In The Great Gatsby, how is Gatsby a Byronic hero?Does he fall into any of these characteristics and if so how? Exhibits conflicting...

Although he possesses some of the characteristics of the
hero created by Lord Byron in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Gatsby is
not developed as a classic Byronic hero. For instance, he is not cynical; Gatsby is the
most romantic personality Nick Carraway has ever known. He is not tormented by
conflicting emotions; after meeting Daisy, Gatsby's life is determined and thereafter
ruled by one emotion--the need to experience life again as he had known it for a brief
while with Daisy Fay in Louisville, the emotional need to actually repeat the past.
Gatsby is motivated by love, and there is no conflict in his feelings for
Daisy.

That being said, like classic Byronic heroes, he
does reject one particular norm of society at large. By throwing in with Meyer
Wolfshiem, he chooses to become a gangster and build his fortune through criminal
pursuits. He maintains secrecy in regard to his "business ventures" because they are
illegal; they are also socially unacceptable, except to the underworld society that he
has joined. In a near-violent confrontation with Gatsby, Tom Buchanan clarifies his
criminal activities:

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You're one of that bunch that hangs around with
Meyer Wolfshiem . . . I found out what your "drug stores"
were.

Tom then reveals that
Gatsby is a bootlegger and more; he is guilty of violating gambling laws and currently
engaged in putting together a criminal enterprise that people are afraid to talk about.
Gatsby's reaction to Tom's revelations indicates that the romantic Gatsby is, in some
respects, indeed a dangerous man. Nick notices a change in his usually controlled
demeanor:

Then
I turned back to Gatsby--and was startled at his expression. He looked--and this is said
in all contempt for the babbled slander of his garden--as if he had "killed a man." For
a moment the set of his face could be described in just that fantastic
way.

Nick's observation
suggests that beneath the idle party gossip about Gatsby's life there may lie some
truth. Making Gatsby dangerous, as well as mysterious, does add elements of the Byronic
hero to his character. Furthermore, although Gatsby's life is guided by one primary
emotion, to win Daisy back, he does demonstrate conflicting emotions in this scene; his
hatred for Tom Buchanan and desire to strike out at him conflicts with his love for
Daisy and his need to remain calm and behave in a socially acceptable
manner.

In regard to Gatsby's disrespect for "rank and
privilege," it can be interpreted in conflicting ways. Gatsby does not reject the social
superiority of the upper class. He aspires to become one of the privileged few, buying
his way into membership with his wealth and material possessions. However, Gatsby might
be seen as disrespecting the rank and privilege of the upper class because he refuses to
see it as inviolate; he does not acknowledge that belonging to such a group is beyond
him. He has no respect for the social barriers that separate him from Daisy; moreover,
he does not recognize their existance.