Comparing Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan

Comparing Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan

The book "The Great Gatsby" is beautifully written with the intention of providing the reader a clear view of the wealthy (through the eyes of Nick Carraway) during the Roaring Twenties. Two characters that are very important to the story and eventually end the story are Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan. Though they have some similarities, their personalities, jobs, and lovers are very much different in the way they live their lives throughout the story.
Both Gatsby and Tom live a very stable and wealthy life. They are both able to flaunt and spend money anywhere and anytime they want without worry. Gatsby and Tom also like to party all the time. In fact, Gatsby holds a party almost every week no matter what the cost is. That's just the way the rich lead they're life; they party. Daisy, Tom's wife happens to be the one thing that Gatsby has been chasing after since the war. Gatsby loves her more than anything, but unfortunately she is on the East Egg where Gatsby cannot go. Gatsby's personality is very much the opposite of Tom's. He is more of a giving and kind person who doesn't want a problem with anyone else. He would do anything to make someone happy. As one of the twins stated while at Gatsbys' party, " There's something funny about a fellow that'll do a thing like that, he doesn't want trouble with anybody"(p48). Now Tom on the other hand, is a very cocky and arrogant man who thinks he can pretty much do anything he wants. Tom once says to Nick, " Now, don't think my opinion on these matters are final just because I'm stronger and more of a man than you are"(p11). What kind of friend would say that to someone they haven't seen in a while? Tom is also a very racist person who thinks that the white race was going to be overtaken. He says, "The idea is if we don't look out the white race will be- will be utterly submerged" (p17). Nowhere in the book do you read that Gatsby is racist at all; concluding once again that he doesn't want trouble with anyone. Tom Buchanan makes his money from being a professional polo player and a well-known breeder of horses. It obviously pays a large amount of money, because they are living in the East Egg and can afford most anything. Now Jay Gatsby has a more mysterious background for his wealth. "He's a bootlegger," said one girl staying at Gatsbys' house (p65). Someone also said that he got his money from a relative back in Germany. Gatsby actually tells Nick that all his money came from his family back west when every single one of them died. That wasn't true because Gatsbys' father came to his funeral. You never really find out exactly how Gatsby gets his money, but all the clues point to bootlegging. Probably the most important part to Gatsbys' life since the war, was to reclaim Daisy's love. Unfortunately, Tom was in his way. However, Tom had a mistress by the name of Myrtle Wilson, and they had been seeing each other for a while. This shows that Tom is a very dishonest and cheating type of man. Mr. Wolfsheim states, "Gatsby's very careful about women. He would never so much as look at a friends wife" (p77). Though Tom may have loved Daisy a little, she wasn't his main lover at the time. This gave Gatsby the perfect chance to get Daisy back. Although all his dreams were vanished in the end and Gatsby was killed, Nick Carraway knew all that was true and believed in Gatsbys' goal and dreams. It is true that Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan led very different lives and believed in very different things, and F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays them very well in "The Great Gatsby." Their personalities, jobs, and lovers create problems and eventually lead to a murder. However, it also gives clarity to the lives of the wealthy in the 1920's and insight into their self- centered pursuit in making their lives easier.