Ironically, powerful people often fear the weaker people they dominate. In the book 1984, “Big Brother,” is paranoid and afraid of special individuals who question Big Brother’s authority, despite being a powerful and tyrannical government. The government set up telescreens that constantly monitor people, to ensure that people do not scheme as plan against Big Brother. These telescreen portray the extremes that people in power do to insure their dominance. Tom Buchanan in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, and the Handicapper General in Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron,” are both members of an elite, privileged part of society, who dominate weaker people through violence, punishment, and fear. Although they both exemplify fear towards …show more content…
Tom believes that, “it’s up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things” (Fitzgerald 13). Tom suggests that the “dominant race” is not only white men, but also white men who have “old money.” The thought of “other races… having control” is terrifying to Tom. His elite status would be challenged if other races successfully demanded more rights and more equality. He wants the “dominant race” to stay in power, and will do everything he can to prevent “other” people from achieving the status quo. The Handicapper General is also frightened by the abilities of “other” people. She put stronger handicaps on people who are different or individual because she is conscious of their potential. Tom is also extremely angry with Gatsby for trying to take his wife away from him. He says, “certainly not for a common swindler who’d have to steal the ring he put on her finger” (Fitzgerald 133). Tom considers Gatsby to be in a group of people called “new money,” which Tom looks down on. He also knows that Gatsby earned his money in a shady way, which is one reason that he dislikes people who are not in the so-called “dominant race.” Tom implies that if Gatsby marries Daisy, the “ring” he buys her will be “stolen,” which suggests getting acquired by doing something illegal. The fact that someone is stealing his wife enrages him, but how he is losing her to a “common swindler” really infuriates him. This shows why Tom feels threatened by “common
In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald displays Tom Buchanan as a significant character in his novel. Being a former Yale football player, Tom is blonde-haired, muscular, typically referred to as a “brute of a man” (Boyne 12), and around thirty years old. He was raised in an extremely wealthy family and owns an extravagant mansion in East Egg. As a result, Tom believes he is superior over society and allowed to abuse his wife, Daisy. Looking through the eyes of arrogance and racism, Buchanan views the white race as dominate and feels as if it will be diminished if other ethnic groups and cultures become popular. Although he claims to love Daisy, he owns a secret apartment that contains another mistress awaiting him in New York City and only
“The Great Gatsby”, is a popular book of impossible love, dreams, and tragedy. It takes place in the roaring twenties, following the life of members of the wealthy class; Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan, and Tom Buchanan. The point of view is from a man, in search of achieving his dream to become an author. This soon to be writer, is stuck in the middle of intense drama amongst the opposing sides of the bay. “The Great Gatsby” explores themes of social upheaval, and the overwhelming obsession with wealth. In this time era, wealth, social status and the society itself made everyone a subject to change, in villainous ways, but of all characters, i saw the most vile attributes in Tom Buchanan. Tom was caught in a web of lies, he cheated
When I read The Great Gatsby, more specifically Tom’s various rants, bits and pieces reminded me of a certain presidential candidate. They both are racist, sexist, and general hypocrites in both words and deeds. At the end of the day, they are only out for themselves. But Tom and Trump both speak to the unspoken fears of a certain class of Americans: losing their dominance.
Throughout the world, failures seem to occur all around. Whether it be in the form of losing oneself or losing the people around the individual, many failures commonly occurs with the accumulation of power. In George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984, Winston Smith is a low-ranking government official under the oppressive reign of his leaders, Big Brother. He is just one example of the many characters in written works that will eventually be defeated in one way or another. In British literature, it has become evident that characters affected by tyrannies have ultimately experienced loneliness, paranoia, and defeat.
To begin with, social class has always been of great importance in society, more money means more power and more respect. Friendship and acquaintances are based purely on whom someone is in contact with and how much fame and money they have. In the “Great Gatsby”, Fitzgerald presents two distinct types of wealthy people. First, there are people like the Buchanan’s and Jordan Baker who were born into wealth. Their families have had money for many generations; hence they are "old money”. The “old money” people, Daisy, Tom, Jordan and their social class, are considered the elite group; the societies highest. They are judgmental and superficial failing to look at the emotions of the people around them and sometimes them selves. “It’s a b****’, said Tom decisively. ‘Here’s your money. Go and buy ten more dogs with it”(Fitzgerald, 30). Tom is very aggressive verbally and nonverbally, he thinks he’s always right and likes bossing people around, to show them that he has power over them. All the “elite” are superior and never questioned as with their influence they can do anything. Second there are people like Gatsby who are from a l...
The importance of wealth is demonstrated in the book by showing Gatsby’s popularity due to his wealth, which allows him to throw extravagant parties. No one necessarily knows him or is a personal friend of his because his personality doesn’t matter if people are acquaintances with him because of his wealth (page 45). In today’s society, celebrities are constantly surrounded by media, fans, and people pretending to be one’s friends because of their wealth and ability to do things that most cannot do. Infidelity in marriage is exhibited in this book when Tom cheats on Daisy with Myrtle (pages 38-40). In today’s society, more than 50 % of married men have cheated on their wives at some point in their marriage. Racism is shown clear in this book when Tom describes to Nick about a book he is reading on white supremacy (page 17). In American society today, plenty of white supremacy groups, including the Klu Klux Clan, have surfaced along with an ongoing tone of racism against blacks in many parts of the country. The abuse of illegal substances is shown to be a part of The Great Gatsby when Nick spends time with Tom, Myrtle, and a few other friends. Alcohol is illegal during the time period that the book takes place in, and the group of people get drunk regardless (page 39). Illegal substances are constantly being abused in today’s society. Teenagers not of legal drinking age get drunk very often, and illegal drugs are commonly bought, sold, and used by people everywhere. Fidelity in marriage is demonstrated in this book when Daisy and Gatsby get together and the love between them that was once present is still discovered to be there. Daisy is not unfaithful to Tom, even though she is tempted by Jay. In American Society today, celebrities are constantly tempted with groupies, fans, and overly willing people who don’t care that someone is married. There are many celebrity couples who have stayed faithful and together through all temptation, proving fidelity in marriage to still be alive.
