This will require some research on your part. Look up what the major elements of Tragedy are, and see if they apply to Gatsby's ending (you need to finish the book, however). Tell me whether you think these elements are present in Jay Gatsby's fate.
I think that it is a tragedy. The death of Gatsby at the end is one of the most common hallmarks of tragedy. However the ending also had many characteristics of tragedy. The loss of the love between Nick and Jordan, and the fact that almost no one came to Gatsby's funeral are tragic events. This I believe is a sort of morality tale on Fitzgerald’s part. The lose and sinful life style of the character's comes to a tragic ending.
I think that Gatsby is a tragedy. The book deals with many themes that create tragedy. Three of the most common themes in the novel are cruelty, loss and suffering. Gatsby had to suffer for years because he could never have the woman he loved. He totally reinvents himself in a desperate attempt to win her over. Wilson and Tom experience intense loss when Wilson’s wife is killed. One is overcome with grief and the other revenge. Both of these emotions lead to murder. I assume Daisy experiences loss when Gatsby is murdered by Wilson, although she was ready to throw him over to keep her life from getting too messy. Many of these characters are also very cruel to one another. Husbands are cheating on wives, wives are cheating on husbands and no one seems truly content. Tom even goes so far as to break his mistress’ nose. She in turn, treats her dog better than her husband. Their lives become a vicious circle of deception, cruelty and lies.
Bases on the principles of a tragedy that we learned today in class I believe that Gatsby is a tragedy. The first element necessary to a tragedy is a hero. Although unlikely, Nick is a hero. It isnt until the end of the book when he rises above the superficiality of the society that we actually see this heroism. The next element that proves this book to be a tragedy is that fate works against Nick. He is repeatedly thrown into unlikely and negative situations that he seems to have no control over. Next is the step of anagnorisis where Nick realizes what he's been sucked into. He takes the position of an semi omniscient narrator as he see's that the society he's been in has been delusional and fake. Unfortunately, at this point Nick has become so tangled up in the lives of these people and this world that it is too late to change his ways. The last requirement for a tragedy is catharsis. Catharsis is the purging of all emotions, and comes for Nick when he decides that is ISNT too late and that he can still leave the superficial society he has become to absorbed with.
Aristotle said that one very important element of tragedy is the plot, and defined plot as the arrangement of events rather than the story itself. Because Nick is a "limited" narrator (as opposed to omniscient), the arrangement of events is scattered. There is a sense of mystery as to how people die, as the only information we have is what Nick experiences. This gives the arrangement of events a suspenseful tint - the whodunit feel implies tragedy. There is an ironic feel to this as well, which also gives the book its "tragedy-satirical" classification. The irony lays in the name of the time period: "the roaring twenties." Life was supposedly great, as people were rich, they partied often, and there was no need to worry about anything. Although this was the case, we see a dismal side to this: there are bootleggers, gangs, and (in The Great Gatsby) many deaths and "slippery" actions. For instance, Gatsby is thought to be a spy, and there is much gossip about not only him, but everyone. The reputation-based society we are presented with is morally degraded, and people back-stabbing each other is common. Because of this, The Great Gatsby shows many signs of tragedy.
Even though just about all signs hint towards the book being a tragedy, I don't think the story is a complete tragedy. Sure, Gatsby dies, Nick ends up without Jordan, Tom's Mistress dies--in short, the book ends grimly. However I just don't see this book as a true tragedy. Unfortunately I don't really have any good points to back up my opinion. So I guess I will have to go along with everyone else and say that the book is a tragedy. I know that this doesn't really relate to the question but this book is almost exactly what life is for a lot of people today. I just thought that was interesting. A lot of people are still living this way despite all the hardships that endure when they cheat and such.
In the terms of plays and theatre, yes, Gatsby is a tragedy. Tragedy in a piece of writing always includes death (ie the death of Gatsby) and a loss of a love interest (Nick and Jordan in Chapter 9). The characters in this novel seem to suffer through a lot of different scenarios, from love and lust to death and despair. While getting money isn't exactly a cause of concern for these characters, it could be seen as their downfall. The constant partying and paying no heed to those around them ends up hurting the characters. Nick, the protagonist of the novel, experiences catharsis in the end of the book, realizing that he got himself wound up in situations that could've been avoided entirely. So though the writing style of Gatsby does not lead the reader to think that it is a tragedy, I believe that it is
Yes, it is definitely a tragedy. Jay Gatsby can be seen as a hero of sorts who follows traits of heroes in other tragic works. For example, his hubris is seen when he takes the blame for hitting Myrtle. The accident with Myrtle is a tragic twist of fate that is definately beyond Gatsby's control. Also in the true spirit of a tragedy, Gatsby dies. Nick goes through catharsis after Gatsby's death and sees the flaws in the West Egg way of life. Many aspects of a tragedy are present in Gatsby, especially in the concluding chapters.
