Preview

Why Is Tom Wilson Important In The Great Gatsby

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
624 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why Is Tom Wilson Important In The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby: Tom And Wilson
Most people think that your level in society or the amount of money in your bank account will dictate every event in your life. But sometimes the amount of money you have does not protect you from bad situations. In The Great Gatsby, Wilson is the husband of Myrtle who is Tom Buchanan’s mistress. Eventually Tom’s wife Daisy will begin an affair with Gatsby and he will be in the same position as Wilson.
Due to the wealth gap between Tom and Wilson you may think they could not be more different but you would be wrong. Tom’s wealth is exemplified when Nick states,” Their house was even more elaborate than I expected, a cheerful red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion overlooking the bay (6).” So Tom has lots of money and Daisy had never been unfaithful. Tom on the other hand has no respect for women and has ventured off several times and at the moment was seeing Myrtle. Wilson was poor as shown when Nick went to his gas station and, “The interior was unprosperous and bare; the only car visible was the dust covered wreck
…show more content…
Daisy sees Gatsby again after five years and marrying Tom and they begin a relationship.Tom realizes what has happened when Daisy and Gatsby speak at lunch when he sees,”She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw. He was astounded. His mouth opened a little, and he recognized her as someone he knew a long time ago (119).” So Tom knowing what is happening, sees Daisy as his love again and wants to keep her. This instinct to keep his love is also found in Wilson. When Tom pulls into the station on their way to the city Wilson says they are leaving and he needs the car that Tom was selling him, he also says Myrtle has wanted to leave for years,”And now she's going whether she wants to or not. I’m going to get her away (123).” So in order to stay with Myrtle he is going to leave everything he has and get her away from

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Mirna Sher Mr. Reuben English ⅚ Block 5 December 18, 2015 Unhealthy Relationship The Great Gatsby is a story that is based on a triangle that there are three characters involved in it. Daisy, that is married to Tom Buchanan yet she still in affair with her first true love Gatsby. Tom is also in affair with Myrtle Wilson which she’s married to George Wilson.…

    • 342 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship was mainly just a fantasy created by Gatsby. Gatsby imagined this great life that he and Daisy would have together, when in reality, Daisy was married and could not leave her husband. When Gatsby and Daisy did get reunited, their love sparked again, but never took full effect because of Tom. The idea of “fake love” is also seen in George Wilson and Myrtle’s relationship. Although they were married, they did not have a true romantic relationship. George only married Myrtle because he did not try to make a better life for himself. George and Myrtle were on the same economic level and social class: poor. Wilson loved Myrtle to an extent, but he did not have a deep passion for her as Gatsby did for…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Daisy’s soon proves to not just be promiscuous, but also extremely careless. Gatsby even said, “She only married you because I was poor” (137). The fact that Daisy left Gatsby and married Tom just for his money shows that she is careless about Toms feelings and takes advantage of him for only his wealth. Even when Daisy and Gatsby get into a car accident and hit poor Myrtle. A couple days after this accident, Nick finds out that “she and tom had gone away early that afternoon, and taken baggage with them” (172). Daisy is obviously not concerned with the horrible thing she has done and takes off with her…

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Wilson loved Myrtle and wanted to protect her. However, Myrtle married Mr. Wilson because she thought he had money, not because she loved him. The second affair was between Gatsby and Daisy. Gatsby always had a dream that Daisy and him would wind up together in the end, but his dream was unrealistic because too many barriers were in the way of his plan. Gatsby went out of his way to impress Daisy by acquiring his wealth illegally. Gatsby also went out of his way to find Daisy after they were split up during the war. In addition, Gatsby spent a fortune hosting large parties hoping that Daisy would show up. However, Daisy did not show up, and he was compelled to find another way to draw her attention. Then, Gatsby turned to Nick and Jordan Baker to set a date up for him. This only got Gatsby so far because by the end Daisy could not leave Tom. Fitzgerald displays marriage from a modernist point of view. Modernism was an extremely popular idea during the time period Great Gatsby was written. Modernism denounced romanticism. As a result, marriage became less dependent on love, and more dependent on social status. Although Gatsby was wealthy, Daisy could not be with him because he was “new money” and she was “old…

