Villains are extremely wealthy as it is said that they spend all of their fortune funding their evil plans, which are often extremely expensive, yet it is assumed that they are isolated and excluded from society, probably because of their devilishness or due to other characteristics such as their physical appearance.

Is the character of Tom Buchanan a rich social outcast?

On the one hand, Tom Buchanan is a terribly wealthy person, an aspect depicted by Carraway since the first chapter of the novel, through “even in college his freedom of money was a matter of reproach”, and owner of such luxurious possessions like “a cheerful red and white Georgian colonial mansion, overlooking the bay” and “polo ponies from Lake Forest.” This wealth, luxury …show more content…
In fact, this character enjoys being not only wealthy but also an aristocrat living in the prestigious, “glittered” and “fashionable East Egg” of Long Island, which is just exclusive for the original wealthy people, for the ones that inherited their fortune, surname and consequently, social position or status. This exