Compare And Contrast Essay English Literature Essay

The Great Gatsby is a novel about a character by the name of Jay Gatsby, who is fighting to get his beloved Daisy back with the help of his friend, Nick Daisys cousin from an arrogant fellow named Tom.The novel is also a representation of the path to attain the American Dream which is done through the characters, Tom and Gatsby. Tom and Gatsby have very similar beliefs. Gatsby is referred to as a high achiever, who throws outstanding parties in hopes of winning over Daisy. Gatsby sabotages Tom by trying to achieve the American Dream because he believes in order to have the American Dream he must have possession of Daisy, whom is married to Tom. West Egg is a rich inherited place where Nick claims the story all started. The West Egg is a symbol used to picture a place of many outstanding amenities like no other, but lacks the true meaning of trust and friendship. Tom and Gatsby not knowing the meaning of true friendship try to stand out and claim tenancy of the American Dream. With this in view, it could be said that Tom and Gatsby are both suffering from disloyalty and absence of truth. They both deceive/take advantage of the ones close to them. For example, Gatsby uses Nick to get closer to Daisy, likewise Tom also deceives Daisy by having an affair with Myrtle. This is controversially an outgoing problem in the novel, which becomes worse as it goes on. Tom and Gatsby live their lives believing that money is everything. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants.” (2) So the question is, could money possibly buy happiness? Gatsby and Tom are arrogant characters who lack the aspects of true friendship, and honesty because of their belief that money is the standard that the world runs on.

Gatsby is a very diverse character. He started from scratch and worked his way up. He doesn’t live in a compact area as in East Egg or New York but lives in West Egg where there are only the rich, the upper-class people on sight. Gatsby once loved a girl named Daisy before he went out to war a couple of years ago. He went to war with the thought that when he would return everything would fine. But little did he know that Daisy was not willing to wait for him, and Daisy went and got married with Tom just 5 hours after the notice of Gatsby gone. This was the state of betrayal Gatsby went through. Gatsby was not concerned about anything or any but Daisy, which threw him back. Gatsby lived his life as if every choice he made would always be right no matter what it may be on. For example in the novel when Gatsby stated to know for a fact that Gatsby was the one Daisy loved no matter what Tom had to say. Gatsby worked his way up, but the surprising and disturbing part of that was that he was in control of a bootlegging business he hosted. Gatsby is not an easy character there are many thing he does which make him look superior as well as things which make him look foolish. Like when he hosts these magnificent, outgoing parties, he remains himself screed but has his name carried as a symbol, he wants to cultivate. Gatsby uses the absence of having no trust and the lack of friendship to make all his fame, name, popularity, and reputation, look as a joke, when no one comes to his funeral. This as well show that no one even respected him, enough to even come to his funeral. Gatsby is also not trustworthy because he uses Nick who is one of the only people who actually helps him. Gatsby uses Nick to get to Daisy and knowing this Nick gets a bit offended because he thought they were friends and he was just doing him a favour. The main goal Gatsby was actually trying to achieve was the American Dream which he got so close to but just couldn’t grasp it. The reason he wasn’t able to achieve the American Dream wasn’t, for his incapability but it was for his arrogance as well as his inconsiderate self. Arrogance is an offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride (2). He was portrayed as arrogant because he was always so overconfident with his life, especially his money. Gatsby seemed to have become miscellaneous, before he died. He was so confident that she was going to pick him over Tom, This was ironic considering after he felt so happy and confident that he was going to attain the American Dream, he dies…

