There is an overzealous use of motifs and symbolism in both the novel and the movie. It is my opinion that Fitzgerald was focusing on quantity over quality while writing The Great Gatsby. There are several "symbols" that never seem to be given any significant meaning and distract from legitimate symbols and motifs that contribute to the overall purpose of the book. While in the novel I would consider this a stylistic flaw, I believe that Luhrmann stacked the film with symbols to mock Fitzgerald's carelessness.
While there are many similarities between the novel and the movie, there are glaring differences; the most obvious being the way in which Nick tells the story. In the novel, Fitzgerald does not give the time at which Nick his account of Gatsby and grand setting. The reader simply slips into the book, only aware of the fact that Nick is the narrator. In the film however, Luhrmann creates an equally elaborate time in the present as he does in the history of Nick's story.
