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Essay On Tom Buchannan In The Great Gatsby

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Perceptions are the ways you look at things, people, etc. they also are the way people look at you. The novel, “The Great Gatsby”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about characters who lust for attention, power, and money, they would do anything for those things, even going to extremes of putting on a facade to become something/someone they’re not. One of the characters in the story is Tom Buchannan. Tom is the antagonist, who sees himself as self-righteous and loving, meanwhile, others see him as snarky and egotistical. Tom thinks he's very sanctimonious, others think he's conceited. In the novel, he says “It's up to us to watch out or these other races will have control of things” (13) Tom believes that he and his fellow white, wealthy elites …show more content…

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. The use of the word "dominance" to describe his eyes implies that he is someone who seeks to exert power and control over others. The phrase "leaning aggressively forward" suggests that Tom is confrontational and imposing and that he is not afraid to use his physical presence to intimidate others. In conclusion, Tom is a character in "The Great Gatsby" who thinks he …show more content…

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" (13) In this quote, Tom is saying that he loves Daisy, but sometimes he does things that make him look foolish. He admits that he has made mistakes but says that his love for Daisy is always there. He wants to show that he loves her even though he has not always been faithful to her. On the other hand, others see him as very egotistical and narcissistic. When Tom said "I know I'm not very popular. I don't give big parties. I suppose you've got to make your house into a pigsty in order to have any friends - in the modern world." this showed that he thinks he's better than everyone else because for one, he doesn't have to throw big parties to show off his wealth and two he thinks parties and such things alike are for lesser people. All in all, Tom Buchanan is one of the most intriguing characters in the novel, his egotistical manners, racist comments, and overall demeanor is very unique and full of (not-so-pleasant)

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The author of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, uses Tom Buschan as a symbol of gender roles during the period of Roaring Twenties. Tom is the narrator, Nick's friend from college and they are having a reunion. Nick describes Tom as having, “Two arrogant eyes [that] had established dominance over his face,” (page 14). Fitzgerald chose to include the word “dominance” because men controlled almost everything during this time period. Tom is a prime example of men controlling their women, even with their eyes.

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1204 Words | 5 Pages

How does Nick describe Tom Buchanan? Nick describes Tom Buchanan as an extremely wealthy guy yet he is violent, forceful aggressive, arrogant and cruel. 3. Who is Jordan Baker? Jordan Baker is the girl Nick thought was snobbish at first but come to find that he does like the confident personality she gives off.

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1230 Words | 5 Pages

Tom Buchanan falls in the opposite direction with the Narcissist Archetype. He is a selfish bully, taking what he wants at the cost of others. These two archetypes clash spectacularly in the novel and highlight the difference between new and old money, Jay Gatsby with his new status and likable persona, and Tom Buchanan with his constant sexism, racism, and old view of thinking. It highlights the change in times between the newer and older generations during the 1920s. “Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart,” (Fitzgerald 20).

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587 Words | 3 Pages

It’s pretty much like a bad episode of The Walking Dead if I do say so myself. In the following few paragraphs I’ll be discussing how Tom feared the worst and how he continuously cheated, what a great guy right? “Two shining, arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward,” (1/19) Tom is brought up to be masculine, aggressive, and most importantly dangerous. In The Great Gatsby, we get a more in depth look into Tom Buchanan's physical features than we ever did of Gatsby or Nick, weird right?

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617 Words | 3 Pages

He’s a racist, as we see in chapter one during dinner when he refers to caucasian people as the “superior race”, a hypocrite, as seen in chapter seven when a fight occurs soon after Tom finds out that Daisy has been having an affair with Gatsby despite the fact that Tom himself is having an affair, and a narcissist, as seen in chapter nine when Tom complains to Nick that when Tom went to the apartment he utilized to orchestrate his affair with Myrtle and saw the dog biscuits he cried, in an effort to make Nick feel sorry for him. All of these factors give rise to him being an awful person and husband and cheating on his wife. If Tom had never cheated on his wife, none of the murders would have ever taken place.

