Tom Buchanan, a central figure in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, embodies a striking hypocrisy that permeates his actions and dictates his worldview. As a wealthy, privileged white man from an established family, Tom navigates the Jazz Age with an unearned sense of entitlement and a rigid, self-serving moral code. His pronouncements on social order, racial purity, and marital fidelity stand in stark contrast to his own behavior, revealing a deep-seated hypocrisy that underpins the novel's critique of the American Dream and the moral decay of the era's elite. This hypocrisy is not merely a personal failing but a systemic issue, reflecting the superficiality and corruption of the wealthy class Fitzgerald depicts.
One of Tom's most blatant hypocrisies lies in his views on race and social hierarchy. He is a vocal proponent of racist pseudoscience, espousing fears of "the mongrelization of the race" and citing Lothrop Stoddard's The Rising Tide of Color as a definitive source. This ideology, prevalent among certain segments of the wealthy elite in the 1920s, served to justify their dominance and position them as custodians of a supposed racial purity. Yet, Tom's own personal life directly contradicts his anxieties. He is engaged in a passionate, adulterous affair with Myrtle Wilson, a woman from a lower social and economic class, and one who is decidedly not of his perceived racial elite. His outrage is reserved for those who dare to challenge the established order or cross his perceived boundaries, not for his own transgressions against the very social fabric he claims to protect. This selective indignation highlights his hypocrisy: he uses abstract social theories to condemn others while indulging in the very transgressions he publicly decries.
Furthermore, Tom's concept of marital fidelity is equally hypocritical. He is married to Daisy Buchanan, a woman of immense wealth and social standing, yet he openly carries on an affair with Myrtle. When he discovers Gatsby's relationship with Daisy, his fury is immense, not because of the infidelity itself, but because it is his wife who is being unfaithful. He confronts Gatsby in the Plaza Hotel, accusing him of deception and demanding Daisy's loyalty. "You always have a gay time," Tom sneers at Gatsby, a loaded statement given Tom's own extensive romantic dalliances. He believes he is entitled to a wife who remains faithful while he is free to pursue other women. His outrage stems from a wounded sense of ownership and pride, rather than any genuine commitment to the sanctity of marriage. He sees Daisy as a possession, and Gatsby's pursuit of her is a personal affront to his authority and status.
Tom's hypocrisy also extends to his disdain for Gatsby's "new money" status. He constantly belittles Gatsby, referring to him as a bootlegger and an upstart. He laments the changing social order, where wealth, regardless of its source, can grant access and influence. Yet, Tom himself benefits immensely from inherited wealth and the social advantages it confers. His own family's fortune, though less conspicuously acquired than Gatsby's, is still a product of the capitalist system he uphns. His contempt for Gatsby is not a principled stand against ill-gotten gains, but rather a defense of his own privileged position against a perceived threat. He fears that Gatsby's success, built on dubious foundations, challenges the established hierarchy that has always favored men like him. His judgment of Gatsby is a projection of his own insecurities about maintaining his social dominance in a rapidly shifting world.
In conclusion, Tom Buchanan's character is a masterclass in hypocrisy. His pronouncements on race, marriage, and social class are hollow justifications for his own immoral behavior and his desire to maintain a crumbling social order. Fitzgerald uses Tom to expose the moral bankruptcy of the American elite, individuals who preach virtue while practicing vice, and who defend their privilege through a distorted lens of righteousness. Tom's ultimate inability to confront his own failings, his reliance on brute force and social standing to maintain control, and his tragic role in the events leading to Gatsby's death all underscore the destructive nature of his profound hypocrisy.