Wealth & Class
The film, much like the novel, is largely concerned with the question of money and class in America. Nick, a young man of modest means, is thrust into the world of the mega wealthy. His cousin, Daisy Buchanan, lives amongst the luxury of inherited wealth with her well-bred (but misbehaved) husband, Tom Buchanan. Gatsby is a millionaire, boasting a giant mansion and throwing wildly decadent parties, but his wealth has been more dubiously acquired. In fact, Tom suspects Gatsby of being a bootlegger. When Gatsby asks Daisy why she didn’t wait for him after he went off the war, her answer is strikingly shallow, yet brutally honest: “Because rich girls don’t marry poor boys.” Early on, she advises Nick to consider an affair with Jordan since he is—as he himself admits—too poor to have any hope of marrying her. The film is concerned with depicting the subtle differentiations between class strata, and showing the ways that these distinctions affect people's lives.
Clothes Make the Man
One of the most famous—if not the most famous—scenes in the movie is when Gatsby is showing off his extensive wardrobe to Nick and Daisy. His collection of tailored shirts is extensive and impressive. Nick is dazzled when Gatsby starts cavalierly tossing the shirts into the air so that they rain down upon the room. Meanwhile, Daisy—the rich girl who doesn’t marry poor boys—clutches the fine linens, bringing one of the shirts to her face and crying into in an almost orgasmic response of confused emotions and feelings. Gatsby has made something of himself, and thinks he might finally become part of the snobbish society that rejected him when he was poor. He believes that if he looks the part he can gain entry. However, his fineries only go a certain distance, and Tom sniffs out the "nouveau" quality of his wealth by virtue of his flashy fashion choices. Part of Tom's conviction that Gatsby cannot possibly be an Oxford man is the fact that Gatsby wears a pink suit.
The Moral Emptiness of the Wealthy
Along with the theme of wealth and class, The Great Gatsby examines the ways that wealth corrupts people and alienates them from common decency, removing them from the rest of the world. Tom Buchanan is an obvious example of the kind of carelessness that goes along with having all the money in the world. He carries on an affair with a woman of a lower station, messing up her life and playing with her head, but thinks little of the consequences of his actions. While Daisy seems like a more ethical and grounded moral subject, she exhibits the same detachment and coldness when Gatsby dies. She does not answer Nick's calls and she leaves town for a time, hoping to escape the consequence of her actions and move on without thinking about it. Instead of dealing with the horrible repercussions of her actions, she avoids. Thus, a major theme in the film is the ways that money can alienate people from their sense of what is right and wrong. When one can pay for anything, does one ever feel responsible?
Hope
One of the virtues that Nick admires in Gatsby is his irrepressible sense of hope and possibility. Part of what led Gatsby to become such a wealthy man and to pursue a romance with Daisy with such abandon was his self-belief and his sense of determination, both of which were motivated by a sense of hope. Gatsby is always reaching for what he wants, hoping to grasp that which has seemed impossible to catch. A central theme of the film is the fact that Gatsby's immense hope is both what redeems him and makes him an admirable person, as well as what gets him into trouble. His hope is, in many ways, insatiable, as he will not stand for second best; this is typified in the moment that he asks Daisy to tell Tom that she never loved anyone but Gatsby. Gatsby's hope can verge on greed, but it is what gives him such strong motivation to succeed.
Love
A central theme in the film is romantic love. Indeed, it is what binds Gatsby to Daisy and her to him, and what spurs the entire narrative arc of the film. Gatsby wants desperately to win Daisy back, now that he finally has enough money to be able to support her as his wife. Daisy, unhappy in an abusive relationship with Tom, is desperate for an escape and madly in love with Gatsby. Because of their desire for one another, Gatsby and Daisy are able to transcend the limitations placed upon them by their class position. They are deeply and passionately in love, even if it is not meant to be.
Competition
Another major theme in the film, and what is largely responsible (aside from class differences) for tearing the characters apart, is a sense of competition. Gatsby is in competition with Tom for Daisy's affections, and the two compete with an unbridled animosity towards one another. Gatsby insists that Daisy say publicly that she has never loved anyone more than him, a tall order and one that he thinks will secure his rightful place in her heart, while Tom believes that he can never be eclipsed because he comes from old, established money. They are in fierce competition with one another, each trying to best the other and win the affection of the woman they love.
Tragedy
At the end of the film, Gatsby notes that it's the end of the summer, and bemoans the fact that they cannot somehow hold onto the season and continue to enjoy its warm virtues. Less than an hour later, Gatsby is dead, wrongfully killed in revenge for a crime committed by Daisy, the woman who neglects him. Gatsby's fateful murder is nothing short of a tragedy, because it was preventable, and because if certain elements of the narrative had gone differently, everyone might have met a much different fate. Unfortunately, however, the conflict over Daisy's heart ripples outward and creates chaos for everyone. The tale of the Great Gatsby is a tragedy, because he is never able to achieve the greatness he so desires, and he is punished for a crime he did not commit.
