Examples Of Unhappiness In The Great Gatsby

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The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel showing how experiences influence one's behavior, as considerably as how unnecessary behavior frequently leads to misery and discontentment. Tom’s excessive behavior leads to the unhappiness of himself and the people surrounding him through his wealth, unhappiness, and his lies. Tom’s excessive problems intertwine with the lives of others, infecting whoever else directly or indirectly involved. Tom Buchanan is described as being a wealthy and pig-headed man. Tom inherited a large quantity of his riches from his kin. In the story the narrator Nick states how “[Tom’s] family were enormously wealthy ... even in college his freedom with money was a matter for reproach” (10). Tom is staggeringly …show more content…

Tom sits in an awkward position being unhappily married to a woman he could not care less about. Because of Toms unwillingness to love his wife, he cheats on her with Myrtle Wilson, who too is in an unhappy with her current relationship, and with this Tom alienates his wife Daisy even more. But to add to Toms ruined marriage, Daisy states, “Tom was God knows where” (21) when their child was born. At one of Gatsby’s parties, Tom doesn’t even stay with his wife. Even though for the most part it seems like Tom hates Daisy, he still loves her in his own way, but at a party in Tom and Myrtle’s apartment, Myrtle keeps saying the name "Daisy" over and over; tauntingly. Tom then hit Myrtle across the face breaking her nose. Tom may have done this because maybe deep down he still has feelings for Daisy and by Myrtle bringing her name up repetitively reminds him of his affair. By Tom breaking Myrtle's nose, he then attempts to smooth’s things over by buying her a puppy, which she had earlier asked for. This is an example of his supremacy in the social order. Tom is wealthier and has a higher status and has the capability to get away with it. Therefore, Myrtle is powerless against this offence because of her lower class and her lack of wealth to be able to compete with Tom and defend

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