Tom and Gatsby, the perfect foils of each other?

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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...

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...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.

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