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The Great Gatsby As A Tragedy Essay

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The Great Gatsby As A Tragedy

A hurried read of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby can generate a tragic impression. The deaths of three of the main characters and the failure of Gatsby and Daisy's romance can be viewed as tragic.
However, a deeper analysis of the book reveals a much deeper tragedy.
The relentless struggles of Gatsby himself parallel Fitzgerald's apparent ideas of the struggles of all Americans. The American dream romanticized by the majority of the population is really unattainable because it is, in fact, nonexistent.

Every character has an unfortunate role and could be called a tragic character. However, the main tragedy is that of the title character.
Gatsby experiences nothing but tragedy in his …show more content…

Gatsby's final tragedy is his death. Gatsby made a great effort to achieve his dreams, but in the end his efforts were futile.

Fitzgerald was obviously appalled at the general state of society in the 1920s. He appears to have been particularly saddened by the decayed social and moral values of the well-established American aristocracies. The old wealth seen on East Egg and the people attending Gatsby's parties signify the careless materialism of the time. Tom and Daisy are prime examples of this. They outrage Nick and by the end of the novel he decides that they are "careless people…they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money" (187). As seen through the disappointed eyes in Dr. Eckleburg's glasses on the billboard at the Valley of the Ashes, the world itself was in a tragic state. The distinct social classes are what kept
Gatsby and Daisy apart. In the beginning, it was his lack of money that made them unable to be together. After they are reunited, it is the great division of the old and new wealth that keeps them apart.
Gatsby could never be accepted into Daisy's social class because on
East Egg he could not have self-made wealth.

The novel ends with Gatsby's death and subsequent funeral. These are representative of the final death of the American dream. Gatsby's life work had turned out to be for nothing. Although he has many acquaintances and doesn't "want any trouble with anybody" (48), he has
no

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