Jay_Gatsby,_The_Christ_Figure_

Jay Gatsby, The Christ Figure' Jay Gatsby, The Christ Figure' Jay Gatsby is described as “a son of God and he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty” (Fitzgerald 104). Throughout the novel, The Great Gatsby, there are many images that would lead a reader to believe that Gatsby was indeed a son of God. Some critics would even agree that Jay Gatsby establishes a literary role as a Christ-like figure. He came to West Egg to save Daisy from the emptiness of her marriage and the murder that took place. Even with all the images and parallels to Christ, Gatsby is not a Christ-figure. Gatsby’s life was created through means that go against God’s nature. Just as the Jazz Age was all sparkle and no substance, so is Gatsby as the image of Christ. Many allusions are buried deep within the novel. Some of the first descriptions on Gatsby are linked to biblical images. Gatsby is described as having “a heightened sensitivity to the promises of life” (Fitzgerald 6). Like Christ promises life eternal, Gatsby has also seen the promises of life (Quieto 1). The allusion gatsby, christ, daisy, gatsby’s, life, jesus, fitzgerald, figure, loved, sin, even, save, out, nick, love, god, garden, first, few, against, wolfshiem, trying, tom, sins, quieto, present, lust, image, christ-like, unlike, trembling, through, side, promises, people