The Great Gatsby is a tragedy. Gatsby fils the role of a hero with his arrogance and flaunting. Fate works against him in Daisy's marriage to Tom. Gatsby realizes that he has let Daisy escape him, but she is already with Tom, making it too late for Gatsby to peruse her. His monologues and speeches of the past evoke strong emotion from within himself, He is very sentimental of these times, and wishes them back. He wallows an self pity when Daisy fails to call. He exaggerates his emotions to evoke sympathy from the reader.
i would consider the great gatsby to be a tragedy. although it does not quite follow the specific format, it still contains many elements of a tragedy. gatsby runs over wilson's wife and then wilson kills gatsby out of revenge. almost no one came to Gatsby's funeral, and Nick never ends up with Jordan. Nothing works out for the protagonists, and Tom who may be seen as the villan gets off completely free. Ultimately this book would be considered a tragedy because events lead to the protagonists inevitable death.
Although The Great Gatsby fails to meet all of the requirements of a tragedy, it contains many of the elements found in one. It's difficult to find a definite hero within the pages of The Great Gatsby, but one can find the characteristics of one in both Gatsby and Nick. The series of deaths also contribute to the dark theme of tragedy, along with several other aspects that reveal the flaws of humanity and the social order of which it functions.
'The Great Gatsby' could be considered a tragedy, since, coinciding with the 'classic' element of tragedy, it ends with a death and a funeral. It is also tragic in the sense of the amount of sadness, horror, and confusion in the book creating a sense of darkness and gloom in which we interpret the modern sense of 'tragedy'. It can also considerably be the opposite if a comedy because of the absence of happy, nice events, particularly a wedding, the basic element of a comedy. In all, GAtsby is a tragedy for the mere fact of the death [a] main character.
I think that it is a tragedy. The death of Gatsby at the end is one of the most common hallmarks of tragedy. However the ending also had many characteristics of tragedy. The loss of the love between Nick and Jordan, and the fact that almost no one came to Gatsby's funeral are tragic events. This I believe is a sort of morality tale on Fitzgerald’s part. The lose and sinful life style of the character's comes to a tragic ending.
ReplyDeleteI think that Gatsby is a tragedy. The book deals with many themes that create tragedy. Three of the most common themes in the novel are cruelty, loss and suffering. Gatsby had to suffer for years because he could never have the woman he loved. He totally reinvents himself in a desperate attempt to win her over. Wilson and Tom experience intense loss when Wilson’s wife is killed. One is overcome with grief and the other revenge. Both of these emotions lead to murder. I assume Daisy experiences loss when Gatsby is murdered by Wilson, although she was ready to throw him over to keep her life from getting too messy. Many of these characters are also very cruel to one another. Husbands are cheating on wives, wives are cheating on husbands and no one seems truly content. Tom even goes so far as to break his mistress’ nose. She in turn, treats her dog better than her husband. Their lives become a vicious circle of deception, cruelty and lies.
ReplyDeleteBases on the principles of a tragedy that we learned today in class I believe that Gatsby is a tragedy. The first element necessary to a tragedy is a hero. Although unlikely, Nick is a hero. It isnt until the end of the book when he rises above the superficiality of the society that we actually see this heroism. The next element that proves this book to be a tragedy is that fate works against Nick. He is repeatedly thrown into unlikely and negative situations that he seems to have no control over. Next is the step of anagnorisis where Nick realizes what he's been sucked into. He takes the position of an semi omniscient narrator as he see's that the society he's been in has been delusional and fake. Unfortunately, at this point Nick has become so tangled up in the lives of these people and this world that it is too late to change his ways. The last requirement for a tragedy is catharsis. Catharsis is the purging of all emotions, and comes for Nick when he decides that is ISNT too late and that he can still leave the superficial society he has become to absorbed with.
