The Great Gatsby by F. S. Fitzgerald, has long been revered as a classic book which showcases life in the ‘20s flawlessly. This book covers many topics such as the American dream, the distribution of wealth, and women in the changing times. For a general summary of the plot: Nick Caraway moves into West Egg, next to his mysteriously wealthy neighbor Jay Gatsby, who has some kind of connection to Nick’s cousin Daisy, who lives across the Bay. Once the book reaches its end, Gatsby is killed, however readers have long debated who shoulders the blame for this act. While many say that Tom Buchanan ultimately killed Gatsby, Gatsby’s death was his own fault. While Gatsby could have avoided the path leading to his death, some say that his death was …show more content…
From the beginning of the novel, Fitzgerald makes it known the difference in lifestyle between Tom Buchanan and George Wilson. Their dynamic is one between the wealthier class and the poorer working class. But this is not only in the standard of living, but how both men interact. Tom and Wilson’s first recorded interaction involves Wilson joking with Tom about how slow Tom’s employee is, and Tom saying “if [Wilson] feel[s] that way about it, maybe [he would] better sell it somewhere else after all” (Fitzgerald 21). Tom exhibits his power over Wilson, and how easily he would make a decision that would hurt his business. This is one way Fitzgerald helps demonstrate the social gap between the wealthy and the poor. Much later in the book, though, Tom’s influence soars to new heights. Once Daisy and Gatsby hit Myrtle in the car they were driving, George Wilson was in a wreck. This left him vulnerable and volatile, enough to even shoot Gatsby and then himself. But Wilson didn’t know Gatsby was driving, unless someone put that idea in his head. Tom told him, and defended himself to Nick by saying “he was crazy enough to kill [Tom] if [he] hadn’t told him who owned the car” (Fitzgerald