The 1920’s, ten years of thriving life in America. People living the good life
and people living in the slumps. East Egg, the prominent community of the old
rich. People who have known money all their lives. West Egg, the up and coming
community of the newly rich. Manhattan, the city of life. The Valley of Ashes,
separating the Eggs from the city. Symbolizing the poor. An aftermath of the
industrial revolution. Four regions making up Long Island. In between them, the
Long Island Sound. A stretch of water cutting through the land, separating the
East from the West. All peoples living inside having the same American dream.
All wanting to become successful and well loved, but most of all having money
was a top priority for all of them. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby,
the character Tom Buchanan believes that just because he has lots of money, it
enables him to look down on others as inferior. Tom Buchanan is married to Daisy
Baker, cousin of Nick Carraway. In his first meeting with Nick, who he knew from
collage at New Haven, Nick sees Tom’s arrogance. To Nick, it seems that Tom
uses his money mostly as an excuse to make himself seem higher than other people
around him. Even to Nick. He applies this opinion of himself on many occasions,
maybe not directly, but non the less his subliminal point gets across. Like
saying “just because I’m stronger and more of a man than you are”(pg.11)
implies that his arrogance is there. To Tom, his money justifies his actions
towards others no matter what they are. He believes that his money lets him
justify his racial slurs. His biggest prejudice is that the white race is
superior and this is evident when he tells Nick of the book, The Rise of the
Coloured Empires. Tom’s “idea is that if they don’t look out, the white
race will be utterly submerged”(pg. 17). The reason he can say these things,
he feels, is that because he is so rich nobody can touch him. Even with people
closest to him. Such as Daisy, his wife. Even with her, he feels that he can get
away with anything and insult her with his arrogance. Take his relationship with
Myrtle. Right under Daisy’s nose he has the audacity cheat on her. He even
takes Nick to go see Myrtle. “We’re getting off!’ he insisted ‘I want
you to meet my girl.”(pg. 28) He said this to Nick. Nick, Daisy’s second
cousin once removed. He also finds the time to disrespect Myrtle when she
mentions Daisy. By yelling at her and even beating her. He make “a short deft
movement and broke her nose with his open hand.”(pg. 41) By doing this, he
shows that looks down on even Myrtle and Daisy. When things are the worst for
him, Tom Buchanan runs to his money and hides behind it. Same with 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 kept them together.”(pg. 184) It was their money that kept them
together. They used their money as shields. Used it also as an excuse and a
reason to look down on others.