Tom Buchanan 2
English Lit: AQA A Level The Great Gatsby - Specification A, topic 4.4.2
Tom Buchanan - Lacking in Intelligence
Tom is shown to lack intelligence at times because of how he deals with situations.
Racist
- Tom is shown to lack intelligence because he praises a racist book called The Rise of the Colored Empires.
- Tom urges everyone to read the book so that they can understand how important it is that they protect ‘the dominant race’ (Chapter One).
Arriving unannounced
- Nick pays Gatsby a visit ‘one Sunday afternoon’.
- To Nick’s surprise, Tom Buchanan shows up at the house unexpectedly with some friends.
- This is purposeful but also insensitive. It perhaps demonstrates Tom’s lack of intelligence.
Reaction to the affair
- When Tom discovers the affair between Gatsby and his wife, he starts acting erratically instead of confronting them. This foreshadows future trouble.
- The fact that he does not act rationally says much about his level of intelligence.
Perseverance
- Although he apparently lacks intelligence, Tom does not give up on Daisy.
- Cleverly, he reminds her about different parts of their history together, such as their time in Hawaii, and Daisy is forced to confess that actually she was in love with Tom.
- Tom does not give up. This may show that he is more intelligent than the reader may at first think.
Tom Buchanan - Unfaithful Husband
When Jordan listens to what is happening in the other room, she reveals to Nick that ‘Tom’s got some other woman in New York’, meaning that he is cheating on his wife.
Hypocritical
- The revelation that Tom has a mistress shows him to be hypocritical. He wants to show off his seemingly perfect family, but really he is hiding sinister secrets.
Cruel side to his personality
- Myrtle antagonises Tom by calling ‘Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!’ repeatedly in the New York apartment.
- Angered by Myrtle’s disobedience, Tom punches her in the face and breaks her nose. Tom’s actions here show a much more cruel and abusive side to his character whilst he is being unfaithful.
Difficulty of Pammy
- Tom’s daughter Pammy symbolises a shared past between Tom and Daisy that he will never be able to erase.
- She also provides a difficulty for Tom in his affair with Myrtle Wilson.
Test yourself on Tom Buchanan 2
Who turns up unannounced when Nick pays Gatsby a visit ‘one Sunday afternoon’?
What does Tom do when he learns of Gatsby and Daisy's affair?
What book does Tom praise?
Who does Tom punch?
Who or what symbolises a shared past between Tom and Daisy?