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Conor Driscoll
Mr. Ferrare
AP Language and Composition
11 April 2016
Modern Tragic Hero
A tragic hero is a person of noble birth with heroic qualities who is fated by some
supernatural force to great suffering; the hero struggles against his fate and this cosmic conflict
wins our admiration. In Tragedy and the Common Man Arthur Miller describes how modern
writers portray heroes. F. Scott Fitzgeralds Jay Gatsby fits the part of Millers tragic hero in that
he is rich and well known, he is willing to give up everything for his cause, and he has a tragic
flaw that leads to his demise.
While Arthur Miller describes what makes a tragic hero, he discusses their wealth and
status. Miller states we are often held to be below tragedyor tragedy above us. The inevitable
conclusion is, of course, that the tragic mode is archaic, fit only for the very highly placed, the
kings or the kingly Gatsby fits this description in that he is very wealthy, and well known
throughout the city. When Nick Caraway describes Gatsbys estate, he says it was a colossal
affair by any standardit was a factual imitation of some Htel de Ville in Normandy, with a
tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool,
and more than forty acres of lawn and garden. His description makes the mansion seem suited
for royalty. The part of Millers description that does not reflect Jay Gatsby is that of social
status. Although he has worked very hard and earned all his wealth, he still doesn't have as much
of a social status as Tom Buchanan, because he is New Money and lives on West Egg. Gatsby

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has worked for his fortune and status, and even though he has had great success, he will never
achieve a greater social status, since he did not come from Old Money.
In Tragedy and the Common Man Miller talks of how any tragic hero must be willing
to fight for what they want. Miller writes that the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in
the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing
In The Great Gatsby Jay Gatsby devotes all of his efforts to the one he loves, Daisy Buchanan.
Gatsby throws all of his enormous, extravagant, renowned parties in hopes that Daisy might
come. Everything that he has worked towards had all been for daisy. In the book Nick says,
"Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay. Gatsby had devoted
everything in his life to Daisy, in all his achievements he was striving to impress the one who he
loved. The devotion to Daisy was not all good though, it could be considered what led to his
demise.
According to Miller, tragic heroes all have a tragic flaw. He writes that In the sense of
having been initiated by the hero himself, the tale always reveals what has been called his tragic
flaw, a failing that is not peculiar to grand or elevated characters. In the case of Jay Gatsby, this
tragic flaw was Daisy Buchanan. Jay made Daisy the reason for why he accomplished
any/everything. He became obsessed with her. As Daisys friend Jordan said, "...he says he's read
a Chicago paper for years on the chance of catching a glimpse of Daisy's name. Gatsby has
devoted all of his talents and abilities to falling in love with Daisy, which proved to be his flaw.
Gatsby could have accomplished so much in his lifetime had he not been sole focused on
pleasing Daisy. Gatsby didn't care about his wealth, nor his status, all he cared about was being
with his love, Daisy Buchanan. This ultimately proved to be his tragic flaw because Jay took

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the blame for the manslaughter that Daisy committed, leading to his murder. Daisy ended up
with another man, and Jay ended up dead, creating this tragic story.
Although there are some differences, for the most part Jay Gatsby fits the description of
Arthur Millers tragic Hero. Jay lives a lavish lifestyle, in a castle like mansion, with wealth
comparable to very few people. Gatsby also is willing to sacrifice anything to get Daisy, he gives
up his life for her and devotes himself to her. Lastly Gatsby has a tragic flaw which despite his
best efforts, ruins all of his plans and even ends his life. Although Jay Gatsby wasn't born into
wealth or social status, his high standard of life, commitment to Daisy, and his tragic flaw
make him what Arthur Miller would describe as a tragic hero.