The Development Of Tom Buchanan In The Great Gatsby

The order of events that F. Scott Fitzgerald uses in The Great Gatsby contributes to the development of Tom Buchanan as he goes from being an arrogant selfish man to someone vulnerable. Tom begins the novel as an egotistical wealthy man who looks at others as if they were beneath him. As time passes, he nearly loses his wife Daisy, and loses Myrtle, his power slipping away from him.
Fitzgerald's disdainful tone, loaded diction, and descriptive imagery contribute to Tom’s negative characterization at the beginning of the novel, already painting an image of him as the story progresses. As Nick first introduces Tom he notes that his “two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward” ( Fitzgerald 7). The use of loaded diction with words such as “arrogant” or “aggressively” helps create the idea that Tom is a strong

The author describes this in a pessimistic tone, and the way Nick describes Tom’s desire expresses that he does not have the same wish. The author says that Tom “approved” of Nick which shows that Tom does not associate himself with many people. We can conclude that Tom only approved of Nick because he, like himself, comes from an old money family. The pessimistic tone indicates that Tom does not experience this often, but he also has not taken any action to make Nick like him, as he’s too prideful. He expects Nick to admire him. This is important because since Nick does not like Tom, the reader also will not like Tom, contributing to the progression of his negative characterization. The disdainful tone and imagery Fitzgerald uses to make Nick describe Tom help develop his character negatively, showing the reader that Tom is an