Gatsby Commentary

Janice O’Brien

Commentary Re-Write

Fitzgerald illustrates the corruption of the wealthy in the 1920’s by showing how “careless” Tom is. His ignorance of the possibility that Gatsby may not be responsible for Myrtle’s death and his over willingness to alleviate guilt are representative of the corrupted upper class of the 1920’s. Tom feels guilty for Myrtle’s death and attempts to free his conscience by claiming George “was crazy enough to kill,” and had he not told the crazed man who owned the car, he too would have been killed. The hyperbole emphasizes how scared Tom was and characterizes him as a weak person because he feels the need to justify his actions. Tom further attempts to validate his betrayal to Gatsby by alleging he killed Myrtle “like you’d run over a dog.” The simile compares Myrtle to a dog, accentuating the idea that Gatsby murdered her in cold blood, and it justifies Tom’s betrayal of Gatsby. Tom’s last attempt at gaining sympathy from Nick is when he claims he “sat down and cried like a baby” because his crying shows remorse for Myrtle’s death, and he feels this is an acceptable reason to have betrayed Gatsby. Nick’s thoughts interject Tom’s suffering and allow a more lucid thought process to counteract Tom’s emotional pleas. Nick knows Tom feels his actions were “entirely justified” and repeats that Tom and Daisy are “careless people” to show Tom was not justified in betraying Gatsby. Nick feels “as though (he) were talking to a child” because of Tom’s over willingness to explain why the murder is not his fault. Tom is characterized as being immature because he is compared to a child. Nick even remarks “I shook hands with him; it seemed silly not to.” Diction is very important because “silly” further shows Tom’s immaturity. After shaking hands with Nick, Tom ventures “into the jewelry store to buy a pearl necklace.” The white pearl is symbolic of purity, and Tom wishes to purchase it to free his conscience, as though possessing something of white purity can purge his sins. The author’s tone is sarcastic to emphasize Tom’s materialistic needs and carelessness.