The Great Gatsby Group

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veryberry
veryberry
Student
High School - 11th Grade

In chapter 7, what is significant about Tom's innaccuracy about the sun?

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Posted by veryberry on Friday January 18, 2008 at 6:16 PM and tagged with chapter 7, sun, the great gatsby, tom.

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  1. jeff-hauge Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    From the beginning of the novel, the reader sees Tom’s mistaken sense of himself. He finds himself superior and bases his twisted, self-serving beliefs on pseudo-science. His inability to correctly account for something as simple as a hot summer day betrays in him his ingrained habit of rationalization. The only problem is that he cannot keep his facts straight. He cannot tell if the sun is getting hotter or colder, or if the earth is going to fall into the sun, let alone take into account the situation going on around him. “You think I am pretty dumb, don’t you? Perhaps I am…” he finally states (126).

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    Posted by jeff-hauge on Saturday January 19, 2008 at 9:07 AM