The Great Gatsby
Prompt #3 · The Great Gatsby
Prompt Type: Scene Analysis
In the confrontation in Tom's apartment when Tom breaks Myrtle's nose after she shouts Daisy's name, Fitzgerald exposes the violence underlying Tom's character. Analyze how Fitzgerald uses this moment to develop the novel's critique of power and privilege. Explain how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Quote 1
Chapter 2
Argument
This quote demonstrates the sudden eruption of Tom's violence, using stark imagery ('short deft movement') to contrast his aristocratic demeanor with his brutish actions, exposing the hypocrisy of his privileged class.
Quote 2
Chapter 2
Argument
Myrtle's defiant repetition of Daisy's name ('Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!') triggers Tom's violence, highlighting the power imbalance in their relationship and foreshadowing the destructive consequences of challenging his authority.
Quote 3
“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made …”
Chapter 9
Argument
This later quote encapsulates the broader critique of Tom's privilege, using metaphor ('smashed up things and creatures') to show how he and Daisy evade accountability, reinforcing the novel's condemnation of careless wealth.