Compare And Contrast George And Tom In The Great Gatsby

Tom and George are both very different, yet similar characters. Usually when one thinks of Tom, he thinks “rich,” “violent,” or “aggressive.” When it comes to George, one may think “timid” and “poor.” This is caused by the way they were raised and the environment they lived in. However, both characters strive to achieve their own dreams; they just have very different ways to meet them. George and Tom share similar characteristics, but they have many traits that differ from one another. 

Tom and George both care about their loved ones and have goals that correlate with these women. George works at the car garage and tries his best to provide for himself and Myrtle. He only wants to be happy with her and does his very hardest to make that possible. George is so attached and devoted to Myrtle that even when he finds out that she had been cheating on him, he still planned on moving with her to lead a better life. His loyalty to her could stem from his own upbringing; the readers do n ot get information on George’s childhood, but we can assume that his family was poor. Tom is a wealthy man of the 20s who is having an affair with George’s wife. He cares about both Daisy and Myrtle. Even though Tom cheats on Daisy, he still loves and cares about her. He gets jealous when Gatsby states that Daisy was going to leave him, and he refuses to accept it. Although Myrtle may just be any other affair, Tom is still fond of her. She may not be his wife, but she is special to him nonetheless. George and Tom share the similarity of taking care of and loving their wives.

Tom and George come from very different backgrounds, and it shows by the way they act. George is the opposite of wealthy and has to work long hours a day to survive. In chapter seven, Nick observes, “Generally he was one of those worn- out men: when he wasn't working, he sat on a chair in the doorway and stared at the people in the cars that passed along the road. When anyone spoke to him he invariably laughed in an agreeable, colorless way. He was his wife's man and not his own” (Fitzgerald 136). By this description, we can see that George does not have an interesting life. It is the same routine everyday to earn the money necessary in order to live. He does not really care about materialistic items; all he wants is to be happy with his wife. Tom is almost the exact opposite. He strives to be the best and is almost obsessed with it. He shows off all of the luxurious things that he owns to impress others. He was raised by a wealthy family and has probably always been that way. He is a very proud man, whereas George is more timid and meek. Tom is also very intimidating, and the readers can see that in chapter two when Tom offers George his car to sell. George quickly apologizes after he says that it is taking too long to get the car, when it wasn’t necessarily his fault. Tom has power over him and he proves it when he encounters George.

George and Tom are alike in some ways and are different in others. They both take care of their beloveds, as they are special to these men. However, they come from very different backgrounds. Tom is a strong, wealthy, and somewhat aggressive character; George is a poor, weak, and timid man. Tom was raised by a successful family and never had to worry about the money that he needed to make just so that he could live a very simple life. These similarities and differences are important details in The Great Gatsby.