GREAT GATSBY

Aristotle’s definition of tragedy says that the story in question should evoke both pity and fear in the reader. The tragic character must be one who is highly renowned and prosperous. This character must also have a fall from glory. He doesn’t have to die, but must have a fall from glory caused by his own fatal flaw. Two stories, which fit this definition, are The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, and The Great …showed first 75 words of 956 total…

…showed last 75 words of 956 total…and ruined his life. We also fear for him when we realize that Wilson is going to kill him, and that Tom has ratted out Gatsby. We fear for him right up until his death. There are many stories in modern literature that seem “tragic”, but they are not truly tragedies. To be a tragedy the story must fulfill all the criteria of Aristotle’s definition. Just as The Awakening and The Great Gatsby do.