How Is Tom Buchanan Selfish

His statement is not only racist, but it also reveals his sense of entitlement and superiority, suggesting that he believes himself to be more capable and qualified than people of other races to be in positions of power and control. On the contrary in Chapter 1, when Nick first meets Tom, he describes him as having "a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining, arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward." (7) This description suggests that Tom is arrogant and self-important and that he looks down on others. The description of Tom's eyes as "shining" and "arrogant" also contributes to the sense that he is a self-important individual.

In addition to Tom Buchanan’s hatred for Gatsby, Tom can be labeled as responsible for Gatsby’s death as a result of Tom’s affair, his lie, and his carelessness. While Daisy did lead Gatsby on with a minor relationship, her decision arose from Tom’s unfaithful love for her as he had an affair with Myrtle Wilson. If Tom had shown Daisy undying love for her, there would not have been a reason for Daisy to have feelings for Gatsby once again. When George went out in search for Myrtle’s killer, he stopped at the Buchanan’s house. During their conversation, Tom mentions that Gatsby had been responsible for hitting Myrtle with the car and killing her.

When our group of main characters is driving to town, Tom is driving in Gatsby’s yellow Rolls-Royce, seemingly as a way to get back at Gatsby for being Daisy’s paramour. Consequently, when Myrtle sees the car driving back out of town, she mistakes Gatsby for Tom and believes Tom is in driving the car, running out to talk to him, ultimately leading to her demise. All of this takes place during chapter 7. If Tom had never had an affair with Myrtle, Myrtle wouldn’t have run out to talk to Tom because she wouldn’t have known him at all, and she wouldn’t have

After his altercation with Tom, Daisy yells at them and drives them home, killing Myrtle. Gatsby conceals the fact that Myrtle was murdered by her husband because he is still convinced that Daisy loves him. When we are too certain, we become closed off to new information and ideas and may miss out on valuable opportunities for growth and

These feelings of arrogance extend to the treatment of his wife, where Tom expects her to be “endlessly forbearing when he humiliates her by barely bothering to conceal his affairs” (Voegeli 3). Any sympathy for Tom ends shortly after he is introduced when it is brought to our attention that not only has Tom been cheating on Daisy since “shortly after his honeymoon,” but he has also never tried to conceal his affairs from anyone (Lehan 88). Evidence of Tom’s lack of discretion is displayed when Tom chooses to invite Nick to a party hosted by him and his mistress Myrtle. Nick and Tom are not close friends, so him inviting Nick to this party indicates Tom’s lack of subtlety when it comes to his affairs. Another public way that Tom flaunts his affair with Myrtle for anyone to see is when he “[takes] his mistress to popular restaurants to show her off” (Donaldson 102).

In fact, Tom also seems to be modeling his present after his past. This is clearly visible through Nick’s narration of how Tom “had been one of the most powerful ends that ever played football” and how due to his “acute limited excellence … that everything afterwards savors an anticlimax.” (Explain more here, how is it that Nick’s observation shows Tom is not investing in the present) One way that we can see this is how Tom believes that he is entitled to get involved in relationships with lower class and underprivileged women right in front of everyone’s face. He behaves as though he is still “a national figure” who is admired by many and who has no real responsibilities to tie him down.

Tom is also deeply racist, making derogatory comments about people of color and expressing his belief in the superiority of the white race. He tells Nick, "if we don't look out the white race will be—will be utterly submerged" (Fitzgerald 17). Tom's arrogance and racism are central to his character, as he represents the worst aspects of the privileged elite.

His feelings towards Gatsby were negative and full of hate, so he set the target on him when he told Wilson that it was a yellow car who had killed his wife and that he was a friend of the person who owned it. Which also leads to the death of George Wilson since it drives him to insanity and sets him on a mission to go and find that yellow car which didn’t take him that long. Since Tom was the real lover of Myrtle. He was the one driving the yellow car earlier

Tom Buchanan is a man of many negative characteristics. From his greed to his arrogance it will be very difficult to find many, if any, likeable qualities about him. With that in mind, it could be said that Tom Buchanan is a deplorable person by way of said arrogance, and greed, as well hypocrisy. Tom Buchanan is a very hypocritical man. He expects Daisy to stop her affair on the merit of his “love” for her.

As Nick first introduces Tom he notes that his “two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward” ( Fitzgerald 7). The use of loaded diction with words such as “arrogant” or “aggressively” helps create the idea that Tom is a strong

Mr. Fitzgerald 's description of Tom is of a big powerful man. " Not even the effeminate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of that body-He seemed to fill those glistening boots until he strained the top lacing, and you could see a great pack of muscles shifting when his shoulders moved under his thin coat". (pg. 7)

Nick sees Tom for the first time after Gatsby’s death, Tom justifies telling wilson it was Gatsby that killed Myrtle. “ He ran over Myrtle like you’d run over a dog and never even stopped his car” Tom said but Nick knew different. “ There was nothing I could say, except one utterable fact that it wasn’t true” (Fitzgerald 178) Nick said to himself. He knew the one secret Gatsby had taken to his grave, that Daisy had been the one driving the night Myrtle was hit. Daisy killed Myrtle, and she hadn’t told her husband.

Gatsby later tries to reconnect with Daisy, much to the dismay of Tom. Fitzgerald utilizes the characters of Gatsby and Tom to create parallels and highlight certain characteristics in both men. Tom and Gatsby are similar in that they both are very wealthy and love Daisy, each in their own way. While they share this similarity, there are a myriad of differences between the two. Tom is a racist, is part of the old money society, and does not face judgement for his actions.

Knowing that Daisy is the true reason behind Myrtle 's death tom did not want to put her in harm 's way because she was his wife and person he wanted to spend his life with. Tom could not bare to go through what george was going through so he lied to protect his love, Daisy. Love was not the only motivator for action, there was also money. Money was a motivator for action for many characters throughout this novel, but the person most driven by money was the Great Gatsby himself. James Gatsby, or Jay Gatz was not wealthy growing up like every other person he surrounded himself with.

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.