Similarities Between Tom Buchanan And Jay Gatsby

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In The Great Gatsby, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby as a character foil and a view into the life of a man in america during the 1920s. The 1920s were a time of change and transformation for the gender role of men in America, including men not having to have the perfect family facade. Many people believe that Tom and Gatsby are complete opposites in this book, but they are the same and are closely related to how men were in the 1920s.
Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby are mostly opposites during the course of the book. Gatsby is described as “an elegant young roughneck, a year or two over thirty”, while Tom is described as he was a sturdy, straw haired man of thirty… a supercilious manner, two shining, arrogant eyes