Essay King
American Litany
Mrs. Director
4/19/05
Tragic Hero
Authors have used tragic heroes through literature to spread their ideas of society. In the novel "The Great Gatsby" by Scott Fitzgerald a man with a dream puts the tragedy in tragic hero. Jay Gatsby possesses the three main characteristics of a tragic hero. Gatsby is noble, has a noble cause, and faces obstacles to reach his dream to ultimately be defeated. These qualities help Gatsby through a series of spectacular events until his doom.
Gatsby is very noble for a man surrounded by lies and deception. He can be viewed as a noblemen which he is by Nick for his status in society. He can also be viewed as a noble person because he is someone with morals. One of his noblest moments as Nick sees him as a noblemen is in chapter 6 "The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself.
The grave of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzger...
The cover of the first edition of The Great Gatsby...
The Great Gatsby (1926 film)He was a son of God--a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that--and he must be about His Father's business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end." His second noblest moment as Nick sees him as a noblemen in chapter 8 "They're a rotten crowd....You're worth the whole damn bunch put together." Two instances where Gastby shows nobility but being noble aren't all that makes a tragic hero. Tragic heroes also have a noble cause.
Another quality of a tragic hero Gatsby possesses is a noble cause. He has one cause through out the novel although it can be perceived in...