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Topic: Scorsese and Fitzgerald portray their respective self-made protagonists to explore the moral decline into obsession. Whereas Fitzgerald satirises Gatsby’s pursuit of the American Dream to evoke corruption, Scorsese characterises Jordan Belfort as exploitative to critique the obsession with wealth. Hence, both writers contend that the pursuit of self-actualisation through material wealth conversely leads to self-destruction.

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Topic: Both Martin Scorsese and Scott Fitzgerald explore the corruption of an obsession with wealth

through their respective protagonists, both of whom represent a warped version of the

American Dream. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s transformation from poverty into opulence

embodies the mythos of the American Dream, despite his own moral compromise. Likewise, Jordan

Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street achieves prosperity through deception, exposing the exploitation

necessary for success in a capitalist America.

Synthesis: Scorsese and Fitzgerald both critique the corrosive nature of the American Dream, positioning it as a deceptive ideology that promises fulfillment but ultimately leads to disillusionment. Both The Wolf of Wall Street and The Great Gatsby, demonstrate relentless pursuit of material success that masks a deeper existential void. Through Scorsese’s kinetic visual style and Fitzgerald’s lyrical prose, each text uncovers the manipulation of wealth and ambition, exposing the emotional erosion and moral compromise that accompany the quest for status and excess. Together, the texts offer a compelling meditation on the dangers of conflating self-worth with financial achievement.

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Contrastingly, Scorsese’s use of a vibrant colour palette, as well as dynamic lighting and camera angles enables him to distinguish the highs and lows of Belfort's life, capturing the frenetic and spontaneous aspects of his lifestyle. Through the use of a low angle shot, the author captures Belfort’s motivative dialogue as he addresses his brokerage firm in the prime of his career, allowing the audience to recognise his power dynamic as he captivates his employees, further emphasising his superior, yet contagious personality.

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Topic Sentence: Scorsese and Fitzgerald explore humanity’s preoccupation with wealth through their self-made protagonists.

Synthesis: Therefore, Scorsese and Fitzgerald both aim to peel back the falsity of glamour, revealing the emotional and moral costs of society’s obsessions with wealth.

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As the climax of the narrative builds, Fitzgerald continues to personify Gatsby’s dreams, which are devoid of meaning, highlighting the societal lack of fulfilment he achieves from his material wealth. Contrastingly, Scorsese’s vibrant colour palette, as well as dynamic lighting and camera angles, captures the frenetic and spontaneous aspect of Belfort’s lifestyle. When Belfort addresses his brokerage firm at the height of his career, Scorsese employs a low-angle shot on the employees. Scorsese further utilises the motivational dialogue to captivate the audience, highlighting Belfort’s frenetic and contagious personality. Thus, Scorsese allows the audience to consider Belfort superior to his employees, revealing injustice in skewed power dynamics.

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As the climax of the narrative builds, Fitzgerald continues to personify Gatsby’s dreams, which are devoid of meaning, highlighting the societal lack of fulfillment he achieves from his material wealth. Contrastingly, Scorsese’s use of colour palette and lighting enables him to distinguish the highs and lows of Belfort's life. The use of a vibrant colour palette, as well as dynamic lighting and camera angles, captures the frenetic and spontaneous aspect of Belfort’s lifestyle. In a scene in which Belfort addresses his brokerage firm in the prime of his career, he is captured in a low angle shot standing over his employees, where his high energy and motivative dialogue captivates his audience, epitomising his frenetic and contagious personality. The use of this low angle shot further allows the audience to recognise the power dynamics of Belfort superior to his employees. Furthermore, Scorsese's utilisation of Belfort’s first-person narration breaks the fourth wall and allows the audience to feel a connection with the protagonist, as the use of his direct language indicates that he is addressing the audience. Belfort’s narrative commentary, declaring he ‘made $49 million’ in one year, but was not satisfied as ‘it was three shy of a million a week’ (2:02) serves as a critique of his insatiable greed, positioning the audience to see the superficiality of his success.

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Through a medium shot of Belfort dining with his boss, Mark Hanna, Scorsese reveals Hanna’s greedy philosophy to ‘move the money from the client’s pocket into… [his]’ own (9:40), critiquing the unethical behaviour that occurs on Wall Street. Differently, Fitzgerald employs the character of Daisy to inspire Gatsby to gain wealth. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses the symbol of the ‘green light at the end of Daisy’s dock’ (p. 25) to display Gatsby's unreachable dreams, which is metaphorical for the misleading nature of his success. The symbolism of the green light allows the audience to depict Gatsby’s desperation and inability to reach the American Dream. Fitzgerald further builds on this by personifying Gatsby’s belief that ‘his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it’ (p. 171), reflecting his naive optimism about wealth and success. This emphasises the illusionary nature to the audience, despite Gatsby’s unwavering hope.

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TOPIC: Both Scorsese and Fitzgerald explore the obsession with wealth through their self-made protagonists. Gatsby in The Great Gatsby’s transformation from a poor farmer’s son to a wealthy socialite embodies the rise to wealth narrative, commonly defining the American Dream. Likewise, Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street rises to wealth due to his duplicitous schemes and his exploitation of the stock market.

SYNTHESIS: Both Scorsese and Fitzgerald portray the American Dream as an empty pursuit when driven by moral dilemma and hedonism. Belfort’s financial downfall mirrors Gatsby’s tragic fate, leaving them both ‘poor’ in different ways. Therefore, Scorsese’s visual techniques and Fitzgerald's use of literary techniques both aim to peel back the facade of glamour, revealing the emotional and moral costs of their protagonist’s obsessions with wealth.