Identity In The Great Gatsby

While reading books with characters that are different from each other, the reader is bound to come across someone they don’t like. In terms of The Great Gatsby, Tom Buchanan comes to mind. His bad qualities and aggressive personality makes the reader have such a strong dislike for him that they can’t help but be drawn to him. As a character who has such a large impact on the way the story progresses, as well as how the characters progress, it is important to take into account the disposition Tom presents.
Tom has everything the American Dream says to strive for: wealth, power, and high social stature but he is still insecure about maintaining that power. He is frightened that he will lose everything he has (including his ego) “The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be-will be utterly submerged” (13) and he wants to

keep people that are not worthy of the same social class as him (like Gatsby “Mr. Nobody from Nowhere” (130) ) out of his world. Even with everything he has, he is unhappy and wants to assert his power even more seeing as he chooses to have an affair. [This goes to show that the American Dream is corrupted and it is merely an illusion.] Tom is very arrogant, aggressive, racist, and misogynistic which makes him feel superior to others and allows him to take control and be domination. “Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward. Not even the effeminate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of that body… ” (7). Fitzgerald’s intent is to have Tom represent the society during the roaring 20s as he is the embodiment of old wealth is usually seen as what the American Dream really is. Our narrator shows his dislike of Tom (and everything he stands for) from the very beginning and it only continues to increase as he witnesses Tom’s carelessness and irresponsibility.
Even though Tom’s identity is pretty constant throughout the novel, there is a part where for a brief moment he shows another part of himself. “The transition from libertine to prig was so complete” (130). A libertine is someone, especially a man, who behaves without moral principles or a sense of responsibility, especially in sexual matters. Tom cheated on his wife with a married woman but all of a sudden he begins to defend family values and acts like a super moralistic person therefore completing the transformation. The way that Tom switches over what he thinks of “family values” is representative of his hypocrisy. He says one thing and expects others to listen to it but does another.
The Tom Buchanan that is presented in the story might not be all that there is to his identity considering only Nick’s point of view is provided (and he is an unreliable and biased narrator) but the Tom that is shows to the audience seems to be trying to compensate for something.

The theme of identity is expressed in books so that the characters seem more relatable to the reader. Even though I don’t identify myself with any of the characters in The Great Gatsby, I can still understand them and sympathize with them.
When I think of who I am as a person, certain words come to mind. Words like open-minded, detail-oriented, and easy-going. I pay extra close attention to things that need to be organized and I believe strongly in prioritizing. I seem to have an inability to procrastinate which makes people who don’t know me see me as “obsessive” or a “neat freak”. I enjoy being social and extroverted because being in social situations and being outgoing brings me joy. I identify as a caring, creative, and artsy person who likes to express her thoughts and feelings and has no problem being straightforward and honest almost all of the

time.