In chapter one of the novel The Great Gatsby, the central couple presented are Tom and Daisy Buchanan. These two partners, although different, have similar personalities but also have contrasting differences. Throughout chapter 1, these two portray that wealth is better than everything else, and they both revolve and base their lives on it. Also in this chapter it shows the hardships and difficulties they have in their marriage. They are both never satisfied with what they have, and are always longing for more. During chapter 1 it was apparent that Tom and Daisy had an unstable relationship.
Tom is first described as a “cruel body” and is very physical because of his past career as a football player. He uses power and physically has control over people and is something that Tom considers important in guiding his life. Throughout the first chapter he has shown, time and time again that he is the type of person who likes to control others and what they do “Turning me around by one arm” (p.13). “Wedging his tense arm imperatively under mine Tom Buchanan compelled me from the room as though he were moving a checker to another square.” (p.16) this happens a lot when he is with Nick and sometimes he is pictured as nothing more than a bully and other times just cruel. One of Tom’s important values is wealth. He is very rich and thinks that it makes him superior to other people. He enjoys showing off his possessions, “I’ve got a nice place here. It belonged to Demaine, the oil man.” He turned me around again, politely and abruptly. “We’ll go inside.” (p.13). In this case, Tom is showing Nick his house and obviously thinks that because it belonged to Demaine the oil man that it makes it a little more important. Sign of his arrogance an…
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…sation is quickly diverted by the announcement of dinner.
So much through chapter 1 we are getting the idea of Daisy being well, stupid. But when alone with nick she explains to him she is sophisticated but cynical, proving to us to think she is much smarter than Tom. She does also show criticism on women’s status when talking about her baby hoping it’s a girl “I hope she’ll be a fool – that’ the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” This portrays the idea of women in the 1920s. But we do as well see that Daisy is very complex as she is in a secret society of which is she and Tom.We already know that Tom and Daisy’s marriage is troubled and it mainly is due to the fact that he has a woman in New York and Daisy has knowledge about this and might be disturbed about Tom’s infidelity. This is an important aspect about their conflict.
