Tom And Gatsby example essay topic

F. Scott Fitzgerald's timeless novel, The Great Gatsby, is a fictional depiction of American life in the Jazz Age. Contrasting the characters' methods of dealing with certain situations makes the differences in their attitudes towards love and money apparent. The actions of two major characters, Jay Gatsby, a former military man, and Tom Buchanan, a wealthy New Haven Graduate, are compared throughout the novel in similar situations. Each characters actions are concise and indifferent to those of one another. Through Fitzgerald's eyes, you are led to believe that the people of this era represent foolishness through their appearance, mental instability, and social status. "It was a body capable of enormous leverage -- a cruel body" (11).

Fitzgeralds description gives Tom the accentuation of a robust, well-built specimen. He seems very powerful in his image, one of which portrays the impression of a cold-hearted man. However, Gatsby illustrates a handsome, witty man who has set goals to win over his love, Daisy. "His tanned skin was drawn attractively tight on his face and his short hair looked as though it were trimmed everyday. I could see nothing sinister about him" (54). Although these two men appear to have to nothing in common, they both endorse their visage for applicable recogintion.

While Tom is seen throughout the community, Gatsby seeks recognition and notice ability from Daisy. The differences between these two figures are blatantly distinct and unsubtle; this allows readers to grasp characteristic traits more easily about certain roles in this novel. The book allocates social fix by two comparable pieces of identical land called East and West Egg. Tom lives on East Egg where 'old money' is necessary and must be inherited from the family. Gatsby's home resides over on West Egg"; [the] less fashionable of the two... ".

(9). Here, you must make your own money and way of life; claiming the title 'new money'. Tom devised his fortune estate through heirs of the throne, while Gatsby aquired his in illegal activity. Gatsby is known for throwing weekly elegant parties. "By sev on o' clock the orchestra has arrived... The last swimmers have come in from the beach and are dressing upstairs...

The cars from New York are parked five deep in the drive, and already the halls and salons and verandas are gaudy with primary colors and hair shorn in strange new ways and shawls beyond the dreams of Castile". (44). Gatsby's large parties show the steady determination of how far he will go to win Daisy; while Toms' form of wealth reflects the arrogance within. Jay wanted to make his social standing more evident by throwing such lavish parties to win the love of his life. Both Tom and Gatsby share the luxurious environment which surrounds their everyday lives. How they use this form of extravagance gives further understanding of where each persons social standing is within the novel.

By the middle of the book Tom's low level of self control begins to fade to nothing, as he starts to express his aggressiveness that has been hiding within. Having many affairs as a married man, Tom proclaims. ".. women run around too much these days to suit me" (110). He is physically and mentally abusive towards his wife continually throughout the book. Gatsby love has grew for Daisy to an extreme of sublimity that can only be reached in his dreams.

He has built Daisy to be a queen, of which status, she will never fit to meet his standards. Gatsby doesnt want to accept the fact that Daisy has loved Tom and tries to get her to admit she never did. "Just tell him the truth -- -that you never loved him -- -and it's all wiped out forever". (139). Tom and Gatsby reach points in the novel where boths mental mutability can be questioned, bringing stimulating scenes of which you dont want to stop reading the book. Appearance, mental mutability, and social status display what type of personal traits these characters possess.

They annotate the condition wealth has on peoples lives and how the domineering insanity of retaining a dream for so long can shatter a persons life.