The Great Gatsby Research: Gatsby Is Considered a Christ Figure

A Christ figure is depicted as a visionary character who is symbolic to Jesus Christ and suggests towards the beginning of the novel, the reader learns more about Gatsby’s early life and can see how he to Biblical stories. In F.

Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the intriguing and mysterious character Jay Gatsby is undoubtedly represented as a Christ figure. Fitzgerald uses strikingly similar characteristics between Gatsby and Jesus, resulting images to the Bible and Gatsby’s ultimate death echoing that of Jesus’ crucifixion to relate Gatsby to Christ.Jay Gatsby, displays various qualities and characteristics of Jesus Christ that relates to Jesus (Dilworth). He rows out to Dan Cody only to let him know that he has anchored “over the most insidious flat on Lake Superior” and “that the wind might catch him and break him up in half an hour”(Dilworth). This instance describes Gatsby as showing concern for another even though he at the time should be worried about his own situation and life because of his jobs as a “clam-digger and a salmon-fisher” that brought him only food and a place to sleep (Fitzgerald 98).Gatsby demonstrates concern toward one he didn’t know much like Jesus showed the same quality towards those whom he barely knew.

Another virtue Fitzgerald demonstrates Gatsby obtaining is hope. Early in the story, Gatsby is described as having “a heightened sensitivity to the promises of life” and also, “an extraordinary gift for hope” (“Gatsby”). Throughout the novel, Gatsby’s hope is illustrated through his desire to be with Daisy and his belief in “the green light” that represented the hope for a future with her (Fitzgerald 180).Gatsby’s strong belief in hope connects to both Jesus having an abundance of hope and one of the three “theological virtues” being hope (“Gatsby”). Gatsby’s character is also illustrated at his parties by one of the women (“Gatsby”). She says that Gatsby “doesn’t want trouble with anybody” (“Gatsby”) Gatsby’s gentle manner seen here relates to Jesus when he states he is “as gentle and lowly in heart” (“Gatsby”).

Gatsby being parallel to Jesus is brought up yet again when Gatsby asks Nick “what’s your opinion of me anyhow? ” (“Gatsby”). This question reflects Jesus’ when he asks his disciples “who do you say that I am?” (“Gatsby”).Fitzgerald does a good job alluding to the Bible in his novel by using images and events to display the correlation amongst the messiah Jesus and Jay Gatsby. Both Gatsby and Jesus are left alone(Dilworth).

Carraway “leaves him standing there... watching over nothing” in the same way Jesus’ disciples rest while he suffers (Dilworth). The sense of “watching” also alludes to the Bible when Jesus encourages his disciples in Gethsemane “watch with me” and remarking, “you could not watch with me one hour? ” (Dilworth).

In both cases they are left alone to watch over something they believed in.Jay Gatsby is known for hosting extravagant parties. Nick mentions that at Gatsby’s parties “people were not invited; they went there” and also that he “had been actually invited” (“Gatsby”). Gatsby’s parties are quite similar to the wedding feast in the Bible.

In the parable after the king realizes there weren’t invited guests, he has soldiers collect people on the street to attend (“Gatsby”). Like Gatsby’s guests they weren’t originally invited (“Gatsby”). Gatsby’s parties had not only a complicated guest list, but also depicted as enchanting.Although Gatsby didn’t create miracles like Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana, his parties were fantasy-like and miraculous (Wood).

They included, “floating rounds of cocktails” and before beginning a dance, a woman “snatches one out of the air, dumps it down for courage”(Wood). Despite evidence given, many are convinced Gatsby is not a Christ figure. In one’s opinion, the dominant tone seems like “one of artificiality” and claims Gatsby is “the God of money, power, prestige and falsehood” stating furthermore that Gatsby doesn’t illustrate the true evidence of Jesus, but the exact opposite (“Gatsby”).The author goes on to say Gatsby’s ultimate death saved Tom and Daisy from the law, but not themselves (“Gatsby”). There are many cases however, that overpower his opinion. The first being the prominent resemblance between Gatsby’s death to Jesus’.

Fitzgerald evidently portrays the well known passage of Jesus carrying and struggling with his cross on his own on the way to Golgotha, where he later dies. After Gatsby announces, like Jesus, the account of his death is “God’s Truth”, he depicts Jesus’ crucifixion by showing and describing how Gatsby too struggled when he carried his air mattress to his pool on his own (Christensen 154).Gatsby relates to Christ in another sense when he takes fault for Myrtle’s death and as a result dies for Daisy (Dilworth). Daisy is ultimately responsible for Myrtle’s death even if it was unintentionally. Because it was an accident her action isn’t considered a sin, but her not confessing to it is not only a sin, but also a crime (Dilworth). Carraway asks Gatsby if Daisy was indeed driving, and he replies, “Yes,.

.. but of course I’ll say I was”(Dilworth). Gatsby dies for Daisy’s sins just like Jesus dies for sins that are not his own.Gatsby is most definitely portrayed as a Christ figure. Whether it was intentional or not, the made up name Jay Gatz chooses for his new self, literally translates to “God’s Boy”(Wood).

There is no question that the character Jay Gatsby is tied to Jesus Christ in a plethora of ways. F. Scott Fitzgerald evidently patterns Gatsby’s character to Jesus’. The parallel characteristics, reflections toward the Bible itself, and Gatsby’s death all divulge the correlation between Gatsby and Jesus. The recognition seen between the two is simply absolute.A Christ figure is depicted as a visionary character who is symbolic to Jesus Christ and suggests towards the beginning of the novel, the reader learns more about Gatsby’s early life and can see how he to Biblical stories.

