Tom Buchanan- Great Gatsby Analysis

Tom Buchanan Tom Buchanan was born into an extremely wealthy old money family. Tom, who had money all his life, lived an extravagant life and has drifted around from place to place after he manages to “smash up things and creatures and then retreated back into their (Tom and Daisy) money” (The Great Gatsby Ch9). At some point Tom attended Yale where he met Nick and played football. That’s where he also gained “a body capable of enormous leverage—a cruel body” (The Great Gatsby Ch1). After graduating Yale he met Daisy in Louisville and they got married with an overwhelming extravagant wedding. Tom gave Daisy pearls worth three hundred and fifty thousand dollars before they were married and brought down 100s of people in private cars. They went to Santa Barbra for their honeymoon and caused a spree that made it into the newspapers (The Great Gatsby Ch4) and another one in Chicago (The Great Gatsby 7). Tom has been unfaithful to Daisy and openly admits that to his affairs but “I [He] always come[s] back” (The Great Gatsby Ch7), because he values Daisy because she shares his social status unlike his extramarital toys. After the Gatsby fiasco, Tom and Daisy leaves New York and drifts once more off to a new place. Tom would have attended a Gatsby party mainly to keep watch on Daisy. True to his looks, Tom is forceful and controlling. He has suspicions on Daisy and Gatsby. Since Daisy and Gatsby will be trying to get away from me I will have to keep a very close eye on Daisy. I might also confront Gatsby for getting too close to Daisy and maybe be a little violent. Tom doesn’t believe women should be out by themselves and is disgusted with the vulgarity of the party. Tom would’ve kept Nick and Jordan

near him too and talk about white supremacy, polo, golf, and the disgustingness of the party. Since Tom grew arrogant with his old money he would look down on the new money people. To mimic Tom, I will go around insulting people especially Gatsby on his habit of calling people “Old Sport” and the odd fashion he has. Tom wouldn’t have socialized with most of the people at the party except Nick, Jordan, Daisy, and J.P. Morgan Jr. (who inherited his dad’s wealth). I might even talk to Anita Loos on possible arrest of Gatsby. At the party Tom would be wearing the proper formal wear of the period; a vest, white dress shirt, black dress shoes, tie, black belt, hat, and black dress pants. This would have been the upper class would have dressed and would distinguish Tom from the others who in the 1920’s are exploring new fashions.

Possible Insults: (no offense meant) Buster Keaton: “Why so serious?” Louis Armstrong: “This monkey is entertaining!” Gatsby: “Look at this man!! Bad fashion! Bad taste! The only way he makes friends is by turning his house into a pigsty!” Coco Chanel: “We should have this woman’s head dissected… I mean who comes up with these ridiculous costumes?”

Bibliography Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print. "Tom Buchanan." Shmoop. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.