Violence in The Great Gatsby
Violence in The Great Gatsby
Violence is a key theme present throughout The Great Gatsby. Violence is embodied by Tom Buchanan, George Wilson, and Daisy Buchanan. There are several occasions in which violence is present, making it a significant theme throughout the novel. The first incident of violence occurs when Tom hits Myrtle and breaks her nose. “Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand.” (Fitzgerald 39). This passage not only highlights Tom’s strength but also his true violent personality. Tom strikes Myrtle only because she said something that angered Tom and his solution to the problem was violence.
Another incident of violence occurs when Daisy brutally kills Myrtle. Myrtle dies because of Daisy’s carelessness. Daisy was going “thirty or forty miles an hour” (133), and never stops to make sure Myrtle is okay. The fact that Daisy was going too fast to stop shows how violence is often a result of carelessness.
The last incident of violence occurs when George Wilson murders Jay Gatsby and then later kills himself. George shoots Gatsby only because Tom told him that Gatsby was responsible for Myrtle’s death. The killing of both Gatsby and Wilson is described as the holocaust (154).
It is clear that violence is a significant theme present in the novel The Great Gatsby. The violence that occurs in the novel is often a result of carelessness or is the revelation of a character’s true personality.
Work Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. N.p.: Penguin, 1950. Print.
Violence is a key theme present throughout The Great Gatsby. Violence is embodied by Tom Buchanan, George Wilson, and Daisy Buchanan. There are several occasions in which violence is present, making it a significant theme throughout the novel. The first incident of violence occurs when Tom hits Myrtle and breaks her nose. “Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand.” (Fitzgerald 39). This passage not only highlights Tom’s strength but also his true violent personality. Tom strikes Myrtle only because she said something that angered Tom and his solution to the problem was violence.
Another incident of violence occurs when Daisy brutally kills Myrtle. Myrtle dies because of Daisy’s carelessness. Daisy was going “thirty or forty miles an hour” (133), and never stops to make sure Myrtle is okay. The fact that Daisy was going too fast to stop shows how violence is often a result of carelessness.
The last incident of violence occurs when George Wilson murders Jay Gatsby and then later kills himself. George shoots Gatsby only because Tom told him that Gatsby was responsible for Myrtle’s death. The killing of both Gatsby and Wilson is described as the holocaust (154).
It is clear that violence is a significant theme present in the novel The Great Gatsby. The violence that occurs in the novel is often a result of carelessness or is the revelation of a character’s true personality.
Work Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. N.p.: Penguin, 1950. Print.
Cited: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. N.p.: Penguin, 1950. Print.