Thursday, January 6, 2011
George Wilson: The Hero?
Although George Wilson ends the love story "The Great Gatsby" by shooting the character whom Lois Tyson argues is "the romantic hero" (269) of the novel, in Tyson's "'...the thrilling, returning trains of my youth...': a deconstructive reading of The Great Gatsby," Tyson portrays George Wilson as the protagonist of the story, as he is the character who strives the most. First, Tyson lists all of the negative characters in the text, and then goes on to mention George Wilson, but states "even George Wilson" (268, my italics), inferring that George Wilson is not in any way tied to the villainy and treachery to which Tyson eludes. This separates George from the "exploit[ation], pollut[ion], and destr[uction]" (272) which Tyson describes, making George Wilson seem like a genuinely good-hearted person. Next, Tyson explains that of all the characters that obsess over "the pursuit of social status" (268), George Wilson is among one of "the only characters who don't seem to exhibit these behaviors" (268). This shows that he is not shallow, as the other characters are, and that he is, in fact, a hero of sorts, because he is "devoted to surviving the hopeless poverty of the 'valley of ashes'" (268), a truly difficult task. Finally, Tyson sums up the portrayal of George Wilson as the heroic character of 'The Great Gatsby' with the statement that he is the "only truly innocent character in the story. He harms no one, trusts everyone, and he is rather childlike in his simplicity" (274). These qualities are inherently good, and by associating them with George Wilson, Tyson glorifies this previously destructive character. Therefore, after understanding how the text of 'The Great Gatsby' deconstructs itself it is apparent that, through his separation from the inhumane evil of the rest of the characters, his striving to overcome poverty, and his incontrovertible innocence, George Wilson might very well be the only character in the story who is unfeignedly likable, and ergo, the true hero of 'The Great Gatsby.'
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Would you agree that George Wilson is more of a protagonist than the central characters such as Nick or Gatsby himself?
ReplyDeleteIf not, who is the the protagonist?
Can a more obscure character still be the protagonist?
In true deconstructive fashion, the very definition of a protagonist can be argued to death over it's ambiguous nature. Merriam-Webster states the protagonist as "the principal character in a literary work (as a drama or story)," but leaves the definition of "principle" to the readers. In my personal opinion, The Great Gatsby has no "principle" or "main" character. Each character has their own history, their own struggles, and their own ambitions. Each can be deeply related to or simply ignored, depending on the reader (as opposed to the text). That is one of the many magical aspects of the novel: Minor characters such as George Wilson or Myrtle can still be seen as potential protagonists. That being said, being the one "innocent" character does immediately make him the protagonist....there are countless works of literature and film where the principle character is deeply flawed.
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