The Power of Power In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, a man from the Midwest named Nick Carraway moves to New York in search of a rich and powerful lifestyle. Fascinated by how the wealthy society lives, he strives to live like his prosperous friends: Gatsby, Daisy and her husband Tom. Nick becomes a bondsman while attending mansion parties, drinking and celebrating without having to worry about the consequences it can actually bring. Nonetheless, he confronts the life style of the rich only to make him realize how money and power seize the decisions his friends make. For instance, Gatsby takes hold of his old fantasy love: Daisy. Regardless of the marriage she holds with Tom, Gatsby attempts to win her back with his richness. …show more content…
One afternoon, after Gatsby has already been killed for Myrtle’s death, Nick finds Tom “in his alert, aggressive way” (Fitzgerald 178). By being aggressive and putting down others, Tom feels more authority, thus hiding his insecurities towards other’s actions. When his “hands [are] out a little from his body as if to fight off interference” it proves his nervousness. In a constant lookout for any threat, Tom’s “restless eyes” see Nick from the reflection of a window. Tom holds out to shake hands with him asserting the he doesn’t see Nick as a threat. Nick denies the handshake and instead questions him about what he told Wilson, Myrtle’s husband, of the accident. “He was crazy enough to kill me,” says Tom, “if I hadn’t told him who owned the car.” Tom shares a vulnerable moment when placing an excuse: if he did not say who owned the car that killed Myrtle, he would also get kill. This demonstrates that Tom wants to appear tougher than he really is. When Wilson had “his hand on a revolver in his pocket every minute he was in the house”, it threatened Tom on the inside. Nonetheless, to hide his defenselessness, he states without any disgrace, “What if I did tell him? That fellow had it coming to