What Is Tom's Attitude In The Great Gatsby

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In continuance, Hemingway lived in Europe during this post World War I Era leaving him to experience the lifestyle and blasé attitude of these young adults whom only plan to get inebriated. This attitude, however, was not exclusive to Europe; this attitude was also seen in post World War I New York City. The attitude of New York in the “roaring twenties” is well documented by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The narrator of the story is Nick Caraway. Nick watches as alcoholism, adultery, and envy consume characters within the story. One of the first to demonstrate the blasé attitude of the time is Tom, the neighbor of Nick. Tom leads a life in which he constantly cheats on his wife and is a severe alcoholic. In addition to being an alcoholic, …show more content…

The theme of a veteran returning from WWI and engaging in irresponsible behavior is evident in both The Great Gatsby and The Sun Also Rises. The stories also include scandalous affairs; in The Sun Also Rises, Lady Ashley has an affair with Robert Cohn and Romero, despite being engaged to Mike and being in love with Jake. In The Great Gatsby, Tom has an affair with Myrtle and Gatsby has an affair with Daisy. Furthermore, the stories result in affairs being found out by other members of the group. When the rest of the group eventually finds out about the affairs, a confrontation ensues and normally ends in violence. In Hemingway’s story, Cohn knocks out Mike and Jake and beats up Romero when his jealousy becomes too much to bear, but Cohn never kills anyone. In Fitzgerald’s story, Myrtle is killed by Daisy and Wilson, Myrtle’s husband, kills Gatsby and then kills himself. In the end, The Great Gatsby is a text that supports the mindset of young adults in the 1920s; a mindset that was more focused on partying than it was on settling down, going to college, and beginning a career. It also includes similar themes such as adultery, alcoholism, veterans, and actions, which end up causing violent climaxes. These themes further cement the likeness of the two works and the support for the view of young adults in the post war