Similarly, Jay Gatsby must deal with the tragic consequence of "loving too well-. Resembling Othello, Gatsby is a romantic figure whose sense of time is not reflected on any clock face. Gatsby continues to function as a symbol of the American Dream in the 1920s, which, as Fitzgerald implies throughout the novel's exploration of wealth, has become vulgar and empty as a result of subjecting its sprawling vitality to the greedy pursuit of money. Together, his downfall and subsequent death, result from his stark refusal to accept what he cannot control - the passage of time. "Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!- In comparison to Othello, the tragic hero is able to accept Iago's manipulation, but unable to acknowledge the rites of marriage. Gatsby believes in the green light, the naivety of which creates sympathy within the responder. Yet he too is caught up in the world of "bad drivers" and materialism and at times seems to border on being an anti-hero. Gatsby's story is undoubtedly tragic; he dies alone putting Daisy before himself.
As the novel progresses and Fitzgerald deconstructs Gatsby's self-presentation, Gatsby reveals himself to be an innocent, naive and hopeful young man who stakes everything on his dreams. Gatsby invests in Daisy an idealistic perfection that she cannot possibly receive in reality and pursues her with a passionate zeal that blinds him to her limitations. His dream of her disintegrates, revealing the corruption that wealth causes and the unworthiness of the goal, much in the way Fitzgerald sees the American dream crumbling in the 1920s. It is important to note how Gatsby sees himself, how the audience views the tragic figure, and also how Nick perceives Gatsby at this present moment. Significantly, Nick Carraway, the novel's narrator, tells Gatsby that "you are worth more than the whole bunch put together-. Ironically, Nick remembers that it is the first compliment he has ever paid Gatsby.
