Tragic Hero " Jay Gatsby"

People could justify that Jay Gatsby has a many flaws, some more than others. Furthermore, the biggest flaw he had was his passion for Daisy, who is the reason why he is known as a "tragic hero". Daisy is what was standing between Gatsby and his “perfection” she is the one impossible thing he wants and goes after but can’t accomplish. In the end, he dies because of her, which is significant of her devastating impact on his life. Also, she brings out the individuality in Gatsby that undermines his God-like presence, specifically his romantic side.
She exposes his sensitivity, causing him to become merely another flawed human being, rather than the powerful, mysterious man who rarely shows himself even at his own parties. When Daisy finally attends one of his parties, for example, he is suddenly among the mingling crowd, shifting from his previous position, watching from above (similarly to "God").
Jay Gatsby is the tragic hero of the novel. This is because he believes there is a logical purpose for his actions, yet his actions lead to pain and disaster. He had followed the "American Dream," being poor and then working until he becomes rich and successful. Jay's wealth is gained through bootlegging and other speculative practices. The corrupt ways in which he made his money soured the pure idea of the "real" work ethic and foreshadowed his corrupt life. Jay falls into the materialistic "trap" when he first meets Daisy. He was young and poor, and she rich; their difference in social status leads to their separation although Jay can never get over her. Daisy's materialistic outlook influences Jay enough to cause him eventually have that outlook also. At first, his excuse is Daisy, claiming the wealth is for her, so she would again be able to love him. Later, it becomes evident Jay himself has become excessively materialistic and realizes too late, it is not enough to make him happy. When Jay's one goal of reuniting fails his life falls apart. He dies tragically, at the end of the novel. Not knowing the past "was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night" (Gatsby 189). None of his "friends," who had always come to his parties, went to his funeral. This made this tragic hero have a fitting end to life.
A tragic hero is a person with many admirable and valuable qualities, yet he also possesses a great flaw that will eventually lead to his downfall. Gatsby is a very good example of a tragic hero he had many qualities that allowed him to succeed in life, but he does have a flaw that causes his death. Gatsby was a hard working, sensitive and intelligent man. Like his father said” he was only a young man but he had a lot of brain power” (Gatsby 176). Gatsby worked his way up from nothing. He was a poor farmers’ son, and he became a wealthy and respected man. He worked for his dream and never gave up. Yet there was one thing that was holding him back; one thing that prevented him from being happy and enjoying life. That one thing was his never ending love for Daisy. Gatsby’s love turned into his tragic flaw that ended up killing him.
Usually love is a magnificent and life improving. But when that love becomes obsession, like in Gatsby’s case, it becomes problematic. Every single thing that Gatsby was for Daisy; his whole life revolved around her. “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (Gatsby 83). He thought he was in love with Daisy; in reality he was in love with the idea of Daisy. He saw a perfect charming girl when in reality Daisy “smashed things and creatures and then retreated back into their money” (Gatsby 188). Gatsby did not see the Daisy that was capable of killing; he did not see the real Daisy. When Gatsby finally did see the real girl, the one that choose Tom, he gave up on life “ he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for leaving to long with s single dream”(Gatsby169). Gatsby’s blind love for Daisy made him take the blame for the murder of Myrtle and that caused his death. Daisy destroyed his life literally, mentally and emotionally. Throughout the novel, Gatsby expresses his dreams of having Daisy with extreme desire and anxiety. At the beginning the novel, Nick sees a vision of Gatsby standing alone, reaching out to the green light. We find out that the green light leads to Daisy’s house. Because Gatsby was alone and longing for Daisy, we can see the extreme desire he has for her. Nick sees this desire when “He stretched his arms to warm water” (Gatsby 25). This image of Gatsby helps Nick see the other side. The “tragic hero” is a character who makes a mistake or has a fatal flaw that combined with fate ends in death. The tragic hero usually dies as did Gatsby for taking on another person’s mistakes and making them your own. Gatsby took on what Daisy did and covered for her so that nothing would happen to her, but he did not think about what would happen to him in the end. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero can be defined most simply as a character that, in spite of a basic goodness, has a tragic flaw which eventually leads to his downfall. To be more in depth , tragic heroes usually fall into six characteristics; a man of noble stature, his downfall partially his own fault, he is great but not perfect, misfortune is wholly deserved, arouses emotion such as pity, fear, compassion, and draws in the audience, and gain in self knowledge. In Fitzgerald Scott’s “The Great Gatsby” Jay Gatsby follows Aristotle’s tragic hero characteristics in the structure at which it is written.
Gatsby has all the characteristics of a tragic hero except gaining self knowledge. Nick tells Gatsby to leave because he knows Daisy is not going to leave tom for him, yet Gatsby will have none of it he states, “He couldn’t possibly leave Daisy until he knew what she was going to do. He was clutching at some last hope and I couldn’t bear to shake him free” (Gatsby 155). Gaining self knowledge is not accomplished because Gatsby’s passion and love for daisy is a precise characteristic of the American Dream to Gatsby. “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter-tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out arms farther….And one fine morning----- So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past(Gatsby180). Fitzgerald utilizes Aristotle’s characteristics of a tragic hero when he creates Jay Gatsby.