Tom Vs Gatsby

In The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald gives all of his characters different characteristics that all have a meaning to why he gave them this characteristic. Tom and Gatsby have characteristics that are specific to them and that make them who they are. These two characters have characteristics that are the same and that are different. The two play a major role in the book and along with all of the other characters they are the reason this book has been popular since the 1920s. Tom and Gatsby are both characters that love money and use their money to show how they are better than everyone else. Their money makes them the elite class (Wyly 60 & 64). Gatsby uses his money to impress other people and mainly to get Daisy to love him and want …show more content…
Tom’s unsatisfaction of where he is show how he will always be immature (Way 90). Tom is always unsatisfied with where he is in life and he always wants new things and will always be immature about it. He is a character that shows his immaturity a lot throughout the book and it is very obvious that he is immature and will always be that way. Gatsby is dreamer and hid dreams show that his tragedy lies within his dreams (Way 93). Gatsby dreams of being with Daisy ends in his death and this is why his tragedy lies within his dreams. Had Gatsby not dreamed of being with Daisy and changed his dreams he would have never been killed. He in the end never got his dream and ultimately he was killed by George Wilson. Tom is a character that is very big and intimidating. Tom’s dominance over others represents the upper class (Way 92). The Upper class was dominant over everyone else just like how Tom was dominant over everyone else in the story. In the 20s the upper class were the people that ruled over everyone else and what they told the lower classes to do they would do it because of how dominant the Upper class was. Gatsby was an accepted hoodlum because he was the upper class and it was accepted for them to sell alcohol during the prohibition (Hermanson 4). In the 20s alcohol was illegal to make and sell, but since Gatsby was the upper class it was okay. The upper class could get away …show more content…
Tom was married to Daisy, but Gatsby had her first before he went off to war and once he got back he found a way to make a lot of money to impress Daisy. With Gatsby being obsessed with Daisy he would stop at nothing to get her back from Tom and it is his dream to win her back and to live happily ever after. Tom in the book says “I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife” (Fitzgerald 130). He isn’t going to sit around and let Gatsby come in and just take Daisy away from him because he loves her to. Gatsby’s parties make him an artist (Way 97). He uses these elaborate parties to try to get Daisy to come to his house so he can show her what all he has now and how much money he has compared to Tom. Gatsby throws countless parties just try to attract Daisy to come to his house, but it never works she never comes to his parties she only comes to one because they have already met. Tom isn’t the perfect husband and he admits to it and knows that he does things that he shouldn’t do. Tom says “Once in a while I go on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back and in my heart I love her all the time” (Fitzgerald 131). Tom admits to being a cheater and doing things to Daisy while Daisy doesn’t do a single thing to him. Tom isn’t going to give Daisy to Gatsby that easily and that is why in the end Tom ends up with Daisy instead Gatsby with