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Examples Of Unhappiness In The Great Gatsby

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The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel showing how experiences influence one's behavior, as considerably as how unnecessary behavior frequently leads to misery and discontentment. Tom’s excessive behavior leads to the unhappiness of himself and the people surrounding him through his wealth, unhappiness, and his lies. Tom’s excessive problems intertwine with the lives of others, infecting whoever else directly or indirectly involved. Tom Buchanan is described as being a wealthy and pig-headed man. Tom inherited a large quantity of his riches from his kin. In the story the narrator Nick states how “[Tom’s] family were enormously wealthy ... even in college his freedom with money was a matter for reproach” (10). Tom is staggeringly …show more content…

Tom sits in an awkward position being unhappily married to a woman he could not care less about. Because of Toms unwillingness to love his wife, he cheats on her with Myrtle Wilson, who too is in an unhappy with her current relationship, and with this Tom alienates his wife Daisy even more. But to add to Toms ruined marriage, Daisy states, “Tom was God knows where” (21) when their child was born. At one of Gatsby’s parties, Tom doesn’t even stay with his wife. Even though for the most part it seems like Tom hates Daisy, he still loves her in his own way, but at a party in Tom and Myrtle’s apartment, Myrtle keeps saying the name "Daisy" over and over; tauntingly. Tom then hit Myrtle across the face breaking her nose. Tom may have done this because maybe deep down he still has feelings for Daisy and by Myrtle bringing her name up repetitively reminds him of his affair. By Tom breaking Myrtle's nose, he then attempts to smooth’s things over by buying her a puppy, which she had earlier asked for. This is an example of his supremacy in the social order. Tom is wealthier and has a higher status and has the capability to get away with it. Therefore, Myrtle is powerless against this offence because of her lower class and her lack of wealth to be able to compete with Tom and defend

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849 Words | 4 Pages

This quote emphasizes the extreme lengths that Tom is willing to go to manipulate Myrtle and her feelings to have her believing that he loves her and wants to be with her but can’t because his wife is religious, which is a total lie. In addition Tom also manipulates Myrtle physically. “Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand” (Fitzgerald 32). Tom punches Myrtle when she doesn’t stop saying his wife’s name. This shows that level of self-control that Tom does not have and that he thinks that taking his anger out on a person is ok.

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361 Words | 2 Pages

Gatsby cannot handle the fact that he does not hold complete control over Daisy, and this leads him to envy her and Tom’s relationship. The same can be said for Myrtle Wilson. In the affair, the spirit of Daisy hangs over her constantly. It is clear that she one day wishes to marry Tom, but Daisy stands between them. This leads to a quarrel between her and Tom; “‘Daisy!

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542 Words | 3 Pages

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a book about a young man named Jay Gatsby chasing his dream of getting the “perfect” girl. Daisy however, loved Gatsby although she was married to Tom. Daisy was not the only one with a secret, Tom was involved with Myrtle, George Wilson’s wife. While Nick, the narrator, and Jordan Baker, Daisy’s best friend, are in a way, together. In the Great Gatsby, the theme of moral decay in this society is reflected in each of the three principals, lying, affairs, and illegal activities.

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826 Words | 4 Pages

The Great Gatsby is an American novel written by Scott Fitzgerald. On the surface, the book revolves around the concept of romance, the love between two individuals. However, the novel incorporates less of a romantic scope and rather focuses on the theme of the American Dream in the 1920s. Fitzgerald depicts the 1920’s as an era of decline in moral values. The strong desire for luxurious pleasure and money ultimately corrupts the American dream which was originally about individualism.

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825 Words | 4 Pages

The actions Tom takes near the end of the story show how hypocritical Tom really is. For some reason, Tom is irritated that Gatsby and Daisy seem to have feelings for each other, but his affair with Myrtle is completely fine with him. To Tom, there is nothing wrong with him cheating on Daisy, but Daisy wanting to be with Gatsby is a horrid thing, even

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751 Words | 4 Pages

Since Gatsby had devoted his life to Daisy, it would cost him his life. Daisy, who is the wife of Tom Buchanan, is a rich woman that lives an old money lifestyle shows a different side. Tom, the wife of Daisy Buchanan, who is a cheating husband, uses money to cover his mistakes, and has had an affair with Myrtle Wilson, who is his mistress. In the, " The Great Gatsby", tells a story from the 1920 's, how everyone has no morals and all they cared about was themselves. " They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast of carelessness, or whatever it was to keep them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made. "