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867 Words | 4 Pages

First of all, Tom Buchanan and George Wilson largely shared their attitudes toward women. For example, it is clear that Tom is concerned that Daisy, his wife, would go off on her own and do things by herself. One instance of him acknowledging this concern is when he says "I wonder where in the devil he met Daisy. By God, I may be old−fashioned in my ideas, but women run around too much these days to suit me” (Fitzgerald 111). Tom says this after finding out that Gatsby had met his wife, implying that Daisy was “running around too much” simply by going anywhere at all without his prior knowledge.

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479 Words | 2 Pages

As for Tom, the fact that he ‘had some woman in New York’ was less surprising than that he had been depressed by a book. Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished is peremptory heart.” Nick feels that Tom is not a good person. He disliked the fact that he has a mistress, pompously displays his wealth, and above all, racially discriminates. To Nick, Tom is constantly trying to feed his ego and therefore lives on the edge.

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825 Words | 4 Pages

Tom is a racist, sexist, man and Fitzgerald does not hide it. In the beginning of the novel when Nick is over at Tom and Daisy’s home Tom begins to speak to Nick of a book he is reading called ‘The Rise of the Colored Empires’ Tom believes that, “ Well, it’s a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be--will be utterly submerged. It’s all scientific stuff; it’s been proven.” ( Fitzgerald 13).

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444 Words | 2 Pages

Tom can be compared to many other characters like Hilly Holbrook from The Help. Although Hilly is the antagonist in the book they have many things in common. “Hilly on the surface is the ideal Southern housewife: loyal to her husband, adored by her friends and neighbors, and loving to her two children. But underneath the surface, Hilly harbors viciously racist beliefs that spur her to treat the black women in the novel as if they were subhuman,” (Plaue). Both Tom and Hilly control the people they hang out with.

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463 Words | 2 Pages

Tom Buchanan is Fitzgerald’s masterpiece of creating a character who portrays the life, and characteristics as an alpha male. Through the vision of character’s surrounding Tom we began to see how his loftier masculinity characterizes him in the story. I begin with a quote from Tom’s wife Daisy that embodies the intimidating masculine characteristics of Tom, “I know you didn’t mean to, but you did do it. That’s what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great, big, hulking physical specimen of a-----” (Fitzgerald 12). In this quote from Daisy we view a list of characteristics that are associated with Tom’s masculinity.

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1038 Words | 5 Pages

Nick specifically depicts his stance and facial features, giving him “the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward” and setting the impression of someone constantly on edge (Fitzgerald 7). While Tom as a member of old-money high-class society could be illustrated as relaxed and in comfortable control of his life, Nick’s use of the word “aggressively” instead depicts a rabid dog that will fight at a moment ’s notice to protect its own territory, confirming that he wants to protect his place and position against everyone else. With this stance, Tom may seem akin to an apex predator, but he, in reality, compares more to a sheep in a wolf’s clothing. With his forceful facade and stature, Tom puts people on edge, an intimidation tactic that conceals his genuine fears.

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1020 Words | 5 Pages

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, there are many important characters, some alike and some different. Two characters who are both different and alike at the same time are Tom Buchanan and George Wilson. Fitzgerald gives the reader a lot of information about how Tom and George are very different from each other. One can interpret many different things that Fitzgerald may be trying to convey about the nature of men. Based on how he portrays Tom and George’s actions it helps to show the true nature of men.

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866 Words | 4 Pages

Tom's “supercilious” manner stems from the perceived power he uses to manipulate others. However, Tom's behavior traces back to his obsession with material possessions. For instance, when Nick visits the Buchanan residence for the first time, he describes Tom's home as a "factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy" (9). This description highlights how Tom's opulent lifestyle is meant to impress others as if he tries to create an image based on power and wealth rather than character. Nick’s description of his house as an imitation implies that it lacks any genuine substance, and is merely a superficial display of wealth.

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776 Words | 4 Pages

When Nick describes Tom, it is showing a sign of cruelty. Nick describes Tom by saying, “Two shining, arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward” (9). Here Nick is describing how Tom Buchanan changed from when they both attended college together. In college, Tom was very friendly and was wonderful to be around. Nick realized, when they met again, that Tom had changed from friendly to cruel in the years after Tom and Nick graduated from Yale.

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919 Words | 4 Pages

I don't know what's the matter with you” (Fitzgerald 178). This quote sums up Tom perfectly. He shows his aggressive side by yelling at Nick and it is Ironic because Tom is the crazy

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