Character sketch - Tom Bunchanan, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (0)

Character sketch – Tom Buchanan
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fizgerald
Thomas „Tom“ Buchanan is a wealthy husband of Daisy Buchanan. They live on East Egg and are both connected to Nick Carraway, the novel ’s narrator. Daisy is Nick’s cousin and Tom was once a member of his social club at Yale. Tom was a football player, enjoys polo and is a racist.
Nick describes Tom’s appearance quite well: „He was a sturdy straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner . Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward . Not even the effeminate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of that body — he seemed to fill those glistening boots until he strained the top lacing, and you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat . 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.”
Tom, as a cheater, is careless because Daisy knows about his relationship with Myrtle Wilson . Also, it is proved when Tom forces Nick to meet Myrtle. I mean , who introduces their mistress to the cousin of their wife ? Furthermore, Tom acts quite boldly around George Wilson, who is Myrtle’s husband, and shows no guilt for his affair . Tom has an apartment in New York where he and Myrtle can do whatever they want. In New York Tom goes out in public with Myrtle and doesn’t care if he is seen with another woman. He likes to dominate those around him and keep Myrtle in her place . For example, when Myrle was drunk and started chanting daisy’s name Tom broke her nose .
Tom, as a husband, isn’t a good man as well. He is not violent with Daisy but he doesn’t show undying love either. Tom spends a lot of time with his mistress leaving Daisy on her own. He doesn’t think he is doing anything wrong while cheating his wife but when he finds out that Daisy and Gatsby are having an affair, he becomes outraged. It shows that he doesn’t see her wife as equal and Daisy has no right to cheat on him like he does.
Around Gatsby Tom acts suspicious and after finding out about the affair he wants a confrontation. Tom sets his plan in motion when he, Daisy, Nick, Gatsby and Jordan go to New York. He lets Gatsby and Daisy ride together in his car while he drives Gatby’s car. In a suite at the Plaza Hotel, Tom accuses Gatsby of running a bootlegging operation and lying about having attended Oxford . Gatsby answers by saying that Daisy has never loved Tom. However in the light of accusations Daisy finds herself siding with Tom and that makes Tom very happy . Tom knows that he has won and to taunt Gatsby he lets Gatsby and Daisy ride together back to East Egg.
Tom doesn’t seem to care much that his mistress was killed but he seizes the opportunity to hurt Gatsby. He tells vengeful George Wilson who is the owner of the car Tom drove earlier and because of that George goes and shoots Gatsby killing him instantly. After that Tom and Daisy move away and don’t come back for Gatsby’s funeral. When Nick encounters Tom in New York he reluctantly shakes hands with Tom because Nick is mad that Gatsby died because of Tom. „I couldn’t forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made. . . .”
In conclusion , Tom Buchanan is a wealthy and cruel man who has to get what he wants. He doesn’t mind using violence to keep Myrtle under his control . Tom believes that it is normal to cheat on his wife but forbidden for Daisy to cheat on him. He gloats when Daisy chooses him and not Gatsby but that’s not enough and he feels satisfied only after Gatsby is killed.