Sohng 1 Eric Sohng English H/AP/IB Mrs. Hinman 17 November 2011 The Great Tragedy Written in 1925 by F.

Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby revolves around Jay Gatsbys pursuit of happiness. Fitzgerald foreshadows Gatsbys fate when he describes the valley of ashes, a desolate region of waste: Occasionally, a line of grey cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-grey men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud which screens their obscure operations from your sight (27). The ash-grey men directly represent Gatsby. Eager to work and succeed, Gatsby involves himself with obscure operations, such as bootlegging, to win his lovers heart. He believes he is on the right track to achieving his dream, Daisy; however, his hope is simply that, a dream: a figment of his imagination. The track that Gatsby crawls along is invisible, and is, therefore, nothing but an illusion. In effect, the unknowing Gatsby spirals toward disaster. He cannot be saved from his imminent fate, as he and his beliefs become so firm that that they are impenetrable. Thus, The Great Gatsby is a tragedy Gatsby, who is blinded by overenthusiastic ambitions for success, fails to see the deteriorating effects he has on himself; his parochial vision leads to his eventual downfall. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero of a story was a man of high nobility with a fatal imperfection. Nick Carraway characterizes Gatsby as a millionaire who owns an impressive mansion, a colossal affair by any standardit was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy (9). By introducing Gatsbys estate before the man himself, Fitzgerald places

Sohng 2 Gatsbys wealth and reputation before his persona, thus emphasizing his high class. Also, describing his neighbors parties, Nick notes that music played through the summer nights (43), and men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings (43). The parties occur so regularly that attendance becomes a social norm. The popularity of Gatsbys parties further establishes him into society as a man of high nobility. During one of these socials, a woman recalls that Gatsby bought her a new gown, to which another guest responds, Theres something funny about a fellow thatll do a thing like that. He doesnt want any trouble with anybody (48). To the affluent Gatsby, money is of no concernhe trusts that his abundant wealth will not only maintain his reputation but also allow him to acquire all he desires, even Daisy. Through his own wealth comes Gatsbys tragic flaw: the belief that he can manipulate the world to change to his liking. This fatal belief fuels the train of ambition that blinds him from the tracks to success and happiness. Jay Gatsbys aspirations for great wealth spark when Daisy first leaves him. Fitzgerald writes, After that [Daisy] didnt play around with the soldiers any more but only with a few flatfooted, short-sighted young men in town who couldnt get into the army at all (80). Daisy leaves Gatsby because he is poor, and Rich girls dont marry poor boys (from the 1974 movie adaptation). Consequently, the purpose of Gatsbys every action during past five years results from his desire to win Daisy back; he even begins to acquire wealth through immoral business. With the money, he buys that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay (83). He throws extravagant parties to try to lure Daisy to him. Failing, he even befriends Nick, driven solely by his desire for Daisy. Nick makes an account of their relationship: He hadnt once ceased looking at Daisy and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes. Sometimes, too, he stared around at his possessions in

Sohng 3 a dazed way as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real (9697). In his observation, Nick realizes that Gatsby is living in the past when he is in [Daisys] actual and astounding presence. In other words, Gatsby believes that his rekindled relationship with Daisy Buchanan is the same as the one of five years prior with Daisy Fayhe is adamant that nothing has changed in those years. He exclaims, Cant repeat the past? Why of course you can! Im going to fix everything just the way it was before. (116-117). Gatsby whole-heartedly believes that he can change his circumstances, the critical flaw which leads to his demise. In reality, the Daisy whom he seeks no longer exists; she is nothing but an illusion. This illusion of Daisy Fay becomes the invisible tracks from which Gatsby is bound to stray. Gatsbys visit to the Buchanan home marks the beginning of Gatsbys rude awakening and his gradual downfall. When Pammy, Daisys daughter, walks in on their conversation, Gatsby kept looking at the child with surprise. He had never believed in its existence before (123). Gatsby is taken by surprise because the encounter with the daughter is the very moment he begins to question his worldreality was setting in. Even more, the suspicious Tom Buchanan confronts Gatsby with All this old sport business. Whered you pick that up? (134) and I understand youre an Oxford man (135), to which Gatsby nervously replies, Not exactly. Toms insinuations force Gatsby to slowly face reality: that Gatsby is not truly an Oxford man, that he had acquired a portion of his wealth through bootlegging, and that Daisy truly belongs not to him, but to Tom. During the argument, Daisy exclaims, Even alone I cant say I never loved Tom. It wouldnt be true (140). Her confession constitutes the critical blow that knocks Gatsby into a state of disbelief and onto the stage of reality. Gatsbys tragedy lies in the second loss of Daisy, caused by his own desire to create and live in a dream, an illusion.

Sohng 4 Interestingly, Gatsby, the impenetrable man that he is, delays in accepting the truth laid out by Tom and reverts back to his false reality. Despite Toms harsh words, he believes in the existence of Daisy Fay until seconds before his death. Gatsby reveals to Nick during their final conversation, I dont think she ever loved him. Of course she might have loved him, just for a minute, when they were first marriedand loved me more even then, do you see? (159) Only moments before fate, along with a series of unfortunate events, takes his life does he really accept truth. Nick imagines Gatsby to have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream. He must have looked up at an unfamiliar sky (169). Nick reveals that the ultimate tragedy of Gatsby was not in his undeserved death, but in his sudden awakening from a single dream into an unfamiliar world, alone. Like the ash-grey men who swarm and create an impenetrable cloud, Gatsby, who establishes himself as a wealthy member of society, creates a steadfast belief that he can repeat the past. Gatsbys stubborn ambition to reach his dream disorients him, creating a wistful illusion from reality. Blinded from truth, or rather refusing to accept it, Gatsby brings upon himself his own tragic downfall.