Archetypes In The Great Gatsby

However there may be more to Gatsby's story, as the narrator says he is “worth the whole damn bunch put together”(154). By comparing Tom

Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan; two men with different lives but are connected by corruption. They both live rich lives, consequently their money gets into their heads. They start thinking that they are in control of everything around them. Their actions reflect in today’s society with the image of sculpting a person to its perfection. Corruption plays a big role for Tom, Gatsby, and the world today.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald has many characters that are similar and difference in a number of ways. Fitzgerald gives a detail description of the characters in the story, but a reader’s interest level will peak when comparing the similarities and differences between Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Tom Buchanan is a rich man. Tom’s mansion is “elaborate” with “sun-dials, brick walks and burning gardens” (Fitzgerald 9) Tom is married to Daisy Buchanan and he was a football player.

Though the mood in the Buchanan house was tense, it only grows worse as they are in the car, “We were all irritable now with the fading ale and, aware of it […]” (Fitzgerald, 130) this shows that they were getting more and more aware of the situation, which made Nick and Jordan uncomfortable which irritated Tom. Along with their growing irritability, the weather mimics the events about to unfold; the heat is stifling and suffocating, much like the tension in the group. Through the exchange between Tom and Gatsby, Nick sees in full action how a man of Tom’s social standing feels no remorse cutting down his opponent, it is as if he has found another way to make himself feel like the alpha male. With Tom’s cutting words, Daisy’s fleeting behavior, and Jordan’s decision to stick around the Buchanan’s, Nick had come to find himself repulsed by them all, “They’re a rotten crowd, [...]

The first thing one notices about Gatsby and Tom are their dissimilarities. Tom has grown up wealthy, while Gatsby was once poor and had to make his own fortune. Nevertheless, even though Gatsby hasn’t always lived in luxury, he acts more like one would expect a well-off man to than Tom. Tom is a rude, bully of a man that intimidates people to achieve what he wants. He isn’t the slightest bit interested in appearing courteous or polite, the only thing that matters to him is that everything goes his way.

Tom Buchanan, the antagonist of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby," is a complex and deeply flawed character whose actions and beliefs represent the worst aspects of the society in which he lives. Throughout the novel, Tom is portrayed as arrogant, racist, and misogynistic, with little regard for the feelings of others. This character analysis will explore Tom's personality, motivations, and actions, using quotes from the novel to illustrate his character. Tom's personality is characterized by his sense of entitlement and his belief in his own superiority. He is described as having "a cruel body" and "arrogant eyes" (Fitzgerald 7), and his behavior towards others is often condescending and dismissive.

“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.” This quote from Nick is about the actions of Tom and Daisy directly leading to the deaths of Gatsby, Myrtle and George. This shows that in the 1920s if you had money in America there was a culture of the rich being able to get away with doing whatever they wanted because they could use their resources to get away with it. This leads the reader to believe that America in the 1920s was a morally corrupt place due to the ability of the rich to do whatever they

As the story begins, Nick says, “...I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me…” (Fitzgerald 1). Although Nick claims he has been taught to not judge others, he does quite frequently. Nick insults Daisy and Tom,

and let other people clean up the mess they had made….” (Fitzgerald 191). Language such as “smashed things up” and “retreated back” amplifies Tom and Daisy’s actions and causes the reader to visualize their negative acts. Tom and Daisy carelessly mess up multiple lives in the text, including indirectly causing the death of Gatsby, before retreating back to their privileged life. They avoid any consequences for their actions.

As Tom Buchanan tells Daisy and Gatsby, “Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time.” Daisy responds “You’re revolting… “Do you know why we left Chicago? I’m surprised that they didn’t treat you to the story of that little

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, “The Great Gatsby,” Daisy Buchanan struggles to free herself from the power of both Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, whom both use their wealth and high standings as a way to dictate power over and impress others. Fitzgerald purposely develops Daisy as selfish and “money hungry” character when she chooses Tom, a rich man, over Gatsby, a poor man (who she was in love with), which establishes her desire for power that she never achieves.

Nick had attempted to escape from this lifestyle but because he was unable to make a complete decision in the beginning, he kept living it through the Buchanans; they were Nick’s window to the past. He witnesses Tom’s affair being “insisted upon wherever he was known” (21) without shame, and Daisy “[turn] out the light” (117) in her relationship with Gatsby, as it it never happened. A quiet bystander, never interfering, he experiences their life of ignorance, one with no repercussions, the one he had. Unwilling to remove himself from them, he instead complies to their wants, their decisions that create a sense of accomplishment. Doing nothing to change and move on from his past, Nick makes his choice to move to the east pointless.

F.Scott Fitzgerald created many interesting characters in his novel of The Great Gatsby. Daisy Buchanan one of the main characters , fits the archetype of a villain figure . This is demonstrated by a connection to the 21st century , how the time period affected the story , and further illustrated by a comparison to characters with different archetypes in other novels , movies and types of media. Daisy Buchanan has many villain archetype characteristics that make her fit into the 21st century. During this time traditional values and lifestyle contained appearance , status , wealth , security , leisure and social interactions.

American society in the 1920s, as presented by F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby, is extremely superficial and obsessed with wealth, status, and appearance. Ironically, though, what lies beneath the beauty is the truth, neglected by the characters in the novel. Such deceptive nature of appearance is highlighted through the effective use of an unreliable narrator, a seemingly perfect setting, and dishonest characters. Fitzgerald employs the factors to force the readers to face the fact that appearances tend to be misleading and deceitful. Fitzgerald’s deliberate use of Nick Carraway as the book’s narrator results in the confusion between the reality and what Nick believes to be true, and this emphasises how appearances can be deceptive.

In “The Great Gatsby” by F.Scott Fitzgerald, Tom Buchanan represents a man who is unfaithful, selfish, and arrogant. Throughout this essay, the character Tom Buchanan will be analyzed and will explain his purpose in this story as well as the many flaws he possesses which make him an unlikable person. Tom is considered to be the antagonist in this novel, but his main purpose in this story is to be the barrier between Daisy and Gatsby. Unbeknownst to Tom, Daisy eventually gets back with Gatsby but has a massive fit once he finds out they’re together.