There are several notable differences between Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby in Fitzgerald's classic novel The Great Gatsby. Tom Buchanan is depicted as a muscular, arrogant man with a supercilious attitude. Nick is not particularly fond of Tom and elaborates on his difficult personality by saying,
His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed. There was a touch of paternal contempt in it, even toward people he liked—and there were men at New Haven who had hated his guts.
In contrast, Jay Gatsby is depicted as the consummate gentleman and exudes warmth, generosity, and kindness. Nick describes Gatsby's welcoming, magnetic personality by saying,
He smiled understandingly—much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced—or seemed to face—the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on YOU with an...
(The entire section contains 4 answers and 1248 words.)
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