Tragic Flaws In The Great Gatsby

Gatsby’s Tragedy: Falling for a Minx The Great Gatsby, like the Great Houdini, is an illusionist. Similar to the Great Houdini, the Great Gatsby has a tremendous rise to fame and an outrageous reputation. Jay Gatsby's tragic flaw does not seem horrendous at first when compared to Willy Loman, Macbeth, and other tragic characters in literature, but his love for Daisy shows that the power of love outranks all other flaws. During Gatsby's youth, he met a girl named Daisy, who he immediately fell for. Unfortunately, he had to leave Daisy to go to war. After the war, he was determined to find Daisy but five years later, his feelings are not reciprocated; Daisy toys with him, uses Gatsby to make her husband jealous, and allows Gatsby to take the blame for the murder of her husband’s mistress. The most tragic of the three protagonists studied is Jay Gatsby because he demoralizes himself in a futile attempt at expired love, he has few genuine companions, and he cannot let go of the past. Throughout the novel, the contrast between Gatsby's pure past and corrupt future illustrates the degree to which he changes to impress his love, Daisy. Before Gatsby became tainted, "he had been beating his way along the south shore of Lake Superior as a clam-digger... or in any other capacity that

Gatsby talks “a lot about the past" (110) and strives to "repeat the past" (110) even though “it was already behind him" (180). Gatsby's obsession with Daisy is his fatal flaw and leads to his tragic death. Ultimately, "nothing happened" (147) between Gatsby and Daisy but Gatsby is willing to take the blame for Daisy's driving mishap. In many people's eyes, Gatsby has it all as he is wealthy and has a large mansion. In reality, Gatsby is miserable. He does not have the one thing that he wanted: Daisy's affection. His dedication and immense love is wasted as Daisy still leaves him for another man in the