The Great Gatsby Hero Quotes

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Reckless parties, vehicular manslaughter, and the unwarranted death of a man who is innocent all describe Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby. This novel is set in the roaring twenties in the New York City/Long Island area, and it displays the divisions of social status and the division of the divisions of social status during this time in the United States. Nick Carraway takes the reader through his journey of moving to the East Egg of Long Island from the western United States, and during his journey he witnesses the reunion of past lovers, the struggles of the American dream, and the untimely death of two people who just wanted wealth and love.
While it is commonly accepted that Jay Gatsby is a hero, it is very evident that he lacks …show more content…

Gatsby replies with "Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!”(Fitzgerald 128). This quote implies that Gatsby tries to live in the past and will not accept what is going on in the present. Similarly, Scott Donaldson also says, “Part of Gatsby's dream is to turn back the clock and marry Daisy in a conventional wedding”(Donaldson “On Possessions”). Once again, Gatsby would rather live in a time that was nice and warm than face the reality that he lost his chance with Daisy and he should move on instead of wishing for an unrealistic dream. For someone who is so wealthy it is strange that he wants more than wealth. In a way he is greedy for wanting wealth and …show more content…

A reader may infer that what dream Gatsby chased for five years was not a worthy dream to be chased, and that is what makes him lack the qualities of a hero. A hero will chase a dream or a cause that will help him or her and everyone around him or her. All Gatsby does is chase the dream of getting back together with Daisy which ultimately kills him. Additionally, Donaldson quotes Fitzgerald who expressed that “‘The whole idea of Gatsby,’ as he put it, ‘is the unfairness of a poor young man not being able to marry a girl with money’” (Donaldson "On Possessions"). It may be unfair that Gatsby is not able to marry Daisy but that should signal to Gatsby that his dream is too far off and does not deserve the exuberant energy he puts into