that I am so insanely surprised some executive had looked at this and went, "meh! We can scrap it! Let's rework it!"
Firstly, let's break down WHY this scene is as important as it is. Foremost, it foreshadows the eventual ending where no one goes to Gatsby's funeral. Gatsby being lost in the crowd at his own party shows us that no one truly cares for him, and that eventually that will come back once he's dead, where no one attends for him. Next, it's a show at Gatsby's awkward, reserved nature. This is our first glance at his imperfection.
He speaks to Jordan and tells her to ask Nick because he is nervous. He is a nervous, awkward mess most of the time. Once Nick even confronts him, he's almost skittish in his responses and is quick to appease Nick. Gatsby is not grand or extravagant or confident. Sure, he has a god complex, but he fumbles so heavily at just the thought of Daisy. She's his Achilles Heel, if you will.
Now, the 1970s movie adds some of this awkward vibe into its scene where they meet inside. The silence is thick, the tension is there, and it still establishes Gatsby to be a very odd man. It's cringe worthy in how they navigate the conversation here. If I recall correctly, Gatsby still has to ask Jordan to tell Nick, so they keep this as well. They just take out the key aspect of meeting him at the party. I suppose it's to add more mystery around this Gatsby character, but it takes out that significance of the unimportance of Jay.
The musical is the most egregious case of this mischaracterization. I will preface this by saying I DNFed the musical. I couldn't do it. The inaccuracies were so grand for me that I could not finish it. But, I got far enough to hear "For Her", and.. wow. Yeah let's talk about it.
Nick being personally brought to Gatsby's chambers by car is.. over the top. I understand the book is over the top and the musical certainly hones in on that. But, Gatsby himself doesn't try to show off to Nick. To Daisy, maybe, sure, of course. But Nick is someone he trusts from the start, which the musical establishes by their heavy discussion of the war once they meet. Gatsby does not show off to Nick himself, besides to prove the validity of his backstory. So bringing his car is just.. unnecessary and gets rid of Gatsby's reservations. Then, it comes to "For Her". Don't get me wrong, this song is beautiful. Jeremy Jordan does a beautiful job with it. That's not my point. The song itself holds so many inaccuracies that it could be its own post ("oh but Gatsby lies that's the point!" Shut up ok), but my main problem lies within the fundamentals of it.
The actual Gatsby would never directly ask Nick to set him up with Daisy. This entirely misses his character. He has to ask Jordan at the beginning because he is a COWARD! Jordan mentions that she was the first person who actually knew Daisy, but I am entirely sure that Gatsby was aware of Nick's relationship to her. This is confirmed, even, by the request. Jay asks Jordan to be the messenger for this because he is scared of the rejection he could get from it. He trusts Nick, but not at their first interaction. He's well aware that Jordan and Nick are far closer, and so he tiptoes. He is an awkward, cowardice idiot. That is his true character. To change him to be so confidently driven gives him an almost villainous undertone that highlights his underlying entitledness that he has in the book— and it just. It isn't right. Especially when you remember that The Great Gatsby is a book written from Nick's own perspective. Nick would never have thought of Gatsby like that, especially not in the first moment.
I'm an actor and I've done musical theatre, I'm aware that the musical has to tell you things that Nick himself might not have (actually, no it doesn't. But that's a different rant). But I don't think you should have to sacrifice a character's pivotal personality pieces for dramatics.
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