At first glance, Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan appear to be two extremely different men. While it’s true they have countless obvious contrasts, when one digs deeper, Gatsby and Tom are more similar than one might assume. In fact, it may be partly because of the traits they share that Daisy had such a difficult time deciding between them. In the end, she had to reach a decision, but was it the right one?
The first thing one notices about Gatsby and Tom are their dissimilarities. Tom has grown up wealthy, while Gatsby was once poor and had to make his own fortune. Nevertheless, even though Gatsby hasn’t always lived in luxury, he acts more like one would expect a well-off man to than Tom. Tom is a rude, bully of a man that intimidates people to achieve what he wants. He isn’t the slightest bit interested in appearing courteous or polite, the only thing that matters to him is that everything goes his way.
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They have large, lavish houses and belongings, especially Gatsby, who constantly held magnificent parties. Additionally, each have their faults. Tom’s are his affairs, while Gatsby’s seem to be his shady business deals. That said, the greatest similarity these two men share is their love for Daisy. Although one shows it more than the other, there is no doubt that Gatsby and Tom each want her for themselves, and both would be devastated to lose her. "She's not leaving me!" Tom states in a tense moment, it’s clear he refers to her more like property than a partner. And most tragically, both men are in love with a version of Daisy that only exist in their minds. Tom is more in love with the idea of Daisy being his trophy wife, someone he can show off and will stay out of his business, than he is with the woman herself. Gatsby has had five years to build a perfect version of Daisy in his imagination, and sadly, she doesn’t live up to any of these