Great Gatsby Byronic Hero Analysis

Introduction

Every work of literature has its heroes. Those heroes are created by writers according to the settings of their work. They are resulted from cultural and historical background. Generally, the hero is a typical character who is admired for his outstanding achievements and noble qualities. He always overcomes obstacles along the way to achieve their goals. He has an altruistic soul that urges him to defeat the evil even if at the expense of his life. Particularly, the concept of the hero goes back to ancient Greek as a dual meaning. First, a hero as a term stands for a divine being who lives a mortal life, deserving to become a God after doing great deeds. Second, the hero is brave, warrior, ready to give his life in order to gain immortal glory and continues to live in the memory of his descents (Stevanovic 7). Classical literature is widely acknowledged as having prominent heroes who appear in ancient epic poetries. Achilles in Homer’s The Iliad is one of the best example of warrior hero “seeking the status of a hero embraced a life that was ongoing contest

It studies Jay Gatsby’s characteristics and his relation to society as Byronic hero in “The Roaring Twenties.” First, the thesis argues that in The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrays a corrupted society that leaves no space for the traditional ideals of heroism to develop. It argues that Gatsby’s romance, charisma, loneliness, narcissism and self destruction on the one hand, and his vulgar materialism and influence by society on the other hand, present him as a Byronic hero. Thus, the corrupted American society of the twenties offers a new heroism that is full of disillusionment and loss of ideals. In addition, the thesis shows how Gatsby’s journey to fulfill his dream fails due to the materialistic society he lives in and his own lack of the traditional heroic