The 1920s were an age of dramatic social and political change. The nation’s total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929, and this economic growth swept many Americans into an affluent but unfamiliar “consumer society.” Some of the people during the Roaring Twenties had new money, old money, or no money at all. “The Great Gatsby,” which was based on the time period of the Roaring Twenties, features different types of people during this time. Based on the differences between the characters Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan, one can conclude that Jay Gatsby is a more noble person because of his perseverance, strive, and his attitude.
On the surface, Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan appear to be very similar. However, inside, they are not nearly as similar as they may seem. To begin with, they grew
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While Tom was part of an upper-class family, Gatsby was not. Gatsby's parents were “shiftless and unsuccessful farm people…”(Fitzgerald 104). However, Gatsby did not let that hinder him. Both men are affluent, yet Gatsby is a self made man. He came from nothing and with hard work he earned all that he had. Although he did have some “immoral” jobs to get to where he is, Gatsby is a symbol of a naïve man who is hopeless for love. He basically goes through all the trouble to be with Daisy. Tom on the other hand is “enormously wealthy- even in college his freedom with money was a matter for reproach” (Fitzgerald 10). Tom inherited his money; he never had to make it. That is why Tom is full of arrogance, he believes he is worthy of everything. He believes he is better than all other men, “there was a touch of paternal contempt even towards the people he liked” (Fitzgerald 11). Jay on the other hand, knew what it was like to be on the bottom of the social ladder. In spite of his
Shea Stuckey Schmit College English 05/08/23 Gatsby and Buchanan: Two sides of the same coin The book The Great Gatsby follows the story of a self-made wealthy man, Jay Gatsby, through the eyes of a middle class midwestern, Nick Carraway. Nick depicts Gatsby as a larger than life, mysterious, complex, and ultimately great man. Nick includes Gatsby’s 5 year long infatuation with Nick's cousin, Daisy Buchanan, while depicting Tom, Daisy’s husband, as a terrible, aggressive, uncaring man. While Nick's depiction of Tom is altogether not far off from the truth, Nick neglects and hides the similarities between Tom and Gatsby, while there are glaring differences between the two men, they are quite frankly two sides of the same coin.
In The Great Gatsby, Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby are a lot similar than you think. Although they do differ too. Throughout the story Tom and Gatsby tend to use people out the story. Some of the differences between Tom and Gatsby is that Tom is more egotistical than while on the other hand Gatsby is more personable. Both men have different personalities, yet have similar acts throughout the book.
J.Gatsby is one mysterious classy wealthy man he throws parties almost every day hoping that the girl that he likes will come to one of his parties. He is respectful towards women, and very loyal. Tom is a type of guy that likes keeping things on the low keeping it low profile he is irresponsible, and not respectful he is also abusive towards women, but he likes the girl that gatsby wants. They both have their strategies to get the girl that they want and they would do whatever it takes to achieve it. It all comes down to her.
He acts as if he is a father and is entitled to tell others how they should act. Tom only thinks about himself and how his wealth allows him to feel superior to those around him. Gatsby is a mysterious man who is blindly in love with Daisy. The only thing he cares about is for Daisy to come to him. He spent the past 5 years making money to show that he worthy of her and that he can be a wealthy man as well.
“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, exposes the American Society during the 1920’s. The author displays many heroes and villain throughout the book. The characters in the novel are mostly mixtures of good and evil. Although the book does not clearly delineate the villains or heroes, there is one character who tends to stand out as a villain known as Tom Buchanan. Tom Buchanan is a major character in the book.
Tom and Gatsby are both insecure because they care way too much about what other people think. We can see Gatsby's insecurity by the way he responds to Daisy's reaction to his party. Gatsby got all worried that she hated it and then he was upset and didn't know what to do about it. We see Tom's insecurities when he says “I’d rather not be the polo player”(Fitzgerald 105) and this shows he’s insecure because he would rather be seen as a rich man and not just a polo player.
The Moral Decay of the Materialistic Although F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby debuted in 1925– before the Great Depression– it serves as a prophetic exemplification of the the material excess of the 1920s that drowned out signs of the coming Great Depression. The book’s plot follows the bootlegger Jay Gatsby as he pursues his old love Daisy Buchanan through flaunting his new extravagant lifestyle, mainly by throwing ostentatious parties. Yet, in the end, Daisy chooses her unfaithful husband Tom over Gatsby. Through Fitzgerald’s use of wealthy, materialistic characters, he comments on the effect of the material excess of the roaring twenties: moral corruption.
Both tom Buchanan and George Wilson are two vastly different people but are alike in the most unusual ways. They are the only two characters in the book to use violence; both say they “love” Myrtle and both fight for their women only when they are about to lose them. That is where the similarities cease. Tom is the man who cheats on his wife daisy, with George 's wife Myrtle, and then proceeds to slap her when she would not stop speaking Daisy 's name. George, on the other hand, is a passionate and faithful husband to Myrtle and is crushed to learn that she was cheating on him so much so that he assassinates Gatsby whom he thinks was cheating with myrtle and murdered to get rid of the evidence of his adultery.
Gatsby fails to incorporate the details of his rise to the top through the world of bootlegging. Tom is the same as Gatsby because he openly lies and deceives people in The Great Gatsby. One example is at the beginning of the novel when Tom is having an affair with Myrtle. Tom was not completely truthful with Daisy about his affair and kept a separate apartment for secretive independence. Not only does Tom, deceive his wife he deceives his mistress, Myrtle.
In Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, there are two characters by the names of Tom Buchanan and George Wilson. Throughout the book, these two particular characters seem to be very different from each other in nearly every way. However, it becomes clear as the story continues that they share some ideas and attitudes in common. Specifically, Tom and George were noteworthy in the way they felt about women, the methods by which they conveyed violence, and how they responded to their wives cheating on them.
Jay Gatsby, the title character of the novel “The Great Gatsby” is a man that can not seem to live without the love of his life. Trying to win Daisy over consumes Gatsby’s life as he tries to become the person he thinks she would approve of. What most readers do not realize is that Jay Gatsby’s character mirrors many personality traits and concerns that the author of novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald, had. In fact, Gatsby and Fitzgerald are similar in that they both had a girl they wanted to win over, took a strong stance on alcohol, and ironically both had similar funerals, also, both people also symbolize the American dream.
He made the mistake of making his happiness depend on her and could not accept the fact that she once loved Tom. As wonderful as man as Gatsby is, he is very deceitful to others of who he really is and tries to control everything. Gatsby is a man stuck in the past and with every day that passes, he gets sucked in even deeper into the abyss. Even though Tom and Gatsby had very different upbringings and live their lives completely different, in a way they are the same person. Neither one of them will admit their wrongdoings and are to self-absorbed into themselves to see what is going on around them.
Jay 's Obsession in The Great Gatsby There is a fine line between love and lust. If love is only a will to possess, it is not love. To love someone is to hold them dear to one 's heart. In The Great Gatsby, the characters, Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan are said to be in love, but in reality, this seems to be a misconception.
Gatsby later tries to reconnect with Daisy, much to the dismay of Tom. Fitzgerald utilizes the characters of Gatsby and Tom to create parallels and highlight certain characteristics in both men. Tom and Gatsby are similar in that they both are very wealthy and love Daisy, each in their own way. While they share this similarity, there are a myriad of differences between the two. Tom is a racist, is part of the old money society, and does not face judgement for his actions.
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.