[Daisy’s] husband, among various physical accomplishments, had been one of the most powerful ends that ever played football at New Haven—a national figure in a way, one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterward savors of anticlimax.
Nick offers this description of Tom in the first chapter. Nick’s initial sense of Daisy’s husband is that he peaked too early in his life and has suffered some form of disappointment ever since. Nick goes on to imagine that Tom still longs to recapture his youth: “I felt that Tom would drift on forever seeking, a little wistfully, for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game.” We can read an element of melancholy as well as danger in Nick’s depiction of Tom—a depiction that subtly foreshadows Tom’s actions later in the novel.
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.
Nick continues to describe Tom in Chapter 1, this time emphasizing Tom’s appearance. The overwhelming sense of Tom’s physical presence is one of strength, aggression, and danger. His leering eyes, combined with his hulking muscles (note the repeated use of the word “enormous”), creates an impression of a man who seems permanently on edge and ready to fight. When Nick concludes by referring to Tom’s body as “cruel,” he’s not just talking about his physical appearance, but also about his character.
“Well, it’s a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be—will be utterly submerged. It’s all scientific stuff; it’s been proved.”
In Chapter 1, Tom tells Nick and Daisy about a book he recently read. The book, called “The Rise of the Colored Empires,” is based on a real work called “The Rising Tide of Color,” which purported to use scientific methods to justify discrimination against nonwhite people. By describing the book in such affirming terms, Tom shows not only his casual racism, but also his unreflective and uncritical nature. Tom also reveals that he has an unfounded victim complex. This complex foreshadows his later sense of victimization when he learns of Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship, though it’s difficult to feel sympathetic with Tom in that case, given his affair with Myrtle Wilson.
Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart.
Nick writes these words in Chapter 1, after he learns about Tom’s mistress. These words also come soon after Tom describes the racist book he’s just read. In response to these two bits of information, Nick posits that something is forcing Tom’s perception of himself and the world to change. Nick implies that Tom no longer finds much satisfaction in his physical prowess, nor does he get what he wants by acting out the imperious demands of his “peremptory heart.” In other words, Nick thinks an emotional breaking point quickly approaches for Tom.
Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke [Myrtle’s] nose with his open hand.
The event described here occurs in Chapter 2, when Myrtle insists on her right to say Daisy’s name aloud in Tom’s presence. Tom tells her to stop, and when she doesn’t, he hits her. Tom’s violence is quick and unthinking, suggesting this is not the first time he’s used physical force to get his way. Tom hits Myrtle because she refused to obey him, but also in defense of Daisy; he feels strongly about both women. Tom’s outburst therefore shows that he has difficulty handling complex emotions. He responds with violence to maintain control.
FAQs
Quotes. Tom Buchanan : Daisy, can't you see who this guy is, with his house and his parties and his fancy clothes? He is just a front for Wolfsheim, a gangster, to get his claws into respectable folk like Walter Chase.
What does Tom Buchanan say in Chapter 1? ›
It's all scientific stuff; it's been proved.” In Chapter 1, Tom tells Nick and Daisy about a book he recently read. The book, called “The Rise of the Colored Empires,” is based on a real work called “The Rising Tide of Color,” which purported to use scientific methods to justify discrimination against nonwhite people.
What is the most important quote in The Great Gatsby? ›
"Can't repeat the past?" he cried incredulously. "Why of course you can!" He looked around him wildly, as if the past were lurking here in the shadow of his house, just out of reach of his hand. This is probably Gatsby's single most famous quote.
What does Tom Buchanan represent? ›
Tom is a character with few redeeming qualities. He represents the worst aspects of the super-rich in American society whose money insulates them from the normal constraints of law or morality. Nick describes them as: careless people – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money.
What is the quote about Tom and Daisy? ›
“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.”
What does Tom say to Wilson about Gatsby? ›
Tom tells him that he was the one who told Wilson that Gatsby owned the car that killed Myrtle, and describes how greatly he suffered when he had to give up the apartment he kept in the city for his affair.
What does Tom say in Chapter 7? ›
Tom claims that he and Daisy have a history that Gatsby could not possibly understand. He then accuses Gatsby of running a bootlegging operation. Daisy, in love with Gatsby earlier in the afternoon, feels herself moving closer and closer to Tom as she observes the quarrel.
What does Tom realize in Chapter 7? ›
At lunch, Tom realizes that Daisy and Gatsby are in love. Later, in a hotel in New York City, Gatsby forces Daisy to tell Tom that she never loved him, and Tom reveals that Gatsby is a bootlegger. Daisy drives Gatsby's car home, striking and killing Myrtle Wilson.
How does Tom Buchanan behave in Chapter 2? ›
Tom emerges in this section as a boorish bully who uses his social status and physical strength to dominate those around him—he subtly taunts Wilson while having an affair with his wife, experiences no guilt for his immoral behavior, and does not hesitate to lash out violently in order to preserve his authority over ...
What is the saddest line in The Great Gatsby? ›
Great Gatsby Quotes (Continued)
'All right,' I said, 'I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool—that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool. '” Coming near the end of the first chapter, this is definitely one of the saddest quotes in the novel.
Tom broke Myrtle's nose because Myrtle kept repeating his wife's, Daisy, name. Judging by his treatment of Myrtle and his wife, his attitude seems to be that he views women as beneath him and he treats them with disrespect.
What are two quotes from The Great Gatsby? ›
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. I hope she'll be a fool -- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool. Angry, and half in love with her, and tremendously sorry, I turned away.
How is Tom Buchanan important? ›
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tom Buchanan serves as an antagonist of sorts and serves as a foil to Gatsby's character. He is the husband of Daisy Buchanan, the woman Gatsby is pining after. Tom routinely cheats on Daisy, and his mistress at the time was Myrtle, and he blames Gatsby for her death.
What are 3 characteristics of Tom Buchanan? ›
Tom Buchanan
Powerfully built and hailing from a socially solid old family, Tom is an arrogant, hypocritical bully. His social attitudes are laced with racism and sexism, and he never even considers trying to live up to the moral standard he demands from those around him.
Who was Tom Buchanan based on? ›
William Hitchco*ck says his flashy, polo-playing father, Tommy Hitchco*ck, inspired the character Tom Buchanan, prompting Fitzgerald to inscribe a special note to his late dad inside a first-edition copy of the book in 1927.
What quotes about Tom cheating on Daisy? ›
Paragraph 1: Tom Cheats on Daisy: “Tom's got some woman in New York... she might have decency not to telephone at dinner-time. Don't you think?” ( Fitzgerald, 21). Tom's is cheating on Daisy.
What does Tom say to Gatsby about Daisy? ›
Tom calls Gatsby crazy and says that of course Daisy loves him—and that he loves her too even if he does cheat on her all the time. Gatsby demands that Daisy tell Tom that she has never loved him. Daisy can't bring herself to do this, and instead said that she has loved them both.
What are 2 quotes from Gatsby? ›
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. I hope she'll be a fool -- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool. Angry, and half in love with her, and tremendously sorry, I turned away.
What did Tom do to Myrtle when she mentioned Daisy's name quote? ›
Tom cautions Myrtle not to use Daisy's name, but she mocks him by chanting her name. He strikes Myrtle in the face, breaking her nose.