    • 549 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    George Wilson is honest and hard working, trying to achieve the American dream through owning his own business. Though Wilson and Gatsby have similar backgrounds, they have dramatically different resulting careers and lifestyles. Gatsby is extremely wealthy while achieving wealth through dishonest and illegal methods, while Wilson runs his own business, attempting, to be honest, yet struggling to have his business continue to run, proved by Wilson saying, “When are you going to sell me that car?”( Fitzgerald 29). He is trying alternative ways of earning more money because his shop is most likely struggling to stay above water while living in a town so devoid of money. Wilson is repeatedly shown throughout the chapter to be considered much less than Tom, simply by living in the valley of ashes; as the valley could foreshadow the Great Depression, showing that Wilson is already experiencing the struggles yet to come to the rest of the…

    • 1021 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tom and Gatsby’s relationships with Daisy differ. Even though Gatsby has not seen Daisy in five years, he still loved her very much and stayed loyal the whole time. This shows that Gatsby loves Daisy so much that he would stay lonely and hopeful for years just for her. Gatsby never gave up hope during the time that they were apart. Tom has an affair on Daisy with Myrtle. This shows that Tom isn’t loyal to Daisy and he doesn’t put any effort into their relationship. Tom really uses Myrtle to satisfy one of his needs and Daisy to satisfy another. Gatsby was the only one willing to work and put effort towards him and Daisy while Tom took his and Daisy’s relationship for granted.…

    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Between Gatsby setting high expectations for her, constant obsession and his sacrifices, there was no room for daisy to mess up. Unfortunately she does. Because his money was new and insecure Daisy never felt safe with his wealth and much prefered her husband's inherited stable wealth. Because of his constant need to protect Daisy, when she killed Myrtle Wilson came seeking revenge for Gatsby. Like the coward Daisy was, she let him take the blame and didn't even have the decency to make it to his funeral. Instead to she ran away with her husband who now was monogamous, but Tom has a very recurring style, how long will it take for him to go and find a new woman, and when he does who will daisy turn to then? Will it be the daughter that she loathes or the charlton people she considers friends. In the end Daisy will be alone, ironically just like…

    • 1392 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tom being prosperous, Myrtle felt as if because she is with him that he elevates her to high class. She felt better with Tom because he was important, therefore, with George she felt miserable. Myrtle’s American dream was to become a wealthy man’s trophy wife. For this reason, she has a strong desire for a powerful man to take care of her. Having to allow her money hungry mind to take over, she allows Tom to beat her. Able to play a wealthy woman’s rule being involved with Tom, she began to act like a snob. Later in the novel, George finds out that she is in an affair, but not with whom. In effect, he gets angry and locks her in their apartment over the garage he owns. Working sickly, George tries to make enough money to move out west to get her away from the city. Not respecting her husband’s decision, she tells him “Beat me! Throw me down and beat me you dirty little coward!” (144). She wants him to be aggressive and powerful like Tom, but he refuses. After having a heated discussion with George, she breaks out the apartment and rushes outside. Having seen Tom driving Gatsby’s yellow car earlier, she sees it coming and dashes out on the road towards it. Not being her lover, Gatsby turns the wheel in Daisy’s hands, and tries to swerve out of the way. Tragically being foolish, Myrtle runs in front of the car and gets hit. The blow from the car to her body ended her life. Not only did her death upset both George and Tom, but it also ended Gatsby’s life. After mourning over his wife, George went to Gatsby’s mansion and shot him in his swimming pool, and then took his own life. In the final analysis, because of her selfishness and greedy needs, she not only caused her own death, but also causes the death of an innocent…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    She ran over Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s mistress, with Gatsby’s car. Daisy was driving very fast and Myrtle ran in front of the car thinking Tom was driving, but Daisy did not stop the car and killed Myrtle. Gatsby was not concerned about Myrtle but wanted to cover up the crime to keep Daisy close. Because Gatsby was so trusting of Daisy, he thought she would go home and come back to him. Instead, she runs off with Tom and leaves Gatsby. Gatsby was murdered by Myrtle’s husband, George Wilson, because Tom accused Gatsby for killing…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this captivating book of the Great Gatsby, there exist two main female leads, Daisy and Myrtle. Daisy, much akin to Myrtle married a man whom she does not love; however, not all about these two are similar for they too have differences such as physical traits and social status which are slowly unveiled as the book progresses. It is said, “Neither of them can stand the person they’re married to.” Both Myrtle and Daisy are involved in an affair with another man; Daisy takes a liking towards Gatsby as Myrtle does with Tom. In Daisy’s case, Tom is unable to fulfill her romantic needs and therefore she marries him only for wealth and social status, on the other hand Myrtle is attracted towards Tom as she desires social status, wealth, and power which George…

