Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand.
Chapter 2 · Narrator
Context
Immediately after Myrtle's defiant repetition of Daisy's name, Tom strikes her with sudden violence.
Analysis
The clinical brevity of this sentence mirrors the swiftness and casualness of Tom's violence—there is no build-up, no hesitation, just efficient brutality. The word 'deft' is chilling in its implication of practiced ease, suggesting this is not Tom's first act of physical violence. The 'open hand' detail makes the act simultaneously more intimate and more contemptuous than a fist—it is a slap, a gesture of dominance rather than combat. Nick's flat, reportorial tone refuses to dramatize the violence, which makes it all the more shocking.
How to Use in Essay
Essential for essays on Tom's character, the theme of violence underlying the novel's glamour, gender and power, or Nick's narrative style in moments of crisis.