Character of Focus
Character Name: Tom Buchanan.
Quote: "Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand." (Fitzgerald, 37).
This quote is very important in the understanding of Tom's character in the beginning chapters of this novel. In this part of the book, Tom hits his wife at Myrtle's party in front of everyone in attendance. If we take a closer look at the word choice used by Fitzgerald, we see the word "deft" meaning to do something skillfully; suggesting that this isn't the first time he has done this, but one of many. Also the fact that he does it in front of everyone and that no one spoke up about it really emphasizes the fact that in the time period, this was perfectly ok, and I think Scott Fitzgerald portrayed that perfectly.
Best / Worst Quality: Tom's best quality is that he his love and care for Daisy. Tom's worst quality however is that he hits women and is very arrogant.
Role in Novel: Tom's role in The Great Gatsby is to portray that stereotypical rich man, both physically and mentally in this novel.
He is seen as a very selfish and dishonest man yet at the same time very powerful and arrogant compared to many of the
characters in The Great Gatsby. I see him as very powerful but yet somehow he seems like he almost has something within that
bothers him and leaves him unsettled. Overall he is a good illustration of a stereotypical rich man of the 1920s and is a key
character annexed into The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald.
Quote: "Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand." (Fitzgerald, 37).
This quote is very important in the understanding of Tom's character in the beginning chapters of this novel. In this part of the book, Tom hits his wife at Myrtle's party in front of everyone in attendance. If we take a closer look at the word choice used by Fitzgerald, we see the word "deft" meaning to do something skillfully; suggesting that this isn't the first time he has done this, but one of many. Also the fact that he does it in front of everyone and that no one spoke up about it really emphasizes the fact that in the time period, this was perfectly ok, and I think Scott Fitzgerald portrayed that perfectly.
Best / Worst Quality: Tom's best quality is that he his love and care for Daisy. Tom's worst quality however is that he hits women and is very arrogant.
Role in Novel: Tom's role in The Great Gatsby is to portray that stereotypical rich man, both physically and mentally in this novel.
He is seen as a very selfish and dishonest man yet at the same time very powerful and arrogant compared to many of the
characters in The Great Gatsby. I see him as very powerful but yet somehow he seems like he almost has something within that
bothers him and leaves him unsettled. Overall he is a good illustration of a stereotypical rich man of the 1920s and is a key
character annexed into The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald.