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Who Is Jay Gatsby Tragic Hero

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In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” Jay Gatsby is a tragic hero destroyed by his obsession with his past and his inability to accept the reality of his situation while also serving as an archetypal creator figure who disguises himself in a doomed attempt to recapture his lost love. A tragic hero possesses certain characteristics that lead to their downfall. Gatsby fits the position perfectly. First, there's the tragic flaw Gatsby’s flaw lies in his idealized view of the past and his obsession with Daisy. He believes by recreating the past, he can win her back. But this obsession blinds him to reality and prevents him from finding true happiness. Then comes the reversal of fortune. Gatsby’s life takes a sharp turn when his facade is …show more content…

This flaw drives him to create a new identity and pursue wealth to win her back. However, this obsession blinds him to the reality of his situation and ultimately leads to his downfall. Despite his tragic fate, Gatsby’s transformative impact remains. His pursuit of the American Dream not only contributes to his tragic downfall, but also fuels his role as an archetypal creator. His story serves as a cautionary tale, reminding us of the dangers of unchecked ambition and the consequences it can have on our lives. Gatsby’s visionary nature, transformative impact, and influential presence make him a captivating figure. His pursuit of the American Dream intertwines with his tragic flaw, resulting in both his downfall and his transformative influence on those around him. Gatsby’s tragic flaw is connected to his role as an archetypal creator. Gatsby’s flaw lies in his relentless pursuit of the past, particularly his love for Daisy Buchanan. He becomes consumed by the idea of recreating their past relationship and achieving the unattainable. This flaw drives him to create a world filled with parties and material wealth, in order to impress Daisy and win her

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F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby illustrate the devastating results of materialism, idealism, and to some extent, nostalgia. His shallow, object-oriented characters show how actions centered around greed will only lead to disappointment. The universal forces of greed, materialism, and idealism that plague Gatsby, Daisy, and Myrtle ultimately lead to the destruction of each of these characters. Gatsby's immense idealism regarding Daisy ultimately led to the obliteration of his hopes of attaining her love. "There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams - not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his [Gatsby's] illusion" (95).

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Let us dive into the world of Jay Gatsby, a man whose life is full of delusion, and see how his deceptions color the canvas of the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Jay Gatsby led Daisy to believe he was wealthy and from a good background to win her over. He threw the most epic party at his mansion, hoping she would show up. Gatsby’s life was a carefully

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Jay Gatsby’s decision to attach his yearning for success to Daisy Buchanan alters the course of his life and brings an obsessive fixation in result. For example, Gatsby is reliving a moment that happened an “Autumn night, five years before.” and he is always trying to bring back the “mysterious excitement” of that evening. Gatsby attaches his dreams to unreliable being that could be a source of disappointment. Gatsby will have the feeling of defeat if he cannot obtain the affection that Daisy had for him five years prior.

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The Great Gatsby takes place in a time during which the vast majority of people were moving away from Romanticism, an appreciation of the natural world in which the common man could become a hero and rise above his social status to secure a better life, and moving towards Modernism, which consists of a more skeptical outlook on life. People no longer idealized the world and the opportunities that they had. They were less hopeful for the future and were often held back by what happened in the past. Many people accepted their lifestyles and did nothing to attempt to improve their situation in life. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows that people aren't motivated to follow their dreams unless they have something that they truly desire.

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In the story, "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the character of Jay Gatsby is shown as a mysterious and wealthy person who throws parties in the hopes of winning back his lost love, Daisy Buchanan. Despite his flaws and downfall, Gatsby portrays a character whose greatness shines through despite the challenges he may face. This is shown through his determined plans, actions, achievements, and even his mistakes. Moreover, Gatsby's ambition is shown in his plans to win back Daisy. For example, he buys a mansion in West Egg, directly across from Daisy's home, showing his determination to be near her.

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The Great Gatsby understands the intricate struggle citizens possess with their desire for wonder and fantasy, particularly in American society. As Gatsby had with Daisy, fantasies for the future are a universal experience. The search for wonder and fantasy occasionally leads to the point of self-destruction, of which Joshua Rothman in his New Yorker article “The Serious Superficiality of The Great Gatsby” states is “most appealing about ‘Gatsby’; its mood of witty hopelessness, of vivacious self-destructiveness… This atmosphere of casual, defiant, disillusioned cool is the novel’s unique contribution to literature. It’s the reason the novel’s endured.”

