gatsby vs tom character analysis

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).

gatsby vs tom character analysis

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