Sunday, May 17, 2009

5. Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan

Contrast Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan. What does each character represent? Who is more noble? More idealistic?
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6 comments:

  1. Ana CristinaJuly 9, 2009 at 3:54 PM

    On the surface Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan appear to be very similar. They are both rich men, who like to show off their wealth, but if one digs deeper it obvious that Jay Gatsby is a better person. Both men are rich, yet Gatsby is a self made man. He came from nothing and with hard work and little bit of luck he earned all that he had. Tom on the other had is “enormously wealthy- even in college his freedom with money was a matter for reproach” (Fitzgerald 10). Tom inherited his money; he never had to earn it. That is why Tom is full of snobbery, he believes he deserves everything. He thinks he is above all other men “there was a touch or paternal contempt even towards the people he liked” (Fitzgerald 11). Jay on the other hand, knew what it was like to be on bottom of the social ladder, therefore he treats every one as an equal. Another difference between Jay and Tom is that Tom treats women as inferior beings showing less respect for them than Jay does. This can be seen in their different ways in which they relate to Daisy. Tom sees her as insignificant and even stupid. Jay on the other hand treats her like a precious gem. He fights for her, and he would give anything for her. Gatsby is the nobler of the two. He treats people better and he does not show of his money like Tom does. The parties Jay organizes are not even for himself, his only purpose is to stage an encounter with Daisy. He bought his dad a house. Tom shows off his wealth and treats others as if they were less than him. He took Daisy for granted and took advantage of Wilson and slept with his wife. Gatsby did do some odd jobs, but he never intentionally hurt anyone like Tom did.

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  2. UnknownJuly 16, 2009 at 10:44 AM

    I agree with Ana that Tom and Gatsby are similar on the outside. Tom is more of a show-off with his money though. Gatsby has extravagant parties yet many of his guests don’t even know who he is. Tom his wife, Daisy, as an accessory to his life and does not appreciate her like Gatsby does. Tom does not have the determination that Gatsby has to get what he wants. Both Tom and Gatsby think that their money can get them almost everything they want, including Daisy. Gatsby only threw the big parties at his house because he wanted Daisy to come and have a good time at them and so he could see her again. Tom has a big house on the lake and buys whatever he and Daisy want to keep Daisy interested. I agree with Ana that Gatsby is more noble than Tom because he is nonchalant and Tom always wants to show off everything he has, even his mistress. Tom shows off his stable by telling Gatsby and Nick that other people turned a garage into a stable but he is the only one that has turned a garage into a stable (Fitzgerald 122).

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  3. Eduardo M.July 23, 2009 at 2:17 PM

    Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan both represent the people from their respective sides of Long Island. Both are Wealthy, Successful, etc. Their outside says the same, but their past and attitudes reveal two separate identities. Gatsby is a hardworking man that works to get what he truly wants, being his wealth and success or his affair with Daisy. the fact that he makes parties and invites alot of people and admits people he does not know suggests he shares his happiness with others. He is more social and outgoing and has alot of confidence. Tom on the other hand, is snobby with his wealth but does not deserve it since he inherited it and did not work for it. This leads to his attitude towards problems and how he does not work towards achieving his goals as hard as Gatsby. he enjoys only close company and does not appreciate what he has until he looses it. He may seem indifferent toward his friends and family very deep down he cares, though maybe for the possession and not the relationships. He is also very confident, a little too confident, shown where he makes racist remarks on colored people (Fitzgerald 17).

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  4. Erin HogsheadJuly 27, 2009 at 7:29 PM

    Great insight Ana.

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  5. UnknownJuly 29, 2009 at 6:56 PM

    I agree with Ana that Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan are very similar yet different. On the surface, both seem like rich men who show off their wealth. However, inside, they are not nearly as similar as they may seem. To begin with, they grew up very differently. While Tom was part of an aristocratic family, Gatsby was not. “His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people…”(Fitzgerald 104), he had no “noble” blood in him. However, Gatsby did not let that stop him. He did not like being a nobody, and rejected his family: “his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all.” (Fitzgerald 104) Like Ana said, Gatsby is a self-made man. He changes his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby. By changing his name he creates himself again; he is reborn. He starts his life, the way he wants it to be. Although he did have some “immoral” jobs to get to where he is, Gatsby is a symbol of a naïve man who is hopeless for love. He basically goes through all the trouble to be with Daisy. He does not realize until the end that Daisy is not the person she once was. Gatsby does not have much personal greed except to be with Daisy. He does throw many lavish parties, but they are only to capture Daisy’s attention. Tom on the other hand is different from Gatsby because he has a “rub in your face” attitude about his money. Like Tania says, Tom cannot resist the urge of showing everything off, even his mistress. Tom comes from an immensely rich, socially influential family. Unlike Gatsby, he never had to work to get his fortune. Tom does not understand what it is like to be working from bottom up, like Gatsby does. Tom is arrogant and has no morals whatsoever. He goes and has an affair with Myrtle, regardless of his marriage with Daisy. He is full of hypocrisy. When he begins to suspect that Daisy and Gatsby have an affair, he yells at Daisy and is angered. He has no respect for women. Gatsby, however, is loyal and respectful. But Gatsby is also sometimes very shallow. He tries to court Daisy and win her back by showing his wealth. This can be seen when he throws his parties. He is no different from Tom in that sense. But Gatsby does it because he really wants to get Daisy back, unlike Tom, whose only motives are to show his riches. I think Gatsby is the nobler of the two. Despite his status as a West Egger, he treats everyone equally, even his servers. He confides in Nick and asks him to help gain Daisy back. Gatsby is not prejudiced because of his wealth, but rather humble because he knows how arduous it was for him to gain it.

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  6. UnknownAugust 7, 2009 at 7:21 PM

    I agree with Ana in that Jay Gatsby is more noble than Tom Buchanan. Although they both are similar on their outer appearances, their past and their personalities are different. Both are rich men living in Long Island; they own a mansion and live an easy, wealthy life. However, Tom belongs to a wealthy family, so he inherited the money whereas Gatsby had to work to get his riches. Their personalities also differ; unlike Gatsby, Tom is more showy with his wealth. Gatsby throws many parties all the time; he shares his wealth in a way with others, but Tom is more conservative and selfish. While Gatsby shows dedication and loyalty towards Daisy after all those many years, Tom is having an affair with another woman, Myrtle. Gatsby is also more idealistic. He thinks that getting Daisy back is his ultimate goal in life, his purpose. But this is all unrealistic because Daisy is already married to Tom; the marriage won't be easily broken just for the sake of Gatsby. In addition, Gatsby thinks that he can impress Daisy with his wealth, but that is insufficient. He will need more than that to gain Daisy back and live a perfect life.

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