Examples Of Foils In The Great Gatsby

Most people see Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby as a critique of people with old money through the Buchanans, but what about the Wilsons who serve as a foil to them, being their complete opposites? Through the Buchanans and the Wilsons, Fitz Gerald's Great Gatsby shows us that an abundance of wealth and a lack of it can lead to a dysfunctional relationship. The Buchanhans, born into wealthy families, have a history of using others for personal gain throughout the entirety of the book. Tom abuses and has an affair with a married woman, frames Gatsby for the affair he had, getting 2 people killed, and that isn't even half of the things he's done. Daisy lies to Gatsby saying she would leave her husband for him, then kills a woman and has Gatsby

As described, "Daisy and Tom were sitting opposite each other at the kitchen table... they weren’t happy... and yet they weren’t unhappy either. There was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture, and nobody would have said that they were conspiring together. (Fitzgerald, 145)" Their wealth affords them a sense of security and comfort, despite the underlying dissatisfaction in their relationship. In contrast, Myrtle Wilson's relationship with Tom is driven by her desire to escape her lower economic and social status. As a woman with little wealth and no high breeding, she is reduced to selecting a taxicab she will ride in temporarily, trying to move into the same social class as the Buchanans. Fitzgerald writes, "Since Myrtle possesses little wealth and cannot boast of high breeding, she is reduced to selecting a taxicab she will ride in temporarily. Futilely, Myrtle tries to move into the same social class as the Buchanans and compensates for her lower economic and social status by ensuring that she can at least ride in style." However, her efforts are futile, and her affair with Tom ultimately leads to tragedy. Through these contrasting relationships, Fitzgerald explores how both a lack of money and an excess of wealth can corrupt relationships, leading to emptiness and