Before we can judge if Jay Gatsby is a tragic hero, we should look at the exact de? nition of a tragic hero. According to the classic de? nition, a tragic hero is a «great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat»1, and Oedipus, from the Greek Legends, is de? ned as the classic tragic hero. So, is Gatsby then a classic tragic hero, by de?nition? ! Even if the book itself is called «Great Gatsby», is Jay really great?From the text, we know that he came from a poor family, and made his fame and money through illegal business, and created a fake world of his own surrounding his reality, because he never accepted reality as it was.

He didn’t even want to accept his biological parents as such, because he thought his destiny and his background should be better. He created a world of lies around himself, which grew so much that it consumed Gatsby, and he no longer could live and dream anywhere other than his made-up reality.From his early years, Gatsby had already planned his future, and would not accept any other way other than the one he had set for himself. Even if at the start of the book, we see Gatsby as, well, «great», we later realise that Gatsby is actually quite arrogant, and controlling. He would hate things to go the wrong way, and this is partly why he’s so obsessed with Daisy. As soon as his love for Daisy entered his made-up reality, it got stuck there.

Getting Daisy for himself became Gatsby’s goal in life, and the fact that they couldn’t be together only encouraged Gatsby to work harder.He thought his fame and money would attract Daisy, and then he probably imagined a life with Daisy, a happy marriage, kids, and money, just the way he would have wanted. In my opinion, the «great» in his name is sarcastic, or depending on the perspective. Gatsby has evolved from being a poor farmer boy to a famous man, but he lives in a world of his own. All the rumours and the lies surround him, he lives in their surrounding, but none of them are true.

His greatness lies in his achievements in life, but in no way is he great like a king or a prince would be - classically, tragic heroes would be kings, princes, merchants etc.Gatsby has created his «greatness», but has none of his own. So, he is not a hero by classical de? nition, not quite, just because all that he is, his greatness, is in fact a masterful illusion. ! Is Gatsby destined for downfall? Clues can be found all over the novel, in descriptions of Gatsby, and Nick’s portrayal of him. Firstly, Nick realises straight away that Gastby is lying about his past and his trips to India, which suggests that Gatsby isn’t that much of a good liar, and Gatsby doesn’t realise this, because he has made all his dreams reality.Also, the description of Gatsby in chapter 6 gives us suggestions on why Gatsby can never be satis? ed with his life: «.

.. these reveries provided an outlet for his imagination; they were a satisfactory hint of the unreality of reality, a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy’s wing»2. This quote is a perfect illustration of how Gastby views life. The fairy mentioned is has a slightly sarcastic feel, it’s almost as if Gastby’s mind is of a child - that everything around him is perfect, and nothing can in? uence him.

But, such an oblivious approach to life cannot be secure or everlasting.Every dream changes, and every lie comes through sometime. Gatsby has to understand that he cannot live in his own fantasy, and that other people can, and will in? uence his life, and change it. But he, throughout the whole novel, attempts to close his eyes on all the time that has passed, and bring back the day when him and Daisy were in love. Also, another reason why Gatsby’s illusions lead to his downfall is because in his eyes, Daisy is too perfect for her reality. He idealises Daisy, and she would never be able to live up to his expectations and his vision of her.

Anything intervening with his dreams lead to it falling apart, and so Gatsby’s personality does, too - because Gatsby is an illusion, and the real James Gatz doesn’t exist any more, he’s been taken over by that fantasy. In fact, the illusion he had created is similar to the «American Dream» which also never lived up the expectations. Gatsby is too idealistic, and it is obvious that he expects too much from the world around him, and from himself, which will eventually lead to his downfall, as his dream falls apart, along with him.His fantasy is interrupted greatly when he realises that Daisy has a daughter.

Because the child is a physical, real thing serves as a barrier that separates Gatsby and Daisy’s revived relationship, or rather his fantasy of a perfect relationship and reality. This illustrates how Gatsby’s fantasy is very vulnerable to interruption, and also foreshadows his downfall as soon as too much interruption happens - in this case, Daisy killing Myrtle. Because Gatsby idealises Daisy, he cannot accept that she has done something as horrible as a murder, and so takes the blame.And so, the chain of events leads to him being shot, and his funeral is pretty much empty except Nick, and his biological father. ! So, is Gatsby a tragic hero? In fact, he is a modern interpretation of a tragic hero.

Because he is not typically «great», but it is obvious throughout the novel that he is destined to defeat, and a sad death. His greatness lies in his fantasy, his creation of someone called Jay Gatsby, he’s great from his point of view, but his greatness is as believable as his trips to India.