Protagonist

Jay Gatsby

Jay Gatsby is the main focus of the work, and it is his story that follows the classic tragedy plot. When we first meet Jay Gatsby, we know only that he is a fabulously wealthy man who throws enormous parties. Mystery and intrigue surround him. Who is he? What does he do for a living? Has he done some terrible thing, like kill a man? Because of these unknowns, we’re not sure at first how comfortable we are with Gatsby as the protagonist. The title certainly helps – we expect the man to be great, after all, so we look to him to fulfill our common expectations of what a protagonist should be. We expect him to be someone with whom we sympathize, someone we want to succeed. And indeed, we do feel for Gatsby. We, the reader, want him to get Daisy. Fitzgerald has created in Gatsby such a heartfelt character, and in Tom such a villain, that we don’t even judge Gatsby for trying to steal someone else’s wife. As far as we’re concerned, Gatsby fits the protagonist bill.