Tom and Gatsby, the perfect foils of each other?

1149 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The great gatsby social critique

Tom and Gatsby, the perfect foils of each other?
It is commonly believed that all those who are wealthy adhere to a similar set of values, characteristics and have similar lifestyles. Fitzgerald provides the reader a clear view through the eyes of Nick Caraway of the differences and similarities that can be found between wealthy people in the roaring Twenties. Two characters that are very important to the story are Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan. Fitzgerald created two purposefully different characters- one that is easily despised, the other that although not perfect, is likeable- and united them in their love for money, the power that comes with it , and their haunt for the ultimate prize – Daisy. In this essay, we will compare Tom and Gatsby in several areas, including personality, loyalty, and life style so we can come to the conclusion whether or not they are perfect foils of each other or not. Tom and Gatsby bare little similarities and their differences are evident.
The source of Tom and Gatsby’s wealth plays a great role in their personalities. Tom is from the East Egg while Gatsby is from the West Egg. This being said, Tom’s wealth is inherited while Gatsby’s was self-made. Tom, being born into a golden cradle, is naturally arrogant. Probably the biggest example of his arrogance is his racism. Tom believes "[us whites] are the dominant race" (Fitzgerald 18). To believe you have supremacy over someone because of your skin colour is a clear sign of arrogance. Arrogance is an unfortunate quality that is often associated with people of power and wealth, and Tom Buchanan is no exception. Whenever the chance presents itself, Tom utilizes it to show how much better he is than everyone else. This could not be more evident when Tom...

... middle of paper ...

...fore the man’s eyes.” (Fitzgerald 74). The officer let him go instantaneously. This shows Gatsby has very deep corrupt connections.
Through taking a look at Tom and Gatsby’s personalities, loyalty and lifestyle, it is clear their similarities were very little and their differences were evident and many. The wealthy of the roaring twenties did not turn out to be all the same, rather very different. Tom and Gatsby turned out to be true foils of each other. It is evident that one cannot be judged by the stereotypes pertaining to their class as everyone is very different from one another. To conclude, although Tom and Gatsby were different, their goal was Daisy, however Gatsby died for Daisy while Tom simply took her as a trophy. It is sad to see someone as disloyal as Tom taking Daisy at the end but that just comes to show how life is never in favour of the good guy.

Show More
Related

  • Tom Buchanan Villain

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The Great Gatsby”, is a popular book of impossible love, dreams, and tragedy. It takes place in the roaring twenties, following the life of members of the wealthy class; Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan, and Tom Buchanan. The point of view is from a man, in search of achieving his dream to become an author. This soon to be writer, is stuck in the middle of intense drama amongst the opposing sides of the bay. “The Great Gatsby” explores themes of social upheaval, and the overwhelming obsession with wealth. In this time era, wealth, social status and the society itself made everyone a subject to change, in villainous ways, but of all characters, i saw the most vile attributes in Tom Buchanan. Tom was caught in a web of lies, he cheated

    Read More

  • Theme Of Pathos In The Great Gatsby

    825 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nothing is more important, to most people, than friendships and family, thus, by breaking those bonds, it draws an emotional response from the readers. Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan had a relationship before he went off to fight in the war. When he returned home, he finds her with Tom Buchanan, which seems to make him jealous since he still has feelings for Daisy. He wanted Daisy “to go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you” (Fitzgerald 118) Gatsby eventually tells Tom that his “wife doesn’t love [him]” and that she only loves Gatsby (Fitzgerald 121). But the unpleasant truth is that Daisy never loved anyone, but she loved something: money. Daisy “wanted her life shaped and the decision made by some force of of money, of unquestionable practicality” (Fitzgerald 161). The Roaring Twenties were a time where economic growth swept the nation and Daisy was looking to capitalize on that opportunity. Her greed for material goods put her in a bind between two wealthy men, yet they are still foolish enough to believe that she loved them. Jay Gatsby is a man who has no relationships other than one with Nick Caraway, so he is trying to use his wealth to lure in a greedy individual to have love mend his

