Daisy And Tom's Inclusion In The Great Gatsby

In addition to Daisy and Tom’s rejection of Gatsby and his inclusion movement, Fitzgerald uses character behavior to reveal that some things are extrinsic to new money that are intrinsic to old money, depicting a fundamental difference between the two, and thus suggesting that there exists an inherent impossibility to Gatsby’s dreams of inclusion. In the car ride from Tom’s mansion to the city, Tom said that he had “‘been making a small investigation of [Gatsby’s] past.’ ‘And you found he was an Oxford man,’ said Jordan helpfully. ‘An Oxford man!’ He was incredulous. ‘Like hell he is! He wears a pink suit’” (122). Tom’s claim that “he wears a pink suit” refers to Tom’s choice of clothing, and overall purchasing of things like cars for looks.

Gatsby, on the other hand, hosts extravagant parties, dresses in a garish pink suit, and drives a flashy yellow Rolls Royce. Equating an Oxford man-- a gentleman-- to his purchases, Tom claims that because Gatsby does not buy the same goods as the old money class, even if he went to Oxford, Gatsby is still not a gentleman that going to Oxford would normally entail. In the end, Gatsby’s flashy choice of purchases illustrates a deep contrast between the old and new money classes. When Mrs. Sloane insisted that Gatsby come to supper with her,“Gatsby looked at [Nick] questioningly. He wanted to go, and he didn’t see that Mr. Sloane had determined he shouldn’t. [...] ‘My God, I believe the man’s coming,’ said Tom. ‘Doesn’t he know she doesn’t want him?’ ‘She says she does want him.’ (103). The last two lines of dialogue between Tom and Nick show that Mrs. Sloane is testing his ability to behave like an old money gentleman and reject the invitation because she claims that she genuinely wants him over for supper, but underneath, she