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227 Words | 1 Pages

Fitzgerald associates Gatsby with the color blue as a way of saying that he is sad and or unhappy. We first see Gatsby sitting on his dock by himself with a “dark blue water” between him and Daisy, this symbolizes what he believes is now the relationship between him and Daisy. He is a lonely man who is waiting for what he believes is his one true love that he has known since before he even went to war. Some of the reasons that he does not drink at his parties could be related to Daisy, because he is waiting for her to come “In his blue gardens men and girls came and went”. Gatsby met and fell in love with daisy before he went into the military.

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792 Words | 4 Pages

The impact of socioeconomic status can be examined through a myriad of lenses. F. Scott Fitzgerald aims to show the relationship between socioeconomic status and power. Throughout The Great Gatsby, Tom’s character shows that socioeconomic status is equivalent to power within the novel. Tom puts great pride and emphasis on his socioeconomic status and wealth.

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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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716 Words | 3 Pages

The 1920s were affected by WWII in several ways, which are shown in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The 1920s was a time period of a great change in people’s behavior and social class. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famed novel The Great Gatsby reflects on the 1920s can help summarize the 1920s into three main characteristics, Disillusionment, the Rise in New Money, and Business Replacing Religion. Disillusionment, which is the loss of faith in one’s values and ideals, is a main characteristic of the 1920s because, during and after WWII many of the American citizens beliefs and ideals were being undermined by horrible acts committed during the war.

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1278 Words | 6 Pages

but he interjects and makes it clear that “she’s never loved [Gatsby], she loves him” (Fitzgerald 130). After drinking, Tom seems to have power over the situations he is placed in. When Daisy reveals her love for Gatsby, he recognizes he must take control and makes it known to Daisy that she loves Tom even though she believes she loves Gatsby when she is drunk. As Tom is visiting his mistress Myrtle, he defends Daisy's name and hits Myrtle when she repeats Daisy’s name out loud (Fitzgerald 37). Furthermore, he lies to Myrtle and Catherine, saying that Daisy is catholic and leads them to believe that “it’s really his wife that’s keeping them apart” so he can never marry Myrtle (Fitzgerald 33).

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582 Words | 3 Pages

Wealth and greed can easily change a person’s lives. One of the major changes is that you can destroy your life in a way that can affect your decisions in the future. Just like how Tom and Daisy are, in The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, that follows Jay Gatsby, a man who orders his life around one desire: to be reunited with Daisy Buchanan, the love he lost five years earlier. Gatsby's quest leads him from poverty to wealth, into the arms of his beloved, and eventually to death.

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1873 Words | 8 Pages

The characters in the novel pretend that they have their lives all figured out, but through their successes their downfalls and emptiness can be seen, to prove that money cannot buy happiness. Jay Gatsby is the newest and upcoming star in New York during the 1920’s. Through his business and inheritance he is one of the richest men of his time. One may think that his abundance of wealth would lead him to be eternally happy, but he is the opposite. Gatsby longs for his love of Daisy, which is his personal American Dream.

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609 Words | 3 Pages

Tom’s altercation with Myrtle accentuates his hypocrisy and lack of self-control; while he doesn’t feel guilty for cheating on Daisy with Myrtle, he feels that he has the right to maintain his authority over Myrtle. In this same scene, Myrtle, who is also drunk, draws attention to the negative aspects of her personality.

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1399 Words | 6 Pages

Myrtle is accustomed to living an underprivileged life where feminine power engulfs her, but Tom is too egotistical to allow Myrtle to speak with such authority to him. Similarly, Gatsby’s need for assurance from Daisy pressures her into revealing to Tom that she never loved him (Fitzgerald 132). Deep down, Daisy knows that she truly did love Tom once, but Gatsby’s assertiveness and persistence drives her over the edge to telling Tom that what the two of them shared meant nothing to her. Daisy’s attribute of being a pushover is revealed immensely because she refuses to stand up for herself. Daisy is used to enabling Tom to constantly control all aspects of her life, and that leaves her powerless in society.

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