He thinks money can buy everything in the world, and that does not happen to be the case. He shows the hate he has towards Gatsby and calls him a nobody because he has “fake” wealth, "Self-control!" Repeated Tom incredulously. "I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if that 's the idea you can count me out […] Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions, and next they 'll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white”(Fitzgerald 130). Tom basically says Gatsby is a no one and has not done anything to get his money. He also says Gatsby does not have enough money to “buy” off Daisy and shows an example of money buying happiness. Tom also uses his money to make him happy rather than Daisy, with Myrtle but Wilson, also there and Tom hates poor people like Wilson. He makes Tom mad which does not equate to happiness of Tom and therefore coming to the conclusion of money cannot indeed buy
In Fitzgerald’s works, losing love to someone of a higher status is a recurring motif. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby and Daisy are two lovers, brought apart by war. During this time Daisy marries a man named Tom, an extremely privileged young man, because of her need for love and falls in love with the wealth, rather than the man and the “perfection” that comes with it. When returning from the war, Gatsby sees their life in the newspapers
Fitzgerald has used Tom in The Great Gatsby, to demonstrate the power that men had during the 1920s. In order to understand Tom's purpose in the book, it must be known that he has been purposely set up as a character the reader does not like. Fitzgerald has done this, as he does not like men whose lives mirror Tom's. Tom is a violent man, who is completely in control of the women in his life. He shows how disrespectful some men were to women. For example, he breaks his mistress Myrtle's nose.
“"Self-control!" Repeated Tom incredulously. "I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if that's the idea you can count me out"” (Fitzgerald 130). Tom does not see Gatsby as an equal, even though they both have wealth; the only differences about the wealth are as follows: Gatsby started out impoverished and earned his wealth; whereas, Tom had his wealth handed down. This quote is an example of irony; Tom wants to go on a tangent about self-control; he needs some self-control! Tom will make love with any woman he pleases and shower them with money. “His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed. There was a touch of paternal contempt in it, even toward people he liked—and there were men at New Haven who had hated his guts” (Fitzgerald 7). Wealth makes Tom "paternal," as though it gives him the right to tell the entire world how to behave. A realization is that Tom did not earn his wealth. Tom has literally done nothing to deserve this thought process. So why does he get to be boss to everyone? Tom thinks since he has money that he can do anything he wants; however, this thought process is unacceptable for Jay Gatsby to have, at least in the eyes of Tom
In the novel,” The Great Gatsby”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author portrays inner conflicts of Tom Buchanans through various vices that have negative effects on the individuals surrounding him. Tom is a wealthy white male that was born into a wealthy family. He went to school with the narrator, Nick. Tom is married to Nick’s cousin, Daisy. Nick describes Tom as, “It was a body capable of enormous leverage—a cruel body… His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed (Fitzgerald 7).” This description of Tom leads us to not like him as much. There is a use of negative words that help us to form our first
...rom the elite rich, who possess old money. Tom also claims that Gatsby “threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy’s”, (142) and can be said to be using his false wealth to mislead and confuse Daisy and Nick into thinking he is someone of their standards, which shows that Gatsby is not recognised as one of their class. This undercuts the glamorous wealth associated with Gatsby, and the ideal of equality in the American Dream.
In The Great Gatsby, discrimination is shown between African Americans and whites. In the book, Tom Buchanan is a racist character. He is portrayed racist because he shows and says a few racist comments about African Americans. Tom says, “[us whites] who are the dominant race” (Fitzgerald 18). In this quote, Tom thinks that whites are the superior race and every other
On one level The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald comments on the careless gaiety and moral decadence of the period in which it was set. It contains innumerable references to the contemporary scene. The wild extravagance of Gatsby's parties, the shallowness and aimlessness of the guests and the hint of Gatsby's involvement in crime all identify the period and the American setting. But as a piece of social commentary The Great Gatsby also describes the failure of the American dream, from the point of view that American political ideals conflict with the actual social conditions that exist. For whereas American democracy is based on the idea of equality among people, the truth is that social discrimination still exists and the divisions among the classes cannot be overcome. Myrtle's attempt to break into the group to which the Buchanans belong is doomed to fail. Taking advantage of her vivacity, her lively nature, she seeks to escape from her own class. She enters into an affair with Tom and takes on his way of living. But she only becomes vulgar and corrupt like the rich. She scorns people from her own class and loses all sense of morality. And for all her social ambition, Myrtle never succeeds in her attempt to find a place for herself in Tom's class. When it comes to a crisis, the rich stand together against all outsiders.
Throughout Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, there is a broad spectrum of moral and social views demonstrated by various characters. At one end, is Tom, a man who attacks Gatsby's sense of propriety and legitimacy, while thinking nothing of running roughshod over the lives of those around him. A direct opposite of Tom's nature is Gatsby, who displays great generosity and caring, yet will stop at nothing to achieve his dream of running off with Daisy. The moral and emotional characteristics of Gastby and Tom are juxtaposed, Tom, the immoral character and Gastby, the moral character while the other characters' moral and emotional developments appear between these two.