    Read More

  • Happiness In The Great Gatsby

    1406 Words  | 3 Pages

    It would appear that if only a few small things were to change, Gatsby would end up as the winner. Regrettably, Gatsby was set up to fail from the start. Daisy is a wicked person, her and Tom simply hurt others and retreats back to their money for security. After she left Gatsby for Tom, not only did she refuse to resolve the issue with Gatsby, she refused to even attend his funeral. When Nick calls Daisy to inform her about the funeral, their butler answers. Their conversation went like, “Left no address?” “No.” “Say when they’d be back?” “No.” “Any idea where they are? How I could reach them?” “I don’t know. Can’t say.” (Daisy was Gatsby’s goal, his life. She knew Gatsby did everything for her, yet she would not even show up at his funeral. When daisy cried at Gatsby’s mansion it becomes obvious that she only felt that she missed an opportunity. That she could have been with Gatsby who who was more exciting than Tom but equally as rich. Daisy would have used Gatsby up and thrown him away as fast as she let him in. Gatsby changed his life for Daisy, but she wasn 't the right one to change his life for. Even if Gatsby earned his money earned properly, his goal would prevent him from

    Read More

  • Comparing Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tom Buchannan and Jay Gatsby represent the two types of men present in the 1920s – the old money and the new money. People who possess old money like Tom are reluctant to change with society and find comfort in the older ways of life. People with new money such as Gatsby embrace the changes that the 1920s brought and took advantage of the new opportunities present. Because of their differences in background and lifestyle, they naturally had different approaches on topics such as the value of money, love, and the American dream. Surprisingly though, many of their views were similar. They both used their wealth to hide things about themselves and neither of them seems to be truly capable of love. The men are like “two sides of the same coin.”

    Read More

  • Essay About Love of Money in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

    634 Words  | 2 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald's most famous novel, The Great Gatsby (1925), is about many things that have to do with American life in the "Roaring Twenties," things such as the abuse of alcohol and the pursuit of other pleasures, including that elusive entity, the "American dream."  Mainly it is the story of Jay Gatsby, told by Gatsby's friend and neighbor, Nick Carraway, a bonds salesman in New York. Three other important characters are Daisy Buchanan, Tom Buchanan, and Myrtle Wilson. Nick is distantly related to Daisy, whose wealthy husband, Tom, went to college with Nick. Myrtle is married to a mechanic but is sleeping with Tom. Fitzgerald's novel seems to affirm the Biblical adage that the love of money is the root of all evil, for his characters value money inordinately. And this attitude is a central moral concern of the novel. Fitzgerald's characters erroneously believe money can buy them love, friends, and happiness.

    Read More

  • Tom's Identity In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

    883 Words  | 2 Pages

    “"Self-control!" Repeated Tom incredulously. "I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if that's the idea you can count me out"” (Fitzgerald 130). Tom does not see Gatsby as an equal, even though they both have wealth; the only differences about the wealth are as follows: Gatsby started out impoverished and earned his wealth; whereas, Tom had his wealth handed down. This quote is an example of irony; Tom wants to go on a tangent about self-control; he needs some self-control! Tom will make love with any woman he pleases and shower them with money. “His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed. There was a touch of paternal contempt in it, even toward people he liked—and there were men at New Haven who had hated his guts” (Fitzgerald 7). Wealth makes Tom "paternal," as though it gives him the right to tell the entire world how to behave. A realization is that Tom did not earn his wealth. Tom has literally done nothing to deserve this thought process. So why does he get to be boss to everyone? Tom thinks since he has money that he can do anything he wants; however, this thought process is unacceptable for Jay Gatsby to have, at least in the eyes of Tom

