The Mysterious Popularity Of The Great Gatsby: Mythic Hero
The Mysterious Popularity of The Great Gatsby: The Mythic Hero When we discussed The Great Gatsby in class, most of us agreed that we enjoyed reading the book. However, when asked why we thought it is so popular and widely examined and debated in literary circles, nobody seemed to have an answer. There is a mysterious attraction to the story and the characters that Fitzgerald created. I think that the reason people love this book is because the title character is an Americanized version of the mythic heroic figure that can be found throughout literature and mythology. The mythic hero is fascinating because he represents "the living inspiration"¦of the activities of the human mind" (Campbell 3). Fitzgerald presents Gatsby as the mythic hero in the context of early twentieth century America, thereby re-inventing and modifying the existing archetype of the hero.
I am not the first person to see similarities between the character of Gatsby and the mythic hero. According to Neila Seshachari, "Gatsby 's story offers a complete parallel to the embryonic path of the mythic hero" (Seshachari 93). These parallels are so strong that it seems likely that Fitzgerald may have borrowed many of the details of Gatsby 's life from mythological stories. Gatsby 's origin is similar to the origins in many hero myths. Steven G. Kellman writes, "The hero alone must create his identity ["¦] he inherits nothing, not even a father"(Kellman 1252). James Gatz had rejected his actual parents and reinvented himself as Jay Gatsby, thereby fathering a new identity for himself. His status as a parentless child is confirmed when Nick comments: "his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all" (Fitzgerald 99). James Gatz, therefore, is enacting a powerfully mythic fantasy when he reinvents himself: "The fantasy of being simultaneously father and son is primarily a fantasy of immortality, of a timeless personal omnipotence" (Kellman 1252). By changing his name and
I am not the first person to see similarities between the character of Gatsby and the mythic hero. According to Neila Seshachari, "Gatsby 's story offers a complete parallel to the embryonic path of the mythic hero" (Seshachari 93). These parallels are so strong that it seems likely that Fitzgerald may have borrowed many of the details of Gatsby 's life from mythological stories. Gatsby 's origin is similar to the origins in many hero myths. Steven G. Kellman writes, "The hero alone must create his identity ["¦] he inherits nothing, not even a father"(Kellman 1252). James Gatz had rejected his actual parents and reinvented himself as Jay Gatsby, thereby fathering a new identity for himself. His status as a parentless child is confirmed when Nick comments: "his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all" (Fitzgerald 99). James Gatz, therefore, is enacting a powerfully mythic fantasy when he reinvents himself: "The fantasy of being simultaneously father and son is primarily a fantasy of immortality, of a timeless personal omnipotence" (Kellman 1252). By changing his name and
Cited: Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With a Thousand Faces. New York: Princeton UP, 1973. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1980. Kellman, Steven J. "The Fiction of Self-Begetting." MLN. 91.6 (1976): 1243-1256. Seshachari, Neila. "The Great Gatsby: Apogee of Fitzgerald 's Mythopoeia." Gatsby. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1991. 93-102.