Tom and Gatsby, each other's perfect foils?It is commonly believed that all those who are wealthy adhere to a similar set of values, characteristics and have similar lifestyles. Fitzgerald offers the reader a clear view, through the eyes of Nick Caraway, of the differences and similarities that can be found among the wealthy people of the Roaring Twenties. Two very important characters in the story are Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan. Fitzgerald created two deliberately different characters – one who is easily despicable, the other who, while not perfect, is sympathetic – and united them in their love of money, the power that comes with it, and their quest for of the ultimate prize: Daisy. In this essay, we will compare Tom and Gatsby in several areas, including personality, loyalty, and lifestyle, so that we can determine whether or not they are perfect foils to each other. Tom and Gatsby have small similarities and their differences are obvious. The source of Tom and Gatsby's wealth plays a big role in their personalities. Tom is from the East Egg while Gatsby is from the West Egg. That being said, Tom's wealth is inherited while Gatsby's was self-made. Tom, born in a golden cradle, is naturally arrogant. Probably the biggest example of his arrogance is his racism. Tom believes that “[we whites] are the dominant race” (Fitzgerald 18). Believing that you have supremacy over someone because of your skin color is a clear sign of arrogance. Arrogance is an unfortunate quality that is often associated with powerful and wealthy people, and Tom Buchanan is no exception. Every chance he gets, Tom uses it to show how much better he is than everyone else. This couldn't be more obvious when Tom... middle of paper ... before the man's eyes. (Fitzgerald 74). The policeman released him instantly. This shows that Gatsby has very deep corrupt ties. Looking at Tom and Gatsby's personality, loyalties, and lifestyle, it is clear that their similarities were very minimal and their differences obvious and numerous. The rich of the Roaring Twenties did not turn out to be all the same, but rather very different. Tom and Gatsby turned out to be each other's true foils. It is obvious that one cannot be judged on the stereotypes linked to one's class because everyone is very different from one another. To conclude, even though Tom and Gatsby were different, their goal was Daisy, however Gatsby died for Daisy while Tom simply took her as a trophy. It's sad to see someone as disloyal as Tom take Daisy in the end but it just goes to show how life is never in favor of the good guy..