A Tragic Fall

A Ford car that Americans still drive today used to cost just $290 in the 1920s! Well, this car ties in with one of the mistakes made by Jay Gatsby. The novel The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This novel shows how a young man named Jay Gatsby attempts to reach his American dream but, his actions cause him to come to a tragic fall. Jay Gatsby is a tragic hero because he has a number of flaws that come back to defeat him; His affection for Daisy, His desperation to achieve his American dream, and his failure to see what is real and what is not. First, one of his many flaws is his affection for Daisy. She comes to be the only thing standing between him and perfection. He sees her as a path to everything he would ever want and he acts upon that. For example, when he takes the blame for killing Myrtle Wilson; while in reality Daisy was the one that was driving. He does not want anything to happen to Daisy nor does he want her to be mad at him so he takes the blame. This shows that Gatsby really loves Daisy for him to take the blame for such a strong offense, and he does because he even says to Nick, “’I can’t describe to you how surprised I was to find out that I loved her’” (Fitzgerald 150). Next, Gatsby’s affection for Daisy also causes him to expose his sensitivity. When they are having the discussion between who Daisy really loves at the hotel in New York; Daisy tells Gatsby that she loves him now but she also loves Tom too. This brings Gatsby’s sensitivity out as he replies to her, “’You loved me too?’” (Fitzgerald 132). This touches Gatsby because he believes that he is the only one that Daisy really loves. To sum up, Daisy comes to be the only one between Gatsby and perfection, he shows that affection by taking the blame for killing Myrtle Wilson, and this affection brings out the sensitivity in him. Subsequently, another one of Gatsby’s flaws is that he goes to any length to obtain his dream. First, believing that he has class, he throws vulgar parties in attempt to make people think he is someone, while in reality he is no much more than another guest at his parties. This is still a desperate attempt to have Daisy take him back again but, Daisy does not think too high of his parties. Second, his wealth is obtained through bootlegging and other illegal practices. This really shows that he would go to any length to get what he wants because bootlegging is illegal around that time in the 1920s. Third, Gatsby confronts Tom face to face about how Daisy does not love him and that she loves Gatsby. Daisy being one of his dreams, Gatsby just plainly tells Tom, “’She’s never loved you, she loves me’” (Fitzgerald 130). As a result, Gatsby throws uncouth parties to make seem that he has class, while in reality those parties are just a part of his dream for Daisy to take him back; this dream causes him to bootleg and do other illegal practices to achieve his dream, and his dream also causes him to confront Tom about daisy not loving him. Next, Gatsby is unable to see the real and the ideal