    • 405 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tom was having an affair with Myrtle, Myrtle’s sister, Catherine, would say, “it’s really his wife that is keeping them apart. She’s a catholic and they don’t believe in divorce.” (33). The thing is, Myrtle was married to a poor man by the name of Wilson who was, “He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. He’s so dumb he doesn’t know he’s alive.” (26). On the day that Tom found out about Daisy and Gatsby’s affair, Daisy was driving Gatsby’s car home and she accidentally hit Myrtle, before driving off which became a hit and run. Gatsby knew he would take the blame for Myrtle’s death so Daisy wouldn’t get in trouble. Gatsby doesn’t realize that Tom and Daisy are plotting together, and Wilson believes that Gatsby is the one who had an affair with Myrtle and is the one who killed her. Gatsby continues to wait for Daisy to call as he had told Nick, “I don’t think she ever loved him.” (152). Gatsby is so stuck on Daisy only loving him that on that fateful day, it all came to an end when it is said, “.... Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson’s body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete.” (162). Gatsby was dead, Daisy and Tom were gone, and no one but Gatsby’s father showed up at the funeral. Myrtle’s death is what brought everything down, and he took the fall for everything.…

    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby and Tom have different personalities, but they both have their life of luxury in common, as well as their love for Daisy. Just like in reality, we have things in common with people around us. Sometimes we may get intimidated by certain people because of their personality, but the intimidation could also be because we do not know them that well. Sometimes we make assumptions about people because of how they act. Once we get to know them we might find out that our assumptions are wrong.…

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tom and Daisy live in the elite East Egg, populated by established families of old money. Gatsby buys an extravagant mansion across from them, in the garish and flashy West Egg, in an attempt to become closer to Daisy. He is obsessed with deconstructing their lives; near the end of the novel, after a fight between the three, he tries to goad Daisy to confess she never loved Tom. She is unable to commit and makes up with Tom after running over Myrtle. The corruption of the Buchanan’s is internal; even before the Myrtle incident, the Buchanan home is in mild and constant turmoil. Domestic violence is hinted on Tom’s part, and an explicitly violent revealed when he attacks Myrtle during their affair. The multiple affairs Tom has with other women have caused the couple to move many times. However, Tom and Daisy stick together, inconsiderate of the lives they had ruined in the…

    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gatsby doesnt want to accept this so he tries convincing her that she does love him while Tom is in the room with them. Tom gets mad but doesnt take it out on him there. Ultimately, Gatsby and Daisy were driving home together, while Tom and Nick were driving in another car, and while driving back home, Daisy ran over and killed Myrtle. Myrtle's husband asks Tom who it was and he said it was Gatsby, however we later find out it was Daisy that killed her. Myrtle's husband doesnt know this and for revenge, he kills Gatsby, and then himself. This leads to the point that "only fools fall in love"" because it ended in the death of Gatsby.…

    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    One example of a failed relationship in The Great Gatsby is the adulterous affair between Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson. Their affair is based on mutual exploitation. Tom uses Myrtle for sex; Myrtle receives gifts and money in return. Tom Buchanan, a resident of East Egg, is "old money," so he looks down on everyone whom he considers to be below his class. Thus, he treats Myrtle as if she is trash. Myrtle Wilson, the wife of poor George Wilson, is disenchanted with her twelve year-old marriage because of her husband's lack of success. Her desire for a better life is overpowering, and she believes that Tom will ultimately leave Daisy and marry her. In reality, Tom does not even see Myrtle as a person but as a sexual object. This is shown by his degrading treatment of Myrtle at a party; specifically, he breaks her nose for having the nerve to mention his wife's name:…

    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays