In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the clash between Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan invites us into the exploration of their contrasting personalities and social backgrounds. When you set aside the magnificence of the Roaring Twenties, their differences illuminate the novel’s main themes. Let’s analyse their character and beliefs. Jay Gatsby was born in a rural area of North Dakota and was the son of a poor farmer. His real name, James Gatz, always reminded him of his humble beginnings, which led him to chase wealth and prestige. In 1917, in the midst of World War 1, Gatsby met Daisy and instantly fell in love. Her aura of luxury, grace, and beauty left him mesmerised, yet he knew that to get Daisy he would have to acquire a name …show more content…
As he grew up, he became a renowned college athlete, surpassing everyone and breaking every record at the time when he was playing. Tom is characterized by physical and mental hardness, the novel depicting him as a stone hard brute with no morals of his own. Tom’s brute personality relates to the larger part of his life. Tom peaked earlier in his life, but after his time in the spotlight, his fame faded away. Due to this anticlimax of Tom’s life, he sought to recapture the thrill of his youth throughout the duration of the novel. Tom is represented as an arrogant and hypocritical bully. His social attitude is laced with racism and sexism. Expecting excellent attitude and morals for the people around him while not caring to live up to them. In 1919, Tom married Daisy because she made his image look better. He likes having a beautiful wife, while Daisy likes to have a wealthy and comfortable lifestyle; this is the main reason why they married each other. Around the end of the novel, we can see that Tom lacks respect for the women around him, while finding out that Daisy is cheating on him, he stubbornly maintains that they both have a strong relationship and that they both still love each other. Even though he cheated on her multiple times, Myrtle and Daisy had affairs with Gatsby. Tom takes this violently and uses his enormous power and brutish personality to try and intimidate and use violence to get the results and rewards that he wants. When