    Read More

  • Examples Of A Dream Deferred In The Great Gatsby

    1111 Words  | 3 Pages

    The central focus of the story is the enigma of Gatsby, his past life, and his perusal of Daisy. Desperate to rekindle their former love, Gatsby works tirelessly to achieve the pinnacle of the American dream, settles in a large, posh house, throws lavish parties, and seems on excellent terms with the world at large. That, however, is not what makes him truly happy. All he did, he did in pursuit of Daisy, and initially it appears to work. She insists that she still loves him ardently. However, when pressed, she chooses Tom once more, and Gatsby is shattered. Nick says that, “If that was true, he must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream,” (161). In the end, Gatsby’s dream turns on him, betraying him to the caprice of the world. He had sincerely believed in the American Dream, and believed it would help him secure Daisy’s love. When both failed him, he was left with a lavish but empty house, and to Gatsby, his wealth and prosperity were nothing without someone to share them with. The final nail in the coffin is Gatsby’s funeral, where it becomes clear what his immense wealth gained him in terms of the human affection he was truly after. Nick Carraway jumps through all sorts of hoops and harasses many people in order to get them to go to Gatsby’s funeral, to no avail. When it came time for the burial,

    Read More

  • The Rich and The Poor in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    587 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Great Gatsby”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the vast social difference between the old aristocrats, the new self-made rich and the poor. He vividly interprets the social stratification during the roaring twenties as each group has their own problems to deal with. Old Money, who have fortunes dating from the 19th century, have built up powerful and influential social connections, and tend to hide their wealth and superiority behind a veneer of civility. The New Money made their fortunes in the 1920s boom and therefore have no social connections and tend to overcompensate for this lack with lavish displays of wealth. As usual, the No Money gets overlooked by the struggle at the top, leaving them forgotten or ignored. Such is exemplified by Jay Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson and Tom Buchanan. Their ambitions distinctly represent their class in which Fitzgerald implies strongly about.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Final Essay

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    As depicted by Scott F. Fitzgerald, the 1920s is an era of a great downfall both socially and morally. As the rich get richer, the poor remain to fend for themselves, with no help of any kind coming their way. Throughout Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, the two “breeds” of wealthier folk consistently butt heads in an ongoing battle of varying lifestyles. The West Eggers, best represented by Jay Gatsby, are the newly rich, with little to no sense of class or taste. Their polar opposites, the East Eggers, are signified by Tom and Daisy Buchanan; these people have inherited their riches from the country’s wealthiest old families and treat their money with dignity and social grace. Money, a mere object in the hands of the newly wealthy, is unconscientiously squandered by Gatsby in an effort to bring his only source of happiness, Daisy, into his life once again. Over the course of his countless wild parties, he dissipates thousands upon thousands of dollars in unsuccessful attempts to attract Daisy’s attention. For Gatsby, the only way he could capture this happiness is to achieve his personal “American Dream” and end up with Daisy in his arms. Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy is somewhat detrimental to himself and the ones around him; his actions destroy relationships and ultimately get two people killed.

    Read More

  • The Fight for Daisy: Tom vs. Gatsby

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    Daisy Buchanan, this woman is crazy, uncaring, and many would argue cold hearted. She is married to Tom and yet, has an affair with Gatsby. Tom is her husband, a very well-off man that goes off and has affairs, and never attempts to hide the fact. Then there is Gatsby. Ah, Gatsby. The young man she was so in love with as a teenage girl. Tom and Gatsby have many similarities; from the fact that both Tom and Gatsby want Daisy all to themselves to the fact that they both love her. While they share many similarities they have far more numerable differences between them. The differences range from how they treat her to how rich they and what social class they are in, to the simple fact that Tom lives in “East Egg” and Gatsby in “West Egg.” Both the similarities and differences between these two men are what ultimately cause Daisy to believe that she is in love with Tom more than she is with Gatsby.

