Selfishness

Tom is much more selfish than Gatsby from an ethical point of view. All of Gatsbys selfishness lied in connecting with daisy. He became friends with Nick just so that he can get in touch with daisy. Here Gatsbys selfishness has an ethical purpose of getting back his lost love and also reflects unselfishness when he takes the blame for Myrtles death, while Tom lets George Wilson believe that Gatsby, not he, had the affair with Georges wife. When Tom arrives at the scene of the accident, the first thing he says to Wilson is that the car that hit Myrtle wasnt his That yellow car I was driving this afternoon wasnt mine, do you hear? I havent seen it all afternoon. (p. 150 chap-7). Moreover when Wilson goes to Tom and demands to know who owns the car. Seeing Wilsons crazed attitude and the revolver in his pocket, Tom remains quiet about his involvement with Myrtle and deflects the blame to Gatsby. I told him the truth, Tom tells Nick, adding, What if I did tell him? He had it coming. He ran over Myrtlelike a dog, and never stopped his car (p. 190, chap-9). While Tom would rather blame others and preserve his own image, Gatsby is willing to take responsibility. Although Daisy was the driver, when Gatsby tells Nick about it, he says, Of course, Ill say I was [driving] (p. 154, chap-7). Ignoring the consequences, Gatsby will do anything to protect Daisy. He is willing to physically defend her as well, standing guard outside her window all night in case Tom becomes violent. Gatsby says, Im just going to wait here and see if her tries to bother herif he tries any brutality shes going to turn the light out and on again (p.154, chap-7). Daisy means more to Gatsby than his own life. So whatever selfishness Gatsby displayed was to win over daisy whereas for Tom it didnt matter. As Nick expresses, They were careless people---they smashed up things and

creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness and let other people clean up the mess they had made(p.191, chap--9).

Violence but also Love

Both tom and Gatsby have a violent side in their characters. Tom possesses a brute, cruel and supercilious stature. Sturdy, straw-haired man .. .. was a body capable of enormous leveragea cruel body (p.9, chap-1). He is very aggressive in nature and even had the audacity to hit a woman. Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand.(p.41, chap-2). Whereas Gatsby was a bit secretive in his aggression and violence through conducting organized crimes, selling illegal liquor over the counter in drug stores, gambling and manipulating in stocks.Youre one of that bunch that hangs around with Meyer Wolfshiem I found out what your drug stores were He and this Wolfshiem bought up a ..sold grain alcohol over the counter. Thats one of his little stunts.(p.142-143 chap-7.)But what sets apart Gatsby from Tom is his unfathomable love for daisy, whereas Tom lowers himself by having sordid affairs. Daisy was dedicated toward Tom shortly after their honeymoon. She used to sitwith his head in her laplooking at him with unfathomable delight, says Jordan. She adds that she has never seen a girl so mad about her husband. Yet one week later, Jordan read in the Chicago newspaper than Tom had been in a car accident. He was with a chambermaid from the . Tom had already begun having affairs. (p. 83, chap-4) Toms affair with Myrtle is in some ways worse, because not only is she also married, Daisy appears to be perfectly aware of their affair. Toms got some woman in New York. I thought everybody knew. . It couldnt be helped! cried Daisy with tense gayety. (p.18, chap-1). Gatsby, on the other hand, romanticizes Daisy. After their first kiss, she becomes the incarnation of his dream (p. 119, chap-6), so that he will never be able to forget her. Although

Gatsby leaves Daisy to go overseas during the War and does not see her again for almost five years, Gatsby never gives up hope that he and Daisy will reunite, not even after she gets married. He buys a mansion across the bay from her house in hopes of impressing her. Nick reflects, I thought of Gatsbys wonder when he first picked out that green lightof Daisys dock. his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it (p. 193, chap-9). When at last Gatsby meets Daisy again, he is so sure of the purity of his dreams that not only does he believe she loves him more than Tom, he believes that she never loved Tom at all.

Manipulation

Tom had his share of manipulation through deceiving Wilson and manipulating him to kill Gatsby. ---- What if I did tell him? That fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisys but he was a tough one.(p.191, chap-9) But in this story Gatsby stands out of everyone and manipulates nearly every character he has had interaction with. Even his identity is a manipulation, for he is actually not Jay Gatsby. His real name is Jimmy Gatz. And he is not from a rich background rather his parents were peasants from North Dakota. --- James Gatzthat was really, or at least legally, his name. His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people (p.104-105, chap-6)He manipulated everyone with lies about his past and his wealth. My family all died and I came into a good deal of money.(p.71, chap-4) He proclaimed to have inherited all his riches but in truth he was a gangster and all his wealth were from wrong doings.He manipulated Nick just so that he can get close to daisy and came in touch with Nick only when came to know Nick was Daisys cousin.He waited, looking at me with suppressed eagerness I talked with Miss Baker, I said after a moment. Im going to call up Daisy tomorrow and invite her over here to tea.

(P.87-88, chap-5). Even the common people who attend Gatsbys parties are not sure of who actually Gatsby is or what he does. "Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once." .A thrill passed over all of us. The three Mr. Mumbles bent forward and listened eagerly. .."I don't think it's so much that," argued Lucille sceptically; "it's more that he was a German spy during the war."(p.48, chap-3). But however the world sees him, Nick was the only person to realize what Jay Gatsby stands for and so he quotes- The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that and he must be about His Father's business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end. (p. 105, chap-6).