The Gangster's Self-Made Image:
The gangster often emerges from impoverished or marginalized backgrounds, driven by a desire to achieve success and independence through illegitimate means. They live by their own rules and values, rejecting societal norms and constraints. They see themselves as rugged individuals, free from social hierarchies and beholden to no one.
The Social Forces That Constrain:
However, the gangster's quest for autonomy is constantly challenged by the larger social structures and institutions. The police, the law, societal expectations, and even their own criminal organizations impose limitations on their freedom and autonomy. They find themselves caught in a web of social forces that they cannot fully control or escape.
The Tragic Result:
The clash between the gangster's self-made image of independence and the overwhelming social forces that constrain them results in a tragic dilemma. Despite their efforts to assert their autonomy, they are ultimately defeated and destroyed by the very society they sought to challenge. This conflict forms the basis for the gangster's tragic heroism.
Warshow argues that this dilemma resonates deeply with the American psyche and audience. The public is drawn to the gangster's rebelliousness and outsider status, yet also recognizes the self-destructiveness of their path. The gangster becomes a symbol of the tension between individual freedom and social order.