Compare And Contrast Jay And Tom In The Great Gatsby

Anyone who reads the novel The Great Gatsby can tell that the characters Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby but heads often. They have different motives in life and this causes these main characters do dislike each other through the whole book. It is easy to notice how Gatsby and Tom despise each other, but they actually have some parallels. Both Tom and Gatsby refuse to accept defeat, but they differ in how they treat Daisy and how they use their money through the book. Both Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby refused to accept defeat when fighting for Daisy. Tom married Daisy after Gatsby left for the war. Even though Tom cheated on Daisy, he stood up to Gatsby when they were in the city. Gatsby says, “Your wife doesn’t love you”(130). This makes Tom …show more content…
Daisy loved me when she married me and she loves me now”(131). The reader can infer that Tom does love Daisy but it is not show in words. Tom would not be as furious at Gatsby if he was telling the truth about Tom and Daisy’s relationship. Tom would agree if Gatsby’s facts were true. A person does not stand up for ideas and things they do not believe. Tom did not let Gatsby ruin his marriage with Daisy and that is why he ends up with the Daisy in the end. In addition, Gatsby never gain up on his relationship with Daisy. Gatsby was poor and knew that Daisy wanted a rich husband. So, when he came back from war, he gained wealth. One of the first things he bought was his lavish house “so that Daisy would be just across the bay”(78). Also, he “read the Chicago paper for years just on the chance of catching a glimpse of Daisy’s name”(79). These quotes show how much Gatsby dedicated his life to Daisy. Even though Daisy never noticed til later in the book all the things Gatsby did he never gave up on her. Also, at the end on the novel, when Nick asked who was driving the …show more content…
During the novel Tom Buchanan cheated on his wife, while Jay Gatsby always loved Daisy. Tom Buchanan cheated on Daisy with a woman named Myrtle Wilson. Tom knew that Myrtle had a husband that worked at a gas station and was penniless. Mr.Wilson loved Myrtle deeply, so Tom was not only ruining his relationship with Daisy but also Myrtle’s relationship with Mr.Wilson. Myrtle’s sister said, “Neither of them can stand the person they’re married to”(33). This quote shows that even the people around Tom knew that he is cheating. Also, if Tom and Myrtle hated the person they were married to, they should have told their spouses what they were cheating. Therefore, Tom should have a divorce because cheating on your wife is a sign of disloyalty and Daisy deserved better. Tom cheating on Daisy shows he treated Daisy with disrespect. On the other hand, Gatsby always treated Daisy with respect. Gatsby never forced Daisy to come to his house. He waited many years to see Daisy. He thought that Daisy would “wander into one of his parties, some night”(79), but Daisy never attended any of his parties. He never forced her to come to his house and when they did meet, he made sure that at Nick’s house the grass, flowers, and tea was ready. Also, Gatsby fired all his servants because he wanted “somebody who wouldn’t gossip. Daisy comes over quite often--in the afternoons”(114). This quote shows how Gatsby cared so much