Tom Buchanan Deception

The timeless aspect of deception is deeply ingrained in every problem in society.

Deeply embedded in every problem in society lies the timeless aspect of deception. Today’s society has become a world of simulators and dupes, where people routinely manipulate others to get what they want. Deception has become an epidemic in society with deception in government, in the justice system, as well as in the market place. Deception leads to conscious conflict, as it fosters an environment of loneliness and isolation. Loneliness is a complex mental and emotional phenomenon that can lead to several mental health problems including depression, stress and anxiety. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby and Christopher Nolan’s film The Dark Knight both

explore the relationship between deception and loneliness in great depths. The notion that deception evokes the emotion of loneliness on others will be revealed through the situations, characters and symbols present in both works.
The particular situations that the characters take part in display the perception that deception leads to loneliness in both The Great Gatsby and The Dark Knight. In The Great Gatsby, the notion that deception initiates loneliness is displayed through the presence of Gatsby’s yellow car. On the way to New York City, Tom Buchanan stops at George Wilson’s garage while riding Gatsby’s yellow car to buy gasoline. Tom lies to Wilson and leads him into thinking that the yellow car belongs to him. "'How do you like this one?' inquired Tom. ‘I bought it last week.' 'It's a nice yellow one,' said Wilson, as he strained at the handle"(Fitzgerald 117). Not only does Tom deceive Wilson, but he also deludes Myrtle Wilson into thinking that the yellow car belongs to him. Later that night, Myrtle gets struck and killed by the yellow car as she runs towards it, thinking that Tom is behind the wheel. Following Myrtle's death, Wilson is in serious emotional and psychological distress as he suffers from extreme loneliness and depression. The magnitude of his loneliness drives Wilson to murder Jay Gatsby before committing suicide himself. Thus, this situation in the novel aids in justifying the conception that deceit and manipulation are significant causes of loneliness as Tom’s fraudulent behaviour leads to Wilson’s isolation. Parallel to Wilson’s position, Harvey Dent from The Dark Knight also experiences extreme loneliness after his fiancée, Rachel Dawes, dies. In the film, Joker kidnaps both Harvey and Rachel and straps them up to oil drums, in separate oil showrooms. While being interrogated, Joker reveals the location of the two hostages to Batman. In order to create chaos, Joker intentionally lies to Batman and switches the locations of the two hostages. When Batman shows up at Rachel’s presumed location, he finds Harvey lying on the floor with half of his face submerged in oil. Batman rescues Harvey and Rachel dies in the explosion. The death of Rachel introduces traumatic loss into Harvey’s existence. He experiences extreme isolation and distress as the only “family member” that truly mattered to him is murdered. Ultimately, Harvey’s loneliness initiates his insanity and leads him to go on a rampage, executing those responsible for Rachel’s death. Thus, Joker’s acts of trickery instigate Harvey’s loneliness, just like Tom’s deceitfulness leads to Wilson’s isolation.
The characters of Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby and Joker from The Dark Knight also display dishonest and fraudulent behaviour which anticipates the emotion of loneliness on other characters.

In the novel The Great Gatsby, Tom Buchanan is portrayed as a typical upper class man and appeared to be a loyal husband and father. However, in the early stages of the novel, it is established that Tom is having an extramarital affair with a woman named Myrtle Wilson. Tom engages in the art of deception to keep this information from his wife, Daisy Buchanan. The affair between Tom and Myrtle leaves Daisy neglected and isolated. In the novel, Daisy declares, “Well, she was less than an hour old and Tom was God knows where. I woke up out of the ether with an utterly abandoned feeling…I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 22). Daisy informs Nick that Tom was not around when she had her child and implies that he was with another women. In her cynicism, Daisy hopes that her daughter is a fool so that her daughter does not suffer from abandonment and isolation in the future, just like she did. The fact that she wishes her daughter is a fool indicates that Daisy is aware of Tom’s constant infidelity and that she behaves superficially to mask her inner loneliness and pain. The character of Tom Buchanan from The Great Gatsby aids in justifying the notion that deception initiates loneliness, as his deceptive extramarital relationships evoke the emotion of loneliness on Daisy. Similarly, the Joker is a crucial character in The Dark Knight, who also displays deceptive qualities throughout the plot. The Joker is a master liar, who seems to derive some joy from deceiving others. In the film, Joker deceives Batman, into thinking that he can capture him and turn the chaos of urban life into order and tranquillity. Joker disguises most of his weapons and gadgets as harmless practical joke items, thus deceiving

Batman into believing that he can easily be captured. However, Batman will never be able to catch Joker in the end. No prison can hold him, no punishment will affect him, and no treatment can cure him. Batman is duped into partaking in a never-ending battle between him and the Joker. Batman’s irresistible temptation to capture and annihilate Joker leads him to become lonely and isolated as he has no time to establish positive and healthy relationships. Batman is secluded from the outside world and withdrawn from social contact. He has no social life, love life, or personal relations. Joker and Tom Buchanan are mendacious characters who cultivate an environment of loneliness for other individuals.
Both the novel and the film share similarities between the characters, as well as in the uses of symbolism to portray the ___. Situated at the end of Daisy’s dock, the green light is a complex piece of symbolism in the novel The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald uses the green light to represent the American Dream. Coined by James Truslow Adams, the American Dream is a way of life: the idea that through hard work and dedication, one can prosper to achieve their goals (White). The green light is described as seeming so close, but always just out of reach, just like the American dream itself. In the last chapter of the novel, Nick Carraway states, "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter – tomorrow we will run farther, stretch out our arms farther… And one fine morning – So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (Fitzgerald 171-172). Nick seems to be simultaneously enchanted and revolted by Gatsby’s conscientious dedication and faith in the American dream. For Gatsby, the green light represents his hopes and dreams. He associates it with Daisy Buchanan, a girl whom he fell in love with in Louisville. To attain her would be completing his American dream. Gatsby is alluded by the American dream into believing that he can recapture the past; his time in Louisville with Daisy. It gives him courage, optimism and irrational hope that he will achieve his dream. As a result, Gatsby devotes his life into chasing an unachievable object. The grand illusion of the American dream distances Gatsby from reality and the world in which he lives in. It forces him to illustrate an intricate fantasy world, in which Daisy is the high priestess. Gatsby’s hope in the green light and the American dream leads him to become lonely and isolated from the world as he is unable to establish positive and healthy relationships. Gatsby cannot move on from Daisy. Thus, he becomes socially withdrawn from society. He has no true friends, acquaintances, or any family relations. Therefore, the green light is a significant symbol in Fitzgerald’s novel which illustrates the concept that the outcome of deceit is loneliness. Along with the green light, Harvey’s double-headed coin is a significant symbol in the film The Dark Knight which also symbolizes the art of deception. At the beginning of the film, Harvey uses his illusive double-headed coin to make significant life decisions and to trick criminals into confessing. However, after the explosion that kills his fiancée Rachel Dawes and burns half of his face, the coin undergoes major transformations. The explosion chars one side of Harvey’s two-headed coin, so that it becomes a coin with two different sides. Motivated by his need for vengeance, Harvey uses the coin to pursue those responsible for the death of Rachel and his disfigurement. He flips to decide whether he will kill the Joker in the hospital room, Detective Wuertz in a bar, and detective Ramirez in an alley. In the end, Harvey kills Wuertz, a police officer, a cab driver as well as Sal Maroni. Harvey transforms into a killer who tries to inflict his own experience of loneliness on those around him. Just like the green light, the double-headed coin is a deceptive piece of symbolism that validates the notion that deception leads to loneliness for other individuals.
Through The Great Gatsby and The Dark Knight it is evident that conception that deception initiates loneliness on others is of strong validity. This notion is established through multiple situations throughout both plots. The deaths of Rachel Dawes and Myrtle Wilson are the results of deceptive behaviour, which lead Wilson and Harvey to become isolated. The characters of Tom Buchanan and the Joker display deceptive and secretive behaviour, which results in the isolation of other characters in the plot. Symbolism of the green light and the double-head coin also signify that deceptive behaviour leads to the isolation of other individuals. Although the novel and the film have different plots, both works display a well-known concept, and confirm that dishonesty instigates loneliness on many individuals in society.