4.4.1
Tom Buchanan
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Background to Tom Buchanan's Character
Tom Buchanan is rich because of inherited wealth and has the appearance of an assertive and dominant character.
Love life
- He is married to Daisy but is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson.
Relationship with Tom
- Nick vaguely knows Tom from Yale University, where Tom was an accomplished sportsman.
Tom Buchanan - Physically Imposing
Fitzgerald presents Tom as an aggressive hulk, who used to be a professional football player.
Descriptions of his appearance
- He was a ‘national figure in a way’ and has ‘various physical accomplishments'.
- He has ‘arrogant eyes’ and ‘enormous power’ to his body (Chapter One).
- He is also presented as having a ‘cruel body’.
Nick's impression of Tom
- Nick vaguely knows Tom because they both went to Yale University. When Nick arrives at the Buchanan’s house, he is greeted by Tom.
- Tom is ‘in riding clothes’ and ‘standing with his legs apart on the front porch’ (Chapter One).
- Nick recalls how there were many people at university who ‘hated his guts’, and it seems that Tom has changed little since his university days: he still comes across as arrogant and condescending.
Contrast to Gatsby
- Gatsby seems slight in comparison to Tom.
- The awkwardness of the encounters between Tom and Gatsby foreshadows a future conflict between the two men, while also highlighting the contrasts between ‘old money’ (Tom) and ‘new money’ (Gatsby).
- Despite his high social status and physical prowess, Tom is presented as an unlikeable character.
1Specification Overview
1.1Specification Overview
2Context
3Plot Summary
3.1Chapter One
3.2Chapter Two
3.3Chapter Three
3.4Chapter Four
3.6Chapter Six
3.7Chapter Seven
3.8Chapter Eight
4Character Profiles
4.3Daisy Buchanan
4.5Minor Characters
5Key Ideas
6Writing Techniques
6.1Structure, Genre & Narrative Voice
7Love Through the Ages - Thematic Analysis
7.1Love Through the Ages
Jump to other topics
1Specification Overview
1.1Specification Overview
2Context
3Plot Summary
3.1Chapter One
3.2Chapter Two
3.3Chapter Three
3.4Chapter Four
3.6Chapter Six
3.7Chapter Seven
3.8Chapter Eight
4Character Profiles
4.3Daisy Buchanan
4.5Minor Characters
5Key Ideas
6Writing Techniques
6.1Structure, Genre & Narrative Voice
7Love Through the Ages - Thematic Analysis
7.1Love Through the Ages
Practice questions on Tom Buchanan
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1What do we know about Tom Buchanan?True / false
- 2Who does Tom know from Yale University?Multiple choice
- 3What was Tom like at Yale University?Multiple choice
- 4Quotations about Tom Buchanan's physical appearance:Fill in the list
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