Romantic Idealist

A detailed Summary of Romantic Idealist

What man can be a knight, a savior and a highly dignified man? Jay Gatsby, the title character, in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby can and is. Fitzgerald, using symbolic imagery, portrays Gatsby as a romantic idealist.

Fitzgerald explicitly connects Gatsby to the Romantic Idealist as classically defined. A romantic is someone who uses the imagination, who has a strong sense of individuality, uniqueness and sometimes a quest, a goal for passion. Alternately an idealist focuses on the metaphysical and attempts to transcend reality.

Gatsby is bluntly linked to these definitions. Emphasizing Gatsby's idealism Fitzgerald claims that "Jay" sprang from his platonic conception of himself. "He was a son of god...and must be of his fathers business..."(104) He goes on to say, "...to this conception he was faithful to the end." Gatsby grew up in a middle class family under the name of James Gats. His parents were unsuccessful farm people and he needed to create an image of himself that was, to him, more respectable; changing his name was the first thing.

Another time that Gatsby is literally connected to a Romantic Idealist is his quest to get Daisy. He pursued her much like a night pursues a grail. He finds a way to

Gatsby throws many parties to accomplish his goal of getting Daisy, at these parties, Gatsby doesn't join in; he just sits alone, away from the crowd and watches much like a movie director. "...Gatsby, standing alone on the marble steps and looking from one group to another with approving eyes." (54) He watches to make sure that Daisy is having a great time and sees his wealth.

To further his holy quest of epic proportions, being Daisy, Gatsby is also related to Christ many times. Gatsby thinks of himself as God like and pure, which is a big use of imagination and also being a son of god being of his fathers business. When Gatsby and Daisy meet at Nicks house, they are alone and Gatsby is transfigured: "He literally glowed; with out a word or a gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room" (94). His glowing is much like that of the glowing of heavenly people such as the archangel that told Mary she was going to have Jesus. Gatsby is also betrayed by Daisy, like Judas betrayed Jesus. Moreover, she accidentally runs over Tom's mistress while speeding. Daisy allows Gatsby to take the fall while camping with her husband. At the end of Gatsby's life, he inflates a mattress to lay in his pool. After Gatsby starts to carry it out, "Once he stopped and shifted it a little and the chauffeur asked him if he needed help, but he shook his head and in a moment disappeared among the yellowing trees" (169). This is a clear connection to Christ carrying the cross to be crucified. Christ, with his cross, stumbled and people tried to help but he carried it himself. Finally, the last illusion we have of Gatsby being related to Christ is at his death. He took the blame for Daisy's mistake and was killed for it. He paid the ultimate price for her to be free, his life. Jesus did the same when he was executed for no reason and paid, with his life, for all of mankind to be forgiven and not be stricken down for their sins.

Gatsby is not only portrayed as a Romantic Idealist literally but also figurat

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Approximate Word count = 1371
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English