    Read More

  • Toms Character in the Great Gatsby

    479 Words  | 1 Pages

    An example of this is when Nick is talking to tom about his accomplice in adultery and Nick says “Doesn’t her(Myrtle Wilson) husband object?” and Tom replies with “Wilson? He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. He’s so dumb he doesn’t know he’s alive” (Gatsby 26). This indicates that Tom is very cocky and ignorant. Tom’s immoral acts in the novel stem from his overconfidence and ignorance due to his wealth and power. This is further proved by the fact that when his first and only child was born, he left Daisy without any support only one hour after the birth of their daughter.

    Read More

  • Corruption Of Tom In The Great Gatsby

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    The farther away from financial bankruptcy a person gets, the closer to moral bankruptcy they become. Money, and all that comes with it, corrupts the mind and morals of a person. Some people with all the money and things a person could ever need can also be some of the most morally corrupt people that walk the earth. Tom Buchanan in F. Scott Fitzgerald's “The Great Gatsby” exemplifies this to a tee. Tom’s background is one of extreme wealth and influence, a star Football player at Yale, Tom is an absolute brute of a man, described as one of the most most powerful men to ever play Football by another of the novel's main characters. Tom also holds extreme and racist views on race, views inspired by a novel he read called “The Rise of the Colored

    Read More

  • The Pursuit of Wealth, Power, and Pleasure in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    684 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hugh Hefner once said, “I looked back on the roaring Twenties, with its jazz, 'Great Gatsby' and the pre-Code films as a party I had somehow managed to miss.” The parties of the Roaring Twenties were used to symbolize wealth and power in a society that was focused more on materialism and gossip than the important things in life, like family, security, and friends. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays the characters of Tom and Daisy Buchanan as the epitome of the era. The reader sees these characters acting selfishly and trying to meddle with others’ lives. On the other hand, Nick Carraway, the narrator, acts more to help others and act honestly. Initially the reader sees Carraway’s views towards Jay Gatsby as negative as Gatsby’s actions are perceived as being like the Buchanan’s. As the novel moves forward, the reader notices a change in Carraway’s attitude towards Gatsby. Carraway sees Gatsby for whom he truly is, and that is a loving person who only became rich to win Daisy’s heart. But in this the reader also sees how corrupt and hurtful Gatsby’s actions were to the love of his life. Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy reveals that just as Gatsby’s dream of wooing Daisy is corrupted by illegalities and dishonesty, the “American Dream” of friendship and individualism has disintegrated into the simple pursuit of wealth, power, and pleasure.

    Read More

  • The Love Triangle in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    632 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...even in college his freedom with money was a matter for reproach” (10). He does not necessarily flaunt his money like Gatsby does, but it is still obvious that he has it. Tom is more comfortable with his wealth since he has always had it. Gatsby, on the other hand, shows off a little more and is more extravagant with everything.

    Read More

  • gatmoral Moral and Emotional Range of The Great Gatsby

    646 Words  | 2 Pages

    At first glance, The Great Gatsby is merely a classic American tragedy, portraying the story of a man's obsession with a fantasy, and his resulting downfall. However, Fitzgerald seems to weave much more than that into the intricate web of emotional interactions he creates for the reader. One interesting element is the concepts of greatness each has. For Daisy, it lies in material wealth, and in the comfort and security associated with it. Daisy seems to be easily impressed by material success, as when she is touring Gatsby's mansion and seems deeply moved by his collection of fine, tailored shirts. It would seem that Tom's relative wealth, also, had at one time impressed her enough to win her in marriage. In contrast to that, Gatsby seems to not care a bit about money itself, but rather only about the possibility that it can win over Daisy. In fact, Gatsby's extreme generosity gives the reader the impression that Gatsby would otherwise have never even worked at attaining wealth had it not been for Daisy. For Gatsby, the only thing of real importance was his pursuit of Daisy. It would seem that these elements are combined, too in the character Myrtle.

    Read More

More about Tom and Gatsby, the perfect foils of each other?

Open Document