Compare And Contrast Tom And Daisy In The Great Gatsby

n The Great Gatsby, a book written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are two characters that are both similar and different in many ways- Tom and Daisy. The married couple in The Great Gatsby have major ups and downs in their marriage, and they are rather separated throughout the story; however, in the end, they are together once again. Their personalities, lifestyles, and characters become apparent in The Great Gatsby as they communicate and interact with others characters.

Tom’s personality is very different than that of Daisy. In the book, Tom is shown to be a quieter man while Daisy is more talkative. Tom, though quiet, would act in ways that seemed as if he was plotting something- almost as if everything were a set up. “Before

Instead of investing in their marriage, they chose to actively destroy it by looking for fulfillment in other uncalled for relationships. Their true love for each other is doubted. When Tom finds out that Daisy and Gatsby are having an affair, Tom says to Gatsby, “...what 's more, I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time” (“Great Gatsby” 19). Tom does not seem to view his “spree” as he views Daisy. He wants Daisy to be loyal to him even though he himself is not loyal to her. Though Tom claims to love Daisy and does not like that she is after Gatsby, he says that he loves her in his heart, and meanwhile is still interested in Myrtle. Love is an action, not just a feeling, so his statement of “love” contradicts him. Interestingly enough, though Daisy loves Gatsby, her love for him is not enough to persuade her to completely give Tom up. Gatsby tells her, "‘Daisy... Just tell him the truth-that you never loved him...’ She hesitated...she realized at last what she was doing-and as though she had never, all along, intended doing anything at all. But it was done now. It was too late” (“Great Gatsby” 20). Her hesitance shows that she was torn between Tom and Gatsby, but when she realized the tight spot she was in, she gave in to Gatsby- for the time

The reason for why they were the way they were is shown when it says, “... I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified” (“Great Gatsby” 17). This shows that because they did not understand that their mistakes and carelessness cost other people’s lives, they were justified in whatever they did. It also says that “... [they] were careless people, Tom and Daisy-they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made...” (“Great Gatsby” 17). The way one thinks and justifies himself or herself will shape and form the person’s personality, lifestyle, and