In the novel The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is a tragic hero because he displays the cardinal features of modern tragic hero. He is a common adult male, he contains the features of a tragic defect, and he finally has a tragic autumn.
Although at first glimpse Gatsby might non look to be the mundane adult male, in world he really is. At one point Gatsby ‘s yesteryear is being examined and his parents are described as “ shiftless and unsuccessful farm people ” which shows the readers that he came from low roots and was merely like everyone else ( Fitzgerald 95 ) . He was non born into wealth and privilege and did non hold any particular background that gave him an advantage over others. Another case in which Gatsby is portrayed as the mean adult male is when Nick is discoursing Gatsby ‘s yesteryear and he says, “ So he invented merely the kind of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old male child would be probably to contrive ” ( Fitzgerald 95 ) . This shows that the character that Gatsby has created for himself is that of any mean, immature male child. As the novel progresses farther you find Nick telling Gatsby ‘s yesteryear and depicting him as being a “ penniless immature adult male ” which once more shows the reader that Gatsby is truly merely the common adult male with a large dream ( Fitzgerald 141 ) . This statement helps take away some of the camouflage of wealth and overpowering power, and brings him into a more human position.
Gatsby ‘s tragic defect is that his position of the universe is obstructed by his ain naif idealism. It is really clear to the reader that Gatsby is idealistic when, while Nick is over at Gatsby ‘s house, he reflects on Daisy ‘s and Gatsby ‘s relationship and he notes, “ There must hold been momentsaˆ¦ when Daisy tumbled short of his dreamsaˆ¦ because of the prodigious verve of his semblance ” ( Fitzgerald 92 ) . This shows that even Nick, his best friend and the 1 that sticks up for Gatsby the most, sees that Gatsby perceives Daisy to be ideal and perfect. Gatsby does non see things as they truly are and expects them to play out precisely as he thinks they will. An illustration of this is when Nick is speaking to Gatsby after a party and he tells Gatsby that he ca n’t reiterate the yesteryear, and Gatsby responds, “ ‘Ca n’t reiterate the yesteryear? ‘aˆ¦ . ‘Why of class you can! ‘ ” ( Fitzgerald 106 ) . This psychotic belief, that he can reiterate the past and redo everything, blinds Gatsby to what is traveling on right in forepart of him. It seems as though he does non recognize how absurd the thought of obtaining Daisy love is. Gatsby ‘s idealism besides blinds him to how Daisy truly acts and what her personality is like. An illustration of this can be seen in the imagination of the novel. Throughout the fresh white is used as imagination for pure and guiltless, while xanthous represents corruptness. A daisy has white petals and a xanthous centre. This imagination relates because it shows how Gatsby perceives Daisy. All he sees is a beautiful, loving adult female who loves him back and he can non see past his ain idealistic position of the perfect Daisy to the corrupt, shallow, money-loving Daisy. Another illustration of Gatsby ‘s overpowering idealism is his ain ego perceptual experience. Gatsby thinks every bit long as he surrounds himself with wealths and the wealthy, that people will accept him and he can wipe out his former ego ; Gatsby the hapless farm male child. This shows how he is idealistic because no affair what a individual does, the former ego will ever be at that place. Later in the novel when Nick is reflecting on Gatsby ‘s thought of Daisy he notes, “ He wanted nil less of Daisy than that she should travel to Tom and state: ‘I ne’er loved you. ‘ ” ( Fitzgerald 105 ) . This thought is non a realistic outlook because Daisy is already married and has a household to take attention of ; besides her faith prevents her from acquiring a divorce and get marrieding him. All these are factors block Gatsby from obtaining his ideal dream, but he seems to be blind to them.
Although Gatsby ‘s physical autumn starts near the terminal of novel, his religious autumn arguably begins before you even meet him. In the center of the novel you hear about Gatsby ‘s yesteryear and how he was a hapless mean adult male, but he was honorable and worked difficult. As the novel progresses you hear about his relationship with Daisy and how it ended because he was non affluent plenty. He needed to go affluent so that Daisy would get married him. To obtain this wealth Gatsby started to take part in dishonest and illegal workss such as bootlegging. This shows a autumn spiritually because he goes against his ethical motives and values. Closer to the terminal of the novel, after Daisy kills Myrtle in auto accident, you learn that Gatsby will take the incrimination for Myrtles decease. Although this is a show of love for Daisy, it is finally what leads him to his physical ruin. Throughout the novel you are shown images of Gatsby surrounded by all sorts of wealthy and high category people, and it seems as though he has many friends. However, at Gatsby ‘s funeral at the very terminal of the novel when Gatsby is shot and killed, there is no 1 at that place except for a choice few. This image is used really good because it shows how the mighty have fallen. The one individual everyone idea had it all, in world has nil ; no money, no love and no friends.
Gatsby is a perfect illustration of a modern tragic hero because he has an eventual tragic autumn, he displays certain characteristic that shows that he has tragic defect and if you look beyond his wealth, you will see that he was merely common adult male with a large dream.