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the intriguing and mysterious character Jay Gatsby is undoubtedly represented as a Christ figure. Fitzgerald uses strikingly similar characteristics between Gatsby and Jesus, resulting images to the Bible and Gatsby’s ultimate death echoing that of Jesus’ crucifixion to relate Gatsby to Christ.Jay Gatsby, displays various qualities and characteristics of Jesus Christ that relates to Jesus (Dilworth). He rows out to Dan Cody only to let him know that he has anchored “over the most insidious flat on Lake Superior” and “that the wind might catch him and break him up in half an hour”(Dilworth). This instance describes Gatsby as showing concern for another even though he at the time should be worried about his own situation and life because of his jobs as a “clam-digger and a salmon-fisher” that brought him only food and a place to sleep (Fitzgerald 98).

Gatsby demonstrates concern toward one he didn’t know much like Jesus showed the same quality towards those whom he barely knew. Another virtue Fitzgerald demonstrates Gatsby obtaining is hope. Early in the story, Gatsby is described as having “a heightened sensitivity to the promises of life” and also, “an extraordinary gift for hope” (“Gatsby”). Throughout the novel, Gatsby’s hope is illustrated through his desire to be with Daisy and his belief in “the green light” that represented the hope for a future with her (Fitzgerald 180).Gatsby’s strong belief in hope connects to both Jesus having an abundance of hope and one of the three “theological virtues” being hope (“Gatsby”).

Gatsby’s character is also illustrated at his parties by one of the women (“Gatsby”). She says that Gatsby “doesn’t want trouble with anybody” (“Gatsby”) Gatsby’s gentle manner seen here relates to Jesus when he states he is “as gentle and lowly in heart” (“Gatsby”). Gatsby being parallel to Jesus is brought up yet again when Gatsby asks Nick “what’s your opinion of me anyhow? ” (“Gatsby”). This question reflects Jesus’ when he asks his disciples “who do you say that I am?” (“Gatsby”).Fitzgerald does a good job alluding to the Bible in his novel by using images and events to display the correlation amongst the messiah Jesus and Jay Gatsby. Both Gatsby and Jesus are left alone(Dilworth).

Carraway “leaves him standing there... watching over nothing” in the same way Jesus’ disciples rest while he suffers (Dilworth). The sense of “watching” also alludes to the Bible when Jesus encourages his disciples in Gethsemane “watch with me” and remarking, “you could not watch with me one hour? ” (Dilworth).

In both cases they are left alone to watch over something they believed in.Jay Gatsby is known for hosting extravagant parties. Nick mentions that at Gatsby’s parties “people were not invited; they went there” and also that he “had been actually invited” (“Gatsby”). Gatsby’s parties are quite similar to the wedding feast in the Bible. In the parable after the king realizes there weren’t invited guests, he has soldiers collect people on the street to attend (“Gatsby”).

Like Gatsby’s guests they weren’t originally invited (“Gatsby”). Gatsby’s parties had not only a complicated guest list, but also depicted as enchanting.Although Gatsby didn’t create miracles like Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana, his parties were fantasy-like and miraculous (Wood). They included, “floating rounds of cocktails” and before beginning a dance, a woman “snatches one out of the air, dumps it down for courage”(Wood). Despite evidence given, many are convinced Gatsby is not a Christ figure.

In one’s opinion, the dominant tone seems like “one of artificiality” and claims Gatsby is “the God of money, power, prestige and falsehood” stating furthermore that Gatsby doesn’t illustrate the true evidence of Jesus, but the exact opposite (“Gatsby”).The author goes on to say Gatsby’s ultimate death saved Tom and Daisy from the law, but not themselves (“Gatsby”). There are many cases however, that overpower his opinion. The first being the prominent resemblance between Gatsby’s death to Jesus’.

Fitzgerald evidently portrays the well known passage of Jesus carrying and struggling with his cross on his own on the way to Golgotha, where he later dies. After Gatsby announces, like Jesus, the account of his death is “God’s Truth”, he depicts Jesus’ crucifixion by showing and describing how Gatsby too struggled when he carried his air mattress to his pool on his own (Christensen 154).Gatsby relates to Christ in another sense when he takes fault for Myrtle’s death and as a result dies for Daisy (Dilworth). Daisy is ultimately responsible for Myrtle’s death even if it was unintentionally. Because it was an accident her action isn’t considered a sin, but her not confessing to it is not only a sin, but also a crime (Dilworth).

Carraway asks Gatsby if Daisy was indeed driving, and he replies, “Yes,... but of course I’ll say I was”(Dilworth). Gatsby dies for Daisy’s sins just like Jesus dies for sins that are not his own.

Gatsby is most definitely portrayed as a Christ figure. Whether it was intentional or not, the made up name Jay Gatz chooses for his new self, literally translates to “God’s Boy”(Wood). There is no question that the character Jay Gatsby is tied to Jesus Christ in a plethora of ways. F. Scott Fitzgerald evidently patterns Gatsby’s character to Jesus’.

The parallel characteristics, reflections toward the Bible itself, and Gatsby’s death all divulge the correlation between Gatsby and Jesus. The recognition seen between the two is simply absolute.