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Throughout the novel, The Great Gatsby, many characters played their roles as either using another person or people, or being used by people. Tom and Daisy are guilty of being users in this novel. Nick, George Wilson, Myrtle Wilson are all victims of being used by others. Gatsby seems to fit into both of these categories, meaning that he was a user, and was also used.
Tom and Daisy were both users in The Great Gatsby. A line that exemplifies what the lived for is a quote from Nick Carraway, the narrator, it states? 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? (Page 181). This line states that it was their wealth that gave them this ability to walk all over people. Tom Buchanan was a very dominant character throughout the story, who seemed to always get what he wanted.
Tom walked all over everyone for the most part. Even his description by Fitzgerald exemplifies his dominating character, ? Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward? (Page 7). This is the description of a man who will not take no for an answer and will almost always pull through victorious in any feat. He used George Wilson in a very rude fashion. Tom used George to get to his wife Myrtle, who gave him the sense of vitality that he longed for, the sense of vitality that Daisy just could not give him.
Tom pretends to be an ally of George Wilson yet states that? He? s so dumb he doesn? t know he? s alive? (Page 26). This exhibits that Tom only used George, the?
dumb one? , in order to get to Myrtle. Tom did not just use George Wilson in the novel, he used Jay Gatsby as well. Tom knew that he did not want another man taking his wife, Gatsby, in this instance. He felt that he wasn? t going to let any man play him for a fool. He meditated a devious plan to rid Gatsby from Daisy?
s life. He purposely took Gatsby? s car to Wilson? s garage so Myrtle would see it and think that it was Tom?
s new car. Hence, on the way back she would try to get Tom? s attention and somehow leave George. What she did not know was that it was Gatsby? s car and that Gatsby and Daisy, the driver, had no idea who she was. Myrtle was hit by the car and killed.
This put George in a furious rage. He planned to find the owner of the car and kill them. He thought that Tom was his friend, however, Tom was just using him and his fling with Myrtle ceased. He told George that Gatsby was the owner of the car and that Gatsby killed Myrtle, thus provoking George to attack Gatsby. Tom used Gatsby as a fallback plan. The plan being that if Tom could not be happy with what he had (Daisy), then Gatsby wasn?
t going to find happiness out of it. His wife hit Myrtle, yet he blamed the murder on Gatsby who had nothing to do with it. He then lied to Nick about what he had told George. He told Nick?
What if I did tell him? That fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy? s, but he was a tough one. ? (Page 180) Daisy was a user of many characters in a variety of occurrences. She used Nick, Tom, and most of all Gatsby. Daisy was?
High in a white palace the king? s daughter, the golden girl? (Page 120). This line exemplifies that others viewed her as superior, and living the life of a star. She used Nick as a middle-man to get to her long lost love, Jay Gatsby. She attended his? Tea Gathering?
because she knew that Gatsby would be there. Throughout the novel she used Nick but made it seem that Nick was one of her closest friends. It seemed that when Gatsby was killed, however, Daisy did not call to pay respects or to give solace to Nick for what had happened. A line that shows this event occurs a bit after the death scene, it states: ? I was sure there?
d be a wire from Daisy before noon, but the wire did not arrive? (Page 166). Daisy was a user, and used Nick in a cruel way. Nick was not the only person Daisy used, she used her husband Tom. She used Tom as a backup for Gatsby because she did not want the poor, ragged, James Get. She married Tom because he was rich and his wealth could provide her with her every need, he was her security. This was not enough for her though, she used Tom until Gatsby became rich, then she aimed her?
Green? or? Love? to Gatsby. She even tells Tom that she never loved him and that her true love was Gatsby. She states?
Why? how could I love him? possibly? ? (Page 132) and? I never loved him (Tom)? (Page 133).
These lines show us Daisy? s true colors. She did not desire Tom anymore, for, her true love was back in her life. She used him for money and then attempted to leave him hanging. Daisy used Gatsby as a summer fling, as somewhat of a revenge against Tom and his affair with another woman. She thought she would rekindle the flame between her and Gatsby, but in reality, what Gatsby could give her couldn?
t compare with what Tom could provide her with. She was a material girl, living in a world of possession and social status, which she had with Tom. She did not want to leave her position and take a risk with Gatsby because she had all she needed with her current husband. She played with is heart and manipulated him until, in finality, he met his demise. She then retreated back to Tom and did not attend the funeral of Gatsby, her true love.
Nick was used by Daisy and Gatsby alike. They both used him as a means of getting with each other. Gatsby used Nick as an advocate of his life story and as a man who could aid him in his return to Daisy. He knew that the only way to get to Daisy was through Nick, a friend of hers. After Gatsby was back in Daisy? s life, he pushed Nick away.
One instance of him pushing Nick away was outside of the Buchanons? house, Gatsby stated? I want to wait here till Daisy goes to bed, Good Night old sport? (Page 146). This line shows that he did not need Nick anymore and that he was going to get Daisy regardless of whether or not Nick was going to help him.
Another line showing that Gatsby was pushing Nick away is? Go away NOW, old sport? ? (Page 147). This line infers that Gatsby needs Nick no more and is actually tired of him, he wants to see Nick out of his affairs from that point on. Gatsby used Nick in his attempt at regaining the heart of Daisy. Nick knew he was used yet still stuck up for Gatsby, he stated?
I found myself on Gatsby? s side, and alone. ? (Page 165) He knew he had been used by Gatsby, but saw past that. He was a true friend to Jay Gatsby. George and Myrtle Wilson were both used by Tom. He used George to get to Myrtle, and Myrtle, for her carefree lifestyle. Myrtle had a fire inside her which Tom was attracted to.
George was also used by his wife Myrtle. She used him because he was basically in the right place at the right time. She admits to using him by stating? The only crazy I was was when I married him. I knew right away I made a mistake. ? (Page 35).
Myrtle is saying that she should have never married him, but only did because she thought he was a gentleman who could provide for her but in reality she knew what she wanted, she wanted Tom. Myrtle was used by Tom as a type of respite from Daisy. It was not an ambitious relationship, but more of a fling. He knew he wasn? t going to marry her. After her death it seemed that Tom did not really care much for her.
It barely bothered him that this? fling? of his was over, just so long as Gatsby was going to take the fall for Myrtle? s death and soon be out of the picture. The Great Gatsby had many instances of people being used, sort of like marionettes. Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby were all users in their own way.
While Nick and the Wilsons were used. They all fit into their roles quite well in what was resolved as a tragic absolution of the affairs of Tom and Daisy, and the trials and tribulations of Gatsby. The reader witnesses the rise and fall of Jay Gatsby, ? the man who gives his name to this book? .
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