In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, the two main male characters, Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, represent two vastly different social classes and attitudes towards life. Tom represents the old money aristocracy, while Gatsby represents the nouveau riche. The two men are also competing for the affections of Daisy, Tom's wife and Gatsby's former lover. In this essay, I will compare and contrast Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, highlighting their differences in personality, social class, and attitude towards life, while providing evidence and commentary from the novel. Tom Buchanan, a former college football star, comes from a wealthy, established family and is a member of the elite social class. He is physically imposing, with "a cruel body" (Fitzgerald 11) and an "arrogant" (Fitzgerald 7) demeanor. He is also racist and misogynistic, believing that "the white race will be utterly submerged" (Fitzgerald 18) if interracial marriage is allowed. Tom is emotionally abusive towards Daisy, cheating on her openly and treating her like a possession. He represents the old money aristocracy, who value tradition and social status above all else. …show more content…
Gatsby is described as "gorgeous" (Fitzgerald 2), with a "rare smile" (Fitzgerald 48) and a "romantic readiness" (Fitzgerald 6). He is obsessed with the idea of winning back Daisy's love and uses his wealth to create a lavish lifestyle in the hopes of impressing her. However, Gatsby's motivations are not purely selfish; he genuinely loves Daisy and wants to provide for her. Gatsby represents the nouveau riche, who value ambition and individualism over tradition and social
Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan; two men with different lives but are connected by corruption. They both live rich lives, consequently their money gets into their heads. They start thinking that they are in control of everything around them. Their actions reflect in today’s society with the image of sculpting a person to its perfection. Corruption plays a big role for Tom, Gatsby, and the world today.
Demonstrating the typical and expected attitude of an upper-class man in the 1920’s, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays Tom Buchanan as aggressive and arrogant in The Great Gatsby. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald subtly hints to Tom’s contentious attitude; instead of speaking normally, Tom “br[eaks] out violently” and interrupts others (12). When discussing Mrs. Wilson’s right to “mention Daisy’s name”, Tom fails to control his anger and breaks her nose (37). Furthermore, perpetuating racism throughout his community, Tom “insist[s]” that racist books “are all scientific” (13). Most people during this time discriminated against blacks; but, Tom’s book demonstrates to others not only his superior understanding of racism but also his knowledge and
Tom has racial issues which are hinted at early on in the novel. “The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be… will be utterlysubmerged” (Fitzgerald 12), Tom makes statements he thinks are okay. We see Tom continuously make statementements against blacks and whites being together. “They’ll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between blacks and whites” (Fitzgerald 138) This shows yet again that Tom is racist.
Daisy Buchanan has two lovers, and doesn’t seem to care that they know each other! You may be wondering, “What is so appealing about them?” or “Are they any similar?” I was thinking the same thing! Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby at first glance seem to be nothing alike with their conflicting personalities, the way they portray themselves, and the types of love they show towards Daisy.
hallmarkfranklin was a maverick president , he established a social system that any precedent president never had done it . jay Gatsby is a maverick person by his actions around people , for instance , whereas people have fun and drink , Gatsby abstain from it. after the death of Gatsby , the dream did not dissolve from its existence , truly , Gatsby had vanished from the living , but he maintained his dream to stay intact , and be praised by the American thinkers . the revenge of mr wilson 's wife disrupted Gatsby to achieve his dream . the death of Gatsby did not disrupt the daisy from continuing to live peacefully .
Everyone has a past that affects them in a way that could be with great significance. In some situations, their past follows them. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby's past is very different to his present. A few years ago, Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan had feelings for each other. They both had a great love for each other, but due to Daisy's way of thinking, she left with Tom Buchanan.
In the novel, The Great Gatsby, there are many differences between two of the main characters. These two main characters are known as Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan. Throughout the novel, there were multiple situations where they both put themselves in tremendous situation. Both of these main characters were very wealthy and educated. Tom was more of a man who lived a corrupted life revolving around the good ol’ money and power while Gatsby was more of a man who represented hope believe that humanity still has the chance of being stable despite the money and power as long as there is goodness in the heart.
The most despicable person in this novel is Tom Buchanan because he is a racist, an abuser, and also an adulterous. Tom is a racist because of all the pro-white phrases he uses throughout the
He believes that by being wealthy, he can bridge the gap between himself and the upper classes of society, thereby blinding him of his humble origins. His infatuation with Daisy, who represents the epitome of wealth and social status, fuels his pursuit. He continues to fuel this facade by going as far as buying a house across the bay from Daisy's in order to feel closer to her, in hope that his newly accumulated wealth will make him worthy of her attention and love. Gatsby's obsession with Daisy and his desire to fit into her social circle shows his uncontrollable greed for
“ (Fitzgerald 15). This shows how little Tom actually cared about Daisy. He was cheating on Daisy while she was fully aware of what was going on, yet he didn’t care. Tom may have loved the idea of having Daisy as his wife, but he didn’t truly love her if he could cheat on
Tom on the other hand, because he knows Daisy goes wherever money is; he uses his wealth, status and personality to keep her. Their behavior towards each other showed in the novel demonstrates the ill will feeling
Tom Buchanan is an arrogant, controlling man, who does what he wants not considering about how his actions influence those around him. Tom is also the earliest person to use physical violence in the book, striking Myrtle in a fit of rage when she would not stop shouting Daisy 's name. "Some time toward midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face discussing, in impassioned voices, whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy 's name. "Daisy! Daisy!
Tom’s character in the book, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald has many different factors that comprise his personality and the way he lives. The book gives plenty of examples to help the reader see what kind of person Tom Buchanan is. Tom Buchanan is a very wealthy man who lives in East Egg and is married to Daisy. Wealth is the main reason numerous people lose who they are. This is seen throughout the book with Tom Buchanan, and the power he gains from his wealth causes him to be unsympathetic towards people, immoral in his actions, hypocritical with others, and careless in every situation.
Introduction: Throughout this essay, the stereotypic villain will be analyzed as presented in the character of Tom Buchanan in one of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most renowned novels and of greatest literary significance currently – The Great Gatsby. This novel, written in the 1920s, alludes to the vices and excesses of the generation of the so called ‘Jazz Age’ or ‘Roaring Twenties.’ Every different character of this novel presents a different well developed archetype that contributes and helps the writer into conveying the defects or flaws of the contemporary glorified ‘American Dream.’ The villain archetype is composed by certain characteristics that not only allow the reader to recognize the antithesis of the main character of the novel,
In “The Great Gatsby” by F.Scott Fitzgerald, Tom Buchanan represents a man who is unfaithful, selfish, and arrogant. Throughout this essay, the character Tom Buchanan will be analyzed and will explain his purpose in this story as well as the many flaws he possesses which make him an unlikable person. Tom is considered to be the antagonist in this novel, but his main purpose in this story is to be the barrier between Daisy and Gatsby. Unbeknownst to Tom, Daisy eventually gets back with Gatsby but has a massive fit once he finds out they’re together.