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The Tragic Hero In The Great Gatsby

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A tragic hero is defined as a literary character who makes an judgement error that inevitably leads to his/her destruction. These criterias categorize Jay Gatsby, the protagonist of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby. Gatsby's tragic flaw lies within his inability to realize that the real and the ideal cannot coexist. His false perception of certain people of ideas lead him to his moral downfall and eventual demise. Gatsby's idealism distorts his perception of Daisy. He sees her as perfect and worthy of all his affections and praise, while in reality she is undeserving and proves she is more pathetic than honorable. Throughout the novel white imagery symbolizes purity and innocence, while yellow imagery symbolizes corruption and …show more content…

Gatsby does not see things as they really are and expects them to play out exactly as he thinks they will. When Nick tells Gatsby that he can't repeat the past, Gatsby responds, "'Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!'" (110). This delusion blinds Gatsby to what is going on right in front of him. His disregard for reality is how he formulates his dream to rewrite the past and reunite with Daisy, according to his belief that sufficient wealth can allow him to control his fate. He establishes an immense fortune to impress Daisy, who can only be won over with evidence of material success. As Gatsby attempts to make his ideal a reality, things do not run as smoothly as he plans because Daisy can never live up to his dream. When Nick is reflecting on Gatsby's idea of Daisy he notes, "He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: 'I never loved you'" (105). Gatsby’s ideal life is not a realistic expectation because Daisy is already married and has a family to take care of. Furthermore, her religion prevents her from getting a divorce and marrying Gatsby even if she wanted to. These obvious factors block Gatsby from obtaining his dream and marrying Daisy, but he seems to be blind to

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