Analysis: The Great Gatsby

“Gatsby turned out alright in the end.” Yes, because someone who ends up murdered in their own swimming pool, shot by a lackluster man, taking the blame for a crime he never committed for someone who quickly turned her back on him, is defined as “alright.” I never understood why Gatsby was the one to die. I thought he was the hero of the novel. Fitzgerald was a romantic; he was the American Dreamer. The novel was the epitome of the American Dream. The hero never fails; the underdog always wins. Isn’t that what we have always been taught? How could such a great man die? And why was Gatsby the only one pointed out as “alright?” I mean after all, most of the characters’ lives remained unchanged. Daisy and Tom resumed their marriage. Nick returned to the Midwest. Jordan continued her career. Gatsby was one of the only people who portrayed the repercussions of the events. How could someone that readers are supposed to root for die tragically, and on a false claim, nonetheless? Why did Fitzgerald murder Gatsby? But, after some research I realized Fitzgerald NEEDED Gatsby to die. Born Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, he was the son of Mary McQuillan, an Irish-Catholic woman whose family made a small fortune

The hero, who was born simply as a man Fitzgerald “once knew,” ultimately morphed into himself. They were both men striving to make a better life for themselves than their fathers had and both succeeded to do so. Moreover, Fitzgerald’s infatuation with Zelda is largely paralleled with Gatsby’s similar fixation for Daisy. The two men yearn for the green light, which becomes an emblem for their greatest dreams and desires. Both immensely devoted to their dreams, Scott and Gatsby transform into wealthy, successful men, in an attempts to win over both Zelda and Daisy, respectively. Often dismissed from the wealthier class, Gatsby experiences a similar isolation, as Scott