Similarities Between Gatsby And Tom Buchanan

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Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan are similar in some ways, but both men pursue different ideas. One of the two may be more noble at times while one may inherit a more idealistic approach to certain situations. The upbringings of the two influential men differ from one another, which in turn, makes them different. The idea of old money and new money separates the characters in a social aspect as well. Each character possesses certain traits and qualities, that distinguish the two from one another and represent different ways of living life. Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby were both corrupt people, and they engaged in actions that were ethically or legally wrong. On top of this, each person had a different explanation to their own actions, which made …show more content…
Gatsby and Buchanan may have a lot of fun, but Tom has more social power due to the East and West Egg status. Tom Buchanan lived in East Egg, which was old money, and Gatsby lived in West Egg, which was new money. Buchanan had money ever since he was born, but Gatsby earned his money illegally. Gatsby wanted to be rich and prosperous after he met Dan Cody, so he turned towards illegal actions to achieve that goal. "He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side street drug stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter"(Fitzgerald). This quote proves that Gatsby was a bootlegger. Buchanan represents the upper class and social power, while Gatsby represents determination and doing anything to become powerful. Buchanan had to do nothing to achieve his wealth while Gatsby struggled to become rich. Due to Gatsby's participation in illegal actions, Buchanan appears to be the more noble when it comes to money and power. Although Buchanan may appear to be more noble, he is not. Gatsby did all of his illegal activities out of love. He also had to do legitimate work to get to where he is now. Gatsby is definitely more idealistic. Gatsby was poor and he was born with absolutely no wealth. Gatsby had to build himself up from scratch which takes a lot of effort and experience. Gatsby was shooting for the stars and therefore he was more …show more content…
Gatsby always wanted Daisy and he always loved her, while Tom Buchanan didn't care much for his wife. He would constantly abuse her and cheat on her while Gatsby always did so much for her. "And what's more, I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time"(Fitzgerald). It is true that Tom Buchanan did actually love Daisy Buchanan, but he would still try and cover up his affairs. Tom even engaged in an affair with the hotel maid during their honeymoon, which shows that Tom is shallow. Gatsby had always longed for Daisy, but he was poor and was not able to marry her. "When I said you were a friend of Tom's, he started to abandon the whole idea. He doesn't know very much about Tom, though he says he's read a Chicago paper for years just on the chance of catching a glimpse of Daisy's name"(Fitzgerald). This shows that Gatsby had a prodigious amount of love for her and he would do anything to be with her. Gatsby had always loved her while Tom Buchanan just stuck around with her. He never treated her well while Gatsby would do everything she wanted. In the end she chose Tom Buchanan and she didn't even show up for Gatsby's funeral. In this situation Tom Buchanan represents shallowness. He only has her there because he's stuck with her. He uses her as entertainment and he would not care if she
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