Jay Gatsby: a Tragic Hero

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F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic tale of American decadence tells of a man's demise from chasing an unattainable dream and his losing himself in the process. Jay Gatsby is a hero because he is a model of the American Dream—from rags to riches, he rapidly achieves wealth and grandeur. He has ideals and a dream he is adamant in achieving. This dream turns to an obsession, one doomed for failure, for The Great Gatsby's titular character chases an impalpable dream—a lost love, whom, over the years, he elevates to an unreachably high pedestal. Gatsby's pursuit of Daisy was a desperate one. He dedicated his life to win her over, turning to the underworld to attain wealth as a bootlegger. He needed to earn money fast, and that he did. He carried on "phantom millions"(156), threw his wealth around, and flaunted it in hopes of winning over Daisy. Daisy, the girl whose "voice was full of money," whose "inexhaustible charm"(127) derived from her status, is an ideal. The idealized woman is not real, and that is the very essence of her loveliness—she is perfect, and thus unattainable. Gatsby had "committed himself to the following of a grail"(156). This chase for an intangible dream propelled him to success but also led him to his demise. He set himself up for failure in dedicating his life to achieving an unreachable goal. Gatsby suspected in brevity when he first reunited with Daisy that she "tumbled short of his dreams", though "not through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion"(101). He suspected his image of her may have become disproportionate with reality over the years. However, the uncompromising, obstinate nature of his pursuit refused to let Gatsby surrender Daisy when he "seemed so very near to her"(98). This fabricated image "had gone beyond her, beyond everything"(101). The loveliness of this image blinded Gatsby, and he refused to
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