Gatsby Anti Hero

Readers are easily able to clarify whether a character is a hero or a villain, whether they are completely selfless or malicious. However, anti-heroes are characters that tip toe the line between good and evil. There is more to these characters than simply saving the people around them or destroying anything to get their way. These characters may be fighting for a good cause but will go against the rules or even kill to get what they want. They might take advantage of others and rebel against what is socially acceptable to seek justice or reach the one thing that they have sought after. These actions and the fact that these characters are not completely black and white are what make anti-heroes more appealing to readers than a hero or a villain. They are normal people who go to the extreme to get what they want, even if there are consequences. In order to reveal several flaws in humanity, authors create anti-heroes who utilize various immoral methods to carry out their sympathetic yet misguided causes.

Like many people today, Jay Gatsby, from The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, tries to recapture the past to make his dreams and ideals happen. In doing so, he believes that he will be able to obtain Daisy and live the American Dream (Monteiro). In other words, (Fitzgerald). Gatsby, like many other Americans, wants the ideal life and family, meaning, in Gatsby’s case, living in East Egg and acquiring wealth to match its occupants. Striving towards a better life is not Gatsby’s problem, however, it is the way he goes about it. . Gatsby acquires his wealth through organized crime, buys flashy items to impress others, and builds his life off of a fake name. While these items are a part of Gatsby’s wealth, they are simply ...

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...gs for other people’s presence (Rowe). (Rowe). So to keep himself from society, Holden rebels against it.(Salinger). Holden can no longer find moral purity among society and feels as if the world is against him. His only true connection is with his little sister, who still has her innocence (Rowe). Because of this, Holden lashes out on everyone and accuses them of being phonies. He is quick to pass judgment on anyone even though he is still a child himself. (Rowe). Not only is Holden a victim of Modern Society, but he is a tragic figure. His flaw is that he cannot come to terms with society (Seng).

Anti-heroes are not selfless like heroes or completely evil like villains. Because of this, we are easily able to identify with them and can recognize that anti-heroes reflect the exact mortal weaknesses that are found within all of us. Gatsby, Shylock, Amir, and Holden