Examples Of Heroism In The Great Gatsby

“I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles” - Christopher Reeve. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald argues that heroes are usually unseen and modest and they do not ask for congratulations or favors in return for their heroic actions. The word hero has a positive connotative meaning. A hero is someone that helps people during times of need. Under any circumstance a hero is courageous and selfless. Americans have been molded to interoperate the word hero as Hollywood has wanted them to. Ever since Marvel and DC have started producing comic books and movies the word hero has had an arrogant ring to it. Some superheros such as spiderman, superman and batman are down to earth

and hide their identity in a selfless manner to protect their friends and loved ones. Some newer characters such as Iron Man, Deadpool and The Human Torch are completely opposite; they use their heroic feats to impress women and attain free things. These last three superheroes mentioned just about sums up what Americans think of the word hero. The word hero has been desecrated in a drastic way. The word hero should be used to refer to soldiers, people that stopped shootings, police officers, firefighters, teachers, doctors and etcetera.

People that dedicate their lives and/or careers to helping others are heros. In The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway is heroic in a subtle and gentle fashion. Nick, without being asked, invited Daisy to his house to reunite with Gatsby. He saw how miserable Gatsby seemed on his dock and how much he wanted Daisy back so he arranged a date for them at his expense.“Their eyes met and they stared together at each other, alone in space.” “Stared together” shows the connection between Gatsby and Daisy. “Alone in space” describes the love they feel for eachother and how much they miss being with one another. Nick is heroic here because if it were not for him, Gatsby and Daisy would have never reunited and fell in love again. Daisy or Gatsby never thank Nick for his selfless act of kindness but Nick knows what he did and he feels great about it. Nick was told an important message by his father, “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone … just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you’ve had.” Nick is not quick to judge; he gets to know a person before forming an opinion about him or

her. This takes a lot of patience and maturity but Nick can do this because he was raised well by his parents.

“Advantages” shows that Nick is understanding not everyone has the background and education as he does. He doesn't live in a big house, drive a nice car or flaunt his money. He is very down to earth and accepting of all people. Only true heroes can go without criticizing others. It is so easy to criticize someone, in fact almost everyone in the book besides Nick critiques every little detail whether it's how someone's house looks or how fast their car is. At the end of the day, Nick is a hero because he reserved all judgements because he has the maturity and respect to do so. “Life is much more successfully looked at from a single window”. “Life” signifies how much Nick knows about what it means to truly live. He doesn't try to buy happiness or impress other people. In order to truly live one must do what they are passionate about instead of what will make them rich. “Single window” was used commonly during the book. Nick repeatedly glanced through windows to reflect on

himself. The window symbolizes the unbiased opinion with which he interpreted everything. No matter how much gossip he heard he never used that information because it would distort how he viewed someone. After completing the book, I have a deeper understanding of the word ‘hero’. The word hero to me means someone that helps others out of the good in their heart and does not judge people based on how they appear on the outside. As Shannon Adler once said, “Heroes are not made. They are born out of circumstances and rise to the occasion when their spirit can no longer coexist with the hypocrisy of injustice to others.”