A growing trend in literature, on screen, and on stage has moved to produce more flawed human protagonists. Paragons of virtue who are brave, capable, and who always do the right thing. Instead of these inspirational heroes, many works feature a complementary archetype: the anti hero.
The Great Gatsby - Hero or Antihero? Jay Gatsby as an antihero
Storyboard Text
DEFINITION
WHY GREAT GATSBY?
EXAMPLE 1
EXAMPLE 2
EXAMPLE 3
Pharmacy
Antihero: a central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes such as idealism, moral goodness and altruism.
Jay Gatsby is an example of an antihero because he represents the hope of the American Dream, however he becomes rich through dishonest means.
"He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life." (Ch. 3)
"So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end." (Ch. 6)
“I found out what your 'drug stores' were...He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side street drug stores here ... sold grain alcohol over the counter. ... I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn't far wrong" (Ch. 7)