The Great Gatsby-Compare/Contrast Gatsby and Tom and Explain Why Daisy Stayed with Tom
Class and Section: 11SD
Q: Compare and contrast Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan. How are they similar and how do they differ? Given that Tom is portrayed negatively, why does Daisy choose to remain with him instead of leaving him for Gatsby?
In the novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, two men, Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan, fight over Daisy, an upper-class woman from an old, wealthy family in the time after the first world war during the age known as the ‘booming’ or ‘roaring’ twenties. In this time period the war has just finished and the people are living in a time of prosperity and celebration. The novel takes place in New York City where the ‘old rich’ and ‘new rich’ live in two separate …show more content…
Gatsby and Tom also both do whatever they want without thinking of the consequences. In Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy, who is a married woman with a child, he blatantly disregards the fact that if he succeeds in wooing Daisy, he will have ruined a marriage and left a child to deal with an unstable home. Tom also disregards the importance of his own family and has several affairs. It is actually ridiculous that he expects Daisy to remain faithful to him when he wasn’t even faithful to her on their honeymoon.