Tom's Foolish Actions In The Great Gatsby

Careless people leave messes behind, and don’t clean them up. They worry too much about themselves and don’t care about the people they might hurt in the process. Careless people leave behind destruction without ever looking back like tornados. In The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, Tom displays Carelessness by disregarding everybody else's feelings.

Batman's first robin, Dick Grayson, witnessed the death of his parents right in front of him just like he had so he decided to take him under his wing and help him sort out his feelings before he began to live a life of revenge. There are a number of ways to help a child through a traumatic situation but having him fight crime and potentially getting him killed isn't one of them. Although it isn't a sign of mental issues, it is a sign of bad judgement which could mean that some of his decisions may have been in poor judgement. Ever since the appearance of Robin in comics many people such as Frederick Wertham have questioned whether or not the relationship between Batman and Robin had a sexual relationship but it is later resolved when the

Tom’s youth brims with privilege and worth, as he boasts an education from one of the most prestigious universities and is a respected figure in the world of college football. In fact, “among various physical accomplishments, [Tom] had been one of the most powerful ends that ever played football at New Haven—a national figure in a way, one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterward savors of anticlimax” (6). However, his halcyon days of New Haven now in the past, Tom is depicted as agitated and uninterested. His life now reeks of “anticlimax” when compared to the glory of his Yale football career, and the threat of violence constantly awaits provocation within him. Moreover, Tom’s

“All the bright precious things fade so fast and they don’t come back.” Daisy Buchanan's words which can be applied to the dreams that the characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby all chased throughout the story. In The Great Gatsby, the story is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway, a veteran who dreams of making it rich on Wall Street. Everyone chases their own dreams; meanwhile surrounded by the iconic lifestyle that defined the 1920’s and the corrupt world that Fitzgerald depicts. Things take a dark turn when Tom Buchanan finds out about his wife’s affair with Gatsby. In The Great Gatsby the protagonist seeks out his dreams which are destroyed after he finally gets the chance to live them out. Fitzgerald’s use of setting, motifs, and symbolism clearly convey a theme of dream chasing particularly with the notoriously infamous Jay Gatsby.

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

“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.” (The Great Gatsby) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is mostly a love story. The plot line is similar to Romeo and Juliet but the man is killed instead of suicide. Fitzgerald really emphasizes the sort of forbidden love between main character Gatsby and wife of Tom, Daisy. Gatsby is a very mysterious man thought the book and we are not sure if he is lying most of the time or his story is true. The main mystery of this book is who killed Gatsby, and what their motive was. George Wilson (husband of Tom Carraway) seems to be a likely suspect for the murder of Gatsby he knew it was Gatsby’s car that killed Myrtle, Tom could have told Wilson, Gatsby killed Myrtle, and Tom was manipulative towards everyone he came into contact with.

First, Tom and Daisy demonstrate their carelessness through their insensitiveness. When Tom is visiting his mistress, Myrtle, she taunts Tom by repeatedly saying “Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!” (Fitzgerald, 39). This causes Tom to get aggravated and strike Myrtle in the face, breaking her nose. Tom physically abuses Myrtle and while he is under the influence of alcohol, he has the intent of hurting her, not caring if she gets injured. Tom also lies to Myrtle, telling her that he would marry her if is wife wasn’t Catholic. Tom does not care about the feelings of his mistress, seeing her as an object and not a human. Myrtle is nothing more than a way for Tom to feel powerful due to her low social status and insecurities. It is mentioned that Tom has cheated on Daisy before with a maid, further proving that Toms motive for having an affair is power. It also proves that Tom is not cheating on Daisy because he is bored, but because he does not truly love her or care for her. Tom’s lack of concern for those around him proves his insensitiveness and overall carelessness.

Q: Compare and contrast Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan. How are they similar and how do they differ? Given that Tom is portrayed negatively, why does Daisy choose to remain with him instead of leaving him for Gatsby?

Fitzgerald uses Tom Buchanan, a disloyal and proud character, in order to suggest some of the traits that may cause one to lose their sense of morality.

Tom and Gatsby are both men in their early thirties, who are wealthy, but Tom comes from old money and Gatsby is a part of the nouveau riche. Due to their difference in social class, they present themselves differently. Tom doesn’t throw extravagant parties and flaunt his money like Gatsby does. Gatsby and Tom are similar characters, but they differ in their personalities. Tom is aggressive, egotistical, and believes that he is above everyone else, whereas Gatsby has a more reserved personality. No one even knew who Gatsby was at his own parties. They are similar in that they both want Daisy. Tom wants Daisy because his pride would be lost if she left him for a man of the lower class, and Gatsby wants Daisy because she was the first person who made him feel like he was a part of the upper class. Tom doesn’t have a goal in life, but to continue living his privileged life. Gatsby’s sole goal in life was to win Daisy back. Overall, there are many similarities and differences in the two characters.

In the beginning, some people try to appear that everything about them is "in black and white, until later their true colors come out (Anthony Liccione). In literature, authors show a character's true colors through their actions throughout the book. In the beginning of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, he presents Tom as an immoral person through his actions.

He learns how Tom, a wealthy man from a respectable family, cheats on his wife; how Gatsby, an assumed symbol of hard working America, deceived his way to the top through bootlegging; and even learns how other people of the wealthy class are deep down angry and sad, like when recalling women at one of Gatsby’s parties that was “not only singing [but] weeping too”

Noone cares when anyone dies, this thought occurs in both “The Great Gatsby” and “anyone lived in a pretty how town.” The 1920’s when both of these pieces were written was a very careless time, to hide from the reality of the war and people were very careless with its outcomes. F. Scott Fitzgerald author of “The Great Gatsby” and E.E. Cummings, author of “anyone lived in a pretty how town” convey similar themes of love and carelessness through the use of tone, imagery, and symbolism. Both selections reveal that carelessness corrupts people and that people believe they can only find satisfaction and love in a relationship.

The roaring 20’s was an extrodinary time, and F. Scott Fitzgerald captured the feeling in his book The Great Gatsby. Throughout the book many of the characters showed the importance of the 20’s through their differences and similarities. Two main male characters, Tom and Gatsby, were both different and similar in many ways. Tom and Gatsby were both liars, but they also loved Daisy, and they were different on how they lived.

Perhaps the most important aspect of a character's personality is whether he or she is an admirable person. Sherlock Holmes, for example, is a great character because he tries his best to investigate crimes even at times of difficulty. In Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence is admirable because he gives the two lovers support and tries to help them to be together. The Friar is a holy man who is respected by others and was the only person who cared about Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. In the majority of classic literature, an admirable person is always loyal towards others, committed to their dreams, and makes the decisions by themselves. This is the case with Gatsby. One of the reasons why Gatsby is an admirable man is that his positive qualities outway his negative qualities.