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Gatsby’s dreams and aspirations in life are rather interesting and amazing as he goes about his life in the book. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald helps highlight the social, moral, and political issue that were very present during the 1920’s and today. Gatsby is the focus of the book as before the book began, he was an ex-soldier who came to wealth by some rather illegal ways. Daisy a married woman is his person of interest, who was his ex-lover 5 years before the book started. Gatsby’s actions, and words demonstrate a clear obsession with Daisy that seems to have no end.

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Clinging to the past can have detrimental effects on people's lives. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald follows the story of Jay Gatsby, an extravagant millionaire, who strives to win back his past lover, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby's desire to return to his past relationship with Daisy ultimately leads to his downfall. The way the past affects Gatsby reflects the theme that moving on from the past is for the better. Gatsby's past with Daisy prompts him to live an extravagant lifestyle.

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In the life of the well-known and successful Jay Gatsby, the core idea of love fueled his motivations. While the majority depicts him as a strong and independent man who lives a luxurious lifestyle with numerous parties and nights out, it becomes clear that his true character is not what he portrays. Furthermore, his infatuation with other characters became evident of not only romance, but also the loss he experiences within himself.. In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gastby demonstrates the theme of love and loss through the analysis of his thoughts and actions, unrequited romance with Daisy Buchannan, and character development.

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Hamartia, peripetia, and catharsis are the significant traits that led to the grievous ending of Gatsby’s life. Gatsby could not see the dishonesty in the people that surrounded him, instead he only saw the good in them which eventually led to his demise. Gatsby also had his dream of being with Daisy completely shattered and reversed the day George Wilson murders him at his house. Greif from characters like Nick and Owl Eyes frame the realness of Gatsby’s death and shows how truly tragic it is. Gatsby is such a virtuous character with the fundamental characteristics of a tragic flaw that eventually leads to the demise of Gatsby himself and his dreams.

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He loses his sense of clear judgement, just as Oedipus was blinded by his tragic flaw. Gatsby portrays his blindness when he says, “Can’t repeat the past … Why of course you can!” (Fitzgerald 118). Even after Daisy shows that she is not willing to give up her life and be with him, Gatsby is so far disillusioned that he does not give up. Fitzgerald uses the tragic hero characteristic of a tragic flaw both to link Gatsby as a modern tragic hero to tragic heroes of old and to set up this central character’s final

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Additionally, Jay Gatsby, the protagonist in “The Great Gatsby” is driven by his insecurities and his desire to relive the past. Gatsby’s character is defined by his relentless pursuit of material wealth and love all stemming from his need to win the affection of Daisy Buchanan. It is his insecurities and longing for things to be how they used to, half a decade ago, that lead to his downfall which is quite unlike a hero. The quote “”Can’t repeat the past?” he cried incredulously.

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Aristotle once said “ A man doesn’t become a hero unless he can see the root of his downfall.” In order to label a character as tragic hero would mean that he/she must come across a fatal flaw which will eventually leads to demise. In a literary term, a tragic hero is a character who makes a judgement error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction. Gatsby was always doomed from the start; his fate was determined by his own actions. It seemed that Gatsby knew exactly how he would approach his plan considering his behavior after leaving his family or was it still part of his fate?

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During this time period, he reinvents himself into a sophisticated man by changing his name and adopting good manners. Neither of which is something a farm hand would do. Since Gatsby refuses to accept his fate and the readers pity him, it is easy for the writer to hook the reader into the story and define him as a tragic

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The Great Gatsby: Literary Analysis F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby” is a strong portrayal of a common struggle people deal with today: attempting to relive the past. The novel’s protagonist, Jay Gatsby, met a woman in his past life, and got with her. Her name was Daisy, who was now happily married to another man. Gatsby strived to call her his own some day. Even five years later, after his life as a soldier, Gatsby still believed, and dreamed of the possibility of one day being with Daisy for eternity.

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