gatsby vs tom character analysis
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8/13/2019 Gatsby vs Tom character analysis
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Selfishness
Tom is much more selfish than Gatsby from an ethical point of view. All of Gatsbys
selfishness lied in connecting with daisy. He became friends with Nick just so that he can get
in touch with daisy. Here Gatsbys selfishness has an ethical purpose of getting back his lost
love and also reflects unselfishness when he takes the blame for Myrtles death, while Tom
lets George Wilson believe that Gatsby, not he, had the affair with Georges wife. When Tom
arrives at the scene of the accident, the first thing he says to Wilson is that the car that hit
Myrtle wasnt his That yellow car I was driving this afternoon wasnt mine, do y ou hear?
I havent seen it all afternoon.(p. 150 chap-7). Moreover when Wilson goes to Tom and
demands to know who owns the car. Seeing Wilsons crazed attitude and the revolver in his
pocket, Tom remains quiet about his involvement with Myrtle and deflects the blame to
Gatsby. I told him the truth, Tom tells Nick, adding, What if I did tell him? He had it
coming. He ran over Myrtlelike a dog, and never stopped his car(p. 190,chap-9). WhileTom would rather blame others and preserve his own image, Gatsby is willing to take
responsibility. Although Daisy was the driver, when Gatsby tells Nick about it, he says, Of
course, Ill say I was [driving] (p. 154, chap-7). Ignoring the consequences, Gatsby will do
anything to protect Daisy. He is willing to physically defend her as well, standing guard
outside her window all night in case Tom becomes violent. Gatsby says, Im just going to
wait here and see if her tries to bother herif he tries any brutality shes going to turn the
light out and on again(p.154, chap-7). Daisy means more to Gatsby than his own life. So
whatever selfishness Gatsby displayed was to win over daisy whereas for Tom it didnt
matter. As Nick expresses, They were careless people---they smashed up things and
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creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness and let other
people clean up the mess they had made(p.191, chap--9).
Violence but also Love
Both tom and Gatsby have a violent side in their characters. Tom possesses a brute, cruel and
supercilious stature. Sturdy, straw-haired man .. .. was a body capable of
enormous leveragea cruel body (p.9, chap-1). He is very aggressive in nature and even
had the audacity to hit a woman. Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her
nose with his open hand.(p.41, chap-2). Whereas Gatsby was a bit secretive in his
aggression and violence through conducting organized crimes, selling illegal liquor over the
counter in drug stores, gambling and manipulating in stocks.Youre one of that bunch that
hangs around with Meyer Wolfshiem I found out what your drug stores were He
and this Wolfshiem bought up a ..sold grain alcohol over the counter. Thats one of his
little stunts.(p.142-143 chap-7.)But what sets apart Gatsby from Tom is his unfathomable
love for daisy, whereas Tom lowers himself by having sordid affairs. Daisy was dedicated
toward Tom shortly after their honeymoon. She used to sitwith his head in her
laplooking at him with unfathomable delight, says Jordan. She adds that she has never
seen a girl so mad about her husband. Yet one week later, Jordan read in the Chicago
newspaper than Tom had been in a car accident. He was with a chambermaid from the
. Tom had already begun having affairs. (p. 83, chap-4) Toms affair with Myrtle is in
some ways worse, because not only is she also married, Daisy appears to be perfectly aware
of their affair. Toms got some woman in New York. I thought everybody knew. . It
couldnt be helped! cried Daisy with tense gayety. (p.18, chap-1).
Gatsby, on the other hand, romanticizes Daisy. After their first kiss, she becomes the
incarnation of his dream (p. 119, chap-6), so that he will never be able to forget her. Although
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Gatsby leaves Daisy to go overseas during the War and does not see her again for almost five
years, Gatsby never gives up hope that he and Daisy will reunite, not even after she gets
married. He buys a mansion across the bay from her house in hopes of impressing her. Nick
reflects, I thought of Gatsbys wonder when he first picked out that green lightof Daisys
dock. his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it(p. 193,
chap-9). When at last Gatsby meets Daisy again, he is so sure of the purity of his dreams that
not only does he believe she loves him more than Tom, he believes that she never loved Tom
at all.
Manipulation
Tom had his share of manipulation through deceiving Wilson and manipulating him to kill
Gatsby. ---- What if I did tell him? That fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust into
your eyes just like he did in Daisys but he was a tough one.(p.191 , chap-9) But in this story
Gatsby stands out of everyone and manipulates nearly every character he has had interaction
with. Even his identity is a manipulation, for he is actually not Jay Gatsby. His real name is
Jimmy Gatz. And he is not from a rich background rather his parents were peasants from
North Dakota. --- James Gatzthat was really, or at least legally, his name. His parents
were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people (p.104-105, chap-6)He manipulated everyone
with lies about his past and his wealth. My family all died and I came into a good deal of
money.(p.71, chap-4) He proclaimed to have inherited all his riches but in truth he was a
gangster and all his wealth were from wrong doings.He manipulated Nick just so that he can
get close to daisy and came in touch with Nick only when came to know Nick was Daisys
cousin.He waited, looking at me with suppressed eagerness I talked with Miss Baker, I
said after a moment. Im going to callup Daisy tomorrow and invite her over here to tea.
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(P.87-88, chap-5). Even the common people who attend Gatsbys parties are not sure of who
actually Gatsby is or what he does. "Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once."
.A thrill passed over all of us. The three Mr. Mumbles bent forward and listened eagerly.
.."I don't think it's so much that," argued Lucille sceptically; "it's more that he was a
German spy during the war."(p.48, chap-3). But however the world sees him, Nick was the
only person to realize what Jay Gatsby stands for and so he quotes- The truth was that Jay
Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a
son of Goda phrase which, if it means anything, means just that and he must be about
His Father's business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented
just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this
conception he was faithful to the end.(p. 105, chap-6).
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