In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilized characterization in order to expose the corruption of the inhabitants of East Egg. Three inhabitants of "the wasteland": Tom, Myrtle, and Daisy are depicted as self-absorbed aristocrats whose love for themselves by far outweighs their love for each other. The way Tom composes himself around other characters reveals how self-absorbed he is. Myrtle is an impulsive person that uses other characters, namely Tom and George Wilson. Daisy, also self-absorbed, is portrayed as parasitic because of the way she uses and betrays Gatsby.
             Tom is a character of direct action based on his self-preservation. When Nick and Jordan were eating dinner at the Buchanans' house, Tom "frowned, pushed back his chair and without a word went inside." This gives the impression that he is only interested in his own affair and not the least bit concerned that he left his guests alone. Tom cheats on Daisy with Myrtle and does not feel the least bit guilty. When Tom, Nick, and Myrtle were in their New York apartment, Tom broke Myrtle's nose because he wanted to keep his dignity when she was shouting daisy's name. "Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand." This clearly exposes Tom as a man of direct action based on his self-preservation. After Myrtle was killed, Tom becomes scared when George Wilson says he knew "what kind of car" killed his wife. "Watching Tom I saw the wad of muscle on the back of his shoulder tighten under his shirt." Tom, in another episode of his self-preservation!
             , picked up George Wilson and shut him into the garage office. Ultimately, Tom's self-preservation led to the destruction of Jay Gatsby and like a coward, he fled from New York.
             Myrtle's self-absorbed nature is evident throughout the story. When she first saw Tom, she "just had to" have him. Rather than caring about her marriage of eleven years to George Wilson, she ca...