Gatsby goes against the traditional ideals of being a moral hero, and achieving the American Dream through honest means. Gatsby is not a romanticized character, he is flawed like the average person. He is willing to do anything to be with Daisy, who is representative of the wealth and life Gatsby wants to have. The character trait of the anti-hero appears in many novels throughout american literature because it goes against a typical social normality, which makes it more relatable.
The character trait of the anti-hero also appears in Joseph Heller’s Catch-22. Catch-22 is a novel about men fighting during World War II. Yossarian, the main character and narrator, is the anti-hero of this novel. Yossarian is an anti-hero because he flees to Sweden for the sake of his life. This action, and his fear of death that is evident throughout the novel. He is not portrayed as the brave soldier who is willing to fight, but rather a man who only truly cares about his well being rather than fighting for