Power of Interpretation in Simon Levy’s Adaptation of The Great Gatsby

Abstract

This paper suggests that Simon Levy’s 2006 adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby presents Daisy as a siren-like seductress who eventually entices her lover to a fatal doom. Levy’s theatrical adaptation, approved by the Fitzgerald Estate, visualizes and vocalizes many scenes the narrator of the novel, Nick Carraway, silently interprets or describes. Other relatively minor alterations and additions made in the play are also discussed in the paper. The primary purpose of this paper is to shed light on the differences between the play and the source text in order to emphasize Daisy as the leading cause of Gatsby’s destruction.