Gatsby is very similar to Tom he is not trustworthy, he doesn’t have many people he could look back to rely on. Gatsby and Tom have very similar beliefs in fact they both at one point lived in West Egg as well as all the rich, upper-class wealthy people. Gatsby and Tom have been trying to achieve the American Dream for a while but they seem to be struggling in different points. Gatsby has everything but doesn’t have base, a family, and a place where he could call home. As well as Tom but he doesn’t seem to have the essential life style, lacking the ability of trust, which neither of them are able to possess, which is also a factor of their downfall with the woman they wanted to be with. Gatsby truly loves Daisy and wants to live his life with her but due to his lack of friendship and trustworthiness, no one but Nick is willing to help. Nick is helping Gatsby but that is much so because of how boring and impractical his life is. Tom and Gatsby both live their life around their money. Gatsby expresses and brags about his wealth and everything he has to make others feel reluctant to be around him. Tom has lived all his life around a rich compact neighbourhood so he is more knowledgeable in the sense that he has more experience how to deal with money. Unlike Gatsby who treats money as an asset rather less than it is actually worth, leading him to through enriched parties. Gatsby went through much more than Tom and is still living a somewhat close life style in comparison to the American Dream which is: a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S(1).

Tom is a very complicated character as well. Tom is a very and yet the most interesting character. He has all the characteristics he is mean, disrespectful, arrogant, but surprisingly he changes when with Daisy and this is one of the reasons Daisy leans on towards Tom. Tom is told to be very sweet and kind to Daisy, which is very ironic considering how he acts like he is the biggest and the most mischief of them all. Tom is portrayed as a very rich character from the very beginning, he is told to have a rich background leading him to continue on from his parents who probably were also very close to achieving the American Dream. Tom is not trustworthy or loyal to anyone really, which is also a factor that Gatsby has but differs with Tom. Tom is instead, very grouchiest when anything becomes personal. For instance at the party when Tom broke his girlfriend, Myrtle’s nose, when she mentioned Daisy to him. Tom became very tempest when she did so. Tom is also known as a ruthless racist character. This is so because Tom has brought up racist comments many times even when all of them would be white, like in the hotel in Ney York, and Jordan reminded Tom that they were all white no one was a different ethnicity. Tom is shown as a character who once lived in West Egg which means that he must be rich. The difference between him and Gatsby is that Tom moved to East Egg and started to become more involved with the surrounding unlike Gatsby who stays in West Egg where there is barely anyone around.

Tom and Gatsby live similar lifestyles but they also have differences as well. Tom and Gatsby are really different in the sense of lifestyles techniques.Tom and Gatsby have in common that they both want something the other has even though, Tom wants Gatsby’s yellowRolls’ Royce. This is told when Tom ask Gatsby to borrow his car, on the other side Gatsby wants Daisy, who Tom sees as his own, and this is seen throughout the whole book with the parties Gatsby throws to impress Daisy. As well as all the other things he does for her, like buying her stuff. Both Tom and Gatsby think money can buy everything. Tom unlike Gatsby uses racial slurs and comments to define people. This is also another way they differ. Tom is very racist and sexist against women, while Gatsby is kind-hearted and willing to give. Money is also a huge aspect in the novel. When Gatsby and Tom were talking to one another, Gatsby was about to say something about Daisy’s voice when Tom interrupted by saying it’s like it’s full of money (3). This makes the reader think. Maybe Tom doesn’t want Daisy after all and was after the money the whole time, and now the truth ‘accidentally, eventually came out. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants.” (2) This quote makes one think does money actually even mean anything, if it does then what? To Tom it meant everything, including a trip to the American Dream. As for Gatsby it meant an asset to get o Daisy which also eventually led to the success of the American Dream which neither of them were able to achieve do to all there flaws.

In conclusion, Tom and Gatsby were similar and at the same time differed in many ways. Tom and Gatsby were both after the same goal to obtain the American Dream but unfortunately they both were unsuccessful. Tom and Gatsby live life living as money is the only thing they would need for survival not being aware of all the dangers and problems which they might face. Tom and Gatsby live with despicable characteristics, leading to be one of the reasons to their flaw and the death of Gatsby. Gatsby was too eager, he would have eventually ended up with Daisy but he started to rush the relationship leading to his downfall. The difference between Tom and Gatsby is that Tom overcomes his flaws and Gatsby gets late and pays the price with death.