Compare And Contrast Jay Gatsby And Tom Buchanan

2119 Words5 Pages

Michael Barbosa
Mr. Farkavec
ENG 3U1
30 May, 2015
Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan are they similar or different?
The Great Gatsby shows the reader how wealth and power were important elements during the Roaring Twenties. Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan are characters who have been tarnished by their prosperity and power. This so-called wealth and authority has not only affected how they perceive the world around them, but has also changed them as people. Jay Gatsby is a man who obtained his fortune illegally, and his sole drive was his love for Daisy. Jay Gatsby believed that if he became wealthy, he would truly be happy as he would be able to capture the heart of Daisy with his fortune. Tom Buchanan’s wealth was obtained through the inheritance
Gatsby 's sole objective is to conquer Daisy and for Tom his objective is to keep Daisy from leaving him. Tom believes that he does not have to put much effort into keeping Daisy because he is of a better class than Gatsby. Also, he has not had to compete for anything because he has had everything given to him. There is no need for Tom to make any effort for anything; he has everything he wants. Gatsby’s remembers his past relationship with Daisy and wants her to love him like she had done before. He is a hopeless romantic because during the novel he never stops believing that he will get Daisy back and that he is the only man that Daisy ever loved. What Gatsby fails to see is that you cannot go back in time and rewrite the past. Gatsby eventually sees that even though he loves Daisy, and she loved him once she also loves Tom. Gatsby feels uncomfortable when Daisy expresses her love for both men. ‘“Oh, you want too much!’ she cried Gatsby. ‘I love you now-isn’t that enough? I can’t help what’s past.’ She began to sob helplessly. ‘I did love him once-but I love you too.’”(Fitzgerald, 132) What Gatsby fails to see is that Daisy is not in love with either man but more so with what they can provide her. Gatsby forces Daisy to decide between him or Tom, and this ultimately leads to Gatsby’s death. Tom was brought up to live his life the way he sees fit with no regard for others. Gatsby grew up poor, and once he
Scott Fitzgerald also makes it a point to show similarities between Gatsby and Tom. One of the first similarities that the reader can see is that both men use people to obtain what they want. Gatsby uses Nick Carraway to meet Daisy “‘I don 't want you to get a wrong idea of me from all these stories you hear.’”(Fitzgerald, 65) He befriends Nick to find out information on Daisy. Gatsby also uses all the people he invites to his party as his only objective was to find anyone who might know Daisy. Gatsby didn’t want all these people he was just doing it for selfish reasons. Gatsby uses Nick to ensure that Daisy will come to tea so that he can see her again. While Daisy and Nick are at Gatsby’s house, Gatsby forgets all about Nick and only concentrates on Daisy. Once Gatsby got what he wanted he forgot about Nick. Tom also uses people to obtain his desires. The first person Tom uses is Daisy when he marries her. He does not love her; he just wants someone that’ll fit into his socialite life. Even on their honeymoon, Tom cheats on Daisy, which shows how much he cares and respects her. “The girl who was with him got into the papers, too, because her arm was broken-she was one of the chambermaids in the Santa Barbara Hotel.” (Fitzgerald, 77) Tom also uses Myrtle as he does not treat her right because he has no plans of leaving Daisy to stay with Myrtle. Tom would not jeopardize his status as he loves himself more than anyone else. This is seen when Myrtle dies; Tom

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