Nick's Use Of Heroism In The Great Gatsby

Jay Gatsby: A Tragic Hero’s Downfall In a world where heroes are appreciated and celebrated, F. Scott Fitzgerald creates and introduces Gatsby in the tragic story of The Great Gatsby. Gatsby is a character with both heroic and tragic qualities and traits. This generally leads some readers to be stuck, questioning who Gatsby really is and what he represents within the story. Through the character of Gatsby, Fitzgerald explores the complexities of tragedy and heroism. Ultimately, this presents a character with both qualities. Despite Gatsby’s wealth and charisma, his tragic flaws play into his downfall and the unraveling of his carefully constructed facade, thus Gatsby represents a tragic figure rather than heroic figure. Gatsby’s isolation, despite his wealth and high social status, and his inability to connect with others on a genuine level contribute to his tragic downfall. In chapter three page 48, we meet Gatsby for the first time, and he admits that he is not a good host, “I thought you knew, old sport. I’m afraid I’m not a very good host.” Gatsby admits how much of a bad host he can be when he first met Nick. When you also look at the bigger picture, Nick was really the only person Gatsby built a

In chapter seven page 177, Gatsby first meets Daisy’s daughter for the first time, “Afterward he kept looking at the child with surprise. I don’t think he had ever really believed in its existence before.” Since Gatsby has spent most of his time wishing he could live in the past, this generally made him fail to realize the truth in the reality he lived in. When someone is stuck to the past, they will never be able to truly move forward. This shows that there wasn’t truly anything for Gatsby except for coming to terms with the fact that his dream of being with Daisy was something that wasn’t