ReplyDeleteAristotle said that one very important element of tragedy is the plot, and defined plot as the arrangement of events rather than the story itself. Because Nick is a "limited" narrator (as opposed to omniscient), the arrangement of events is scattered. There is a sense of mystery as to how people die, as the only information we have is what Nick experiences. This gives the arrangement of events a suspenseful tint - the whodunit feel implies tragedy. There is an ironic feel to this as well, which also gives the book its "tragedy-satirical" classification. The irony lays in the name of the time period: "the roaring twenties." Life was supposedly great, as people were rich, they partied often, and there was no need to worry about anything. Although this was the case, we see a dismal side to this: there are bootleggers, gangs, and (in The Great Gatsby) many deaths and "slippery" actions. For instance, Gatsby is thought to be a spy, and there is much gossip about not only him, but everyone. The reputation-based society we are presented with is morally degraded, and people back-stabbing each other is common. Because of this, The Great Gatsby shows many signs of tragedy.
ReplyDeleteEven though just about all signs hint towards the book being a tragedy, I don't think the story is a complete tragedy. Sure, Gatsby dies, Nick ends up without Jordan, Tom's Mistress dies--in short, the book ends grimly. However I just don't see this book as a true tragedy. Unfortunately I don't really have any good points to back up my opinion. So I guess I will have to go along with everyone else and say that the book is a tragedy. I know that this doesn't really relate to the question but this book is almost exactly what life is for a lot of people today. I just thought that was interesting. A lot of people are still living this way despite all the hardships that endure when they cheat and such.
ReplyDeleteIn the terms of plays and theatre, yes, Gatsby is a tragedy. Tragedy in a piece of writing always includes death (ie the death of Gatsby) and a loss of a love interest (Nick and Jordan in Chapter 9). The characters in this novel seem to suffer through a lot of different scenarios, from love and lust to death and despair. While getting money isn't exactly a cause of concern for these characters, it could be seen as their downfall. The constant partying and paying no heed to those around them ends up hurting the characters. Nick, the protagonist of the novel, experiences catharsis in the end of the book, realizing that he got himself wound up in situations that could've been avoided entirely. So though the writing style of Gatsby does not lead the reader to think that it is a tragedy, I believe that it is
ReplyDeleteYes, it is definitely a tragedy. Jay Gatsby can be seen as a hero of sorts who follows traits of heroes in other tragic works. For example, his hubris is seen when he takes the blame for hitting Myrtle. The accident with Myrtle is a tragic twist of fate that is definately beyond Gatsby's control. Also in the true spirit of a tragedy, Gatsby dies. Nick goes through catharsis after Gatsby's death and sees the flaws in the West Egg way of life. Many aspects of a tragedy are present in Gatsby, especially in the concluding chapters.
ReplyDeleteThe Great Gatsby is a tragedy. Gatsby fils the role of a hero with his arrogance and flaunting. Fate works against him in Daisy's marriage to Tom. Gatsby realizes that he has let Daisy escape him, but she is already with Tom, making it too late for Gatsby to peruse her. His monologues and speeches of the past evoke strong emotion from within himself, He is very sentimental of these times, and wishes them back. He wallows an self pity when Daisy fails to call. He exaggerates his emotions to evoke sympathy from the reader.
ReplyDeletei would consider the great gatsby to be a tragedy. although it does not quite follow the specific format, it still contains many elements of a tragedy. gatsby runs over wilson's wife and then wilson kills gatsby out of revenge. almost no one came to Gatsby's funeral, and Nick never ends up with Jordan. Nothing works out for the protagonists, and Tom who may be seen as the villan gets off completely free. Ultimately this book would be considered a tragedy because events lead to the protagonists inevitable death.
ReplyDeleteAlthough The Great Gatsby fails to meet all of the requirements of a tragedy, it contains many of the elements found in one. It's difficult to find a definite hero within the pages of The Great Gatsby, but one can find the characteristics of one in both Gatsby and Nick. The series of deaths also contribute to the dark theme of tragedy, along with several other aspects that reveal the flaws of humanity and the social order of which it functions.
ReplyDelete'The Great Gatsby' could be considered a tragedy, since, coinciding with the 'classic' element of tragedy, it ends with a death and a funeral. It is also tragic in the sense of the amount of sadness, horror, and confusion in the book creating a sense of darkness and gloom in which we interpret the modern sense of 'tragedy'. It can also considerably be the opposite if a comedy because of the absence of happy, nice events, particularly a wedding, the basic element of a comedy. In all, GAtsby is a tragedy for the mere fact of the death [a] main character.
ReplyDelete