Who Is Tom Buchanan In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a classic American novel showing off the most exciting and pleasurable time, the Jazz Age. F. Scott Fitzgerald creates a story by showing off the magical Gatsby parties, the glitz and the glam of the rich life of East and West Egg, but it all comes down to the characters real personal lives. This extravagant time period on East Egg and West Egg was full of ginormous parties but also lies, violence, and adultery. The Great Gatsby’s character Tom Buchanan seems to be full of all those. Tom Buchanan is born into money, along with his lover Daisy, which makes him the book’s chief representation of old money. This hulking, aggressive and, filthy rich character, has a rival with Gatsby for Daisy’s love. Tom has very few …show more content…
Tom Buchanan shows great sympathy towards Wilson when Myrtle dies. When Tom is there for Wilson when Myrtle dies, it is actually because he wants to keep his wife out of trouble. Daisy was the one to hit Myrtle with the car, but Tom convinced Wilson that it was Gatsby who hit her. Tom Buchanan’s lies to Wilson lead to the shooting of Gatsby. Tom admits to Nick that he lied to Wilson when he said “‘What if I did tell him? That fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy's, but he was a tough one. He ran over Myrtle like you'd run over a dog and never even stopped his car.’ There was nothing I could say, except the one unutterable fact that it wasn't true (Fitzgerald. Pg. #) ”. Readers think it is a redeemable moment for Tom to stick up for Daisy and acting like he cares about her but it is just to get her out of the trouble. Tom sticks up for Daisy by lying, just to get back at Gatsby. When Tom does this and gets Gatsby killed it, it concludes how Tom lied for an awful reason. Tom has the wrong motive and reasoning to back his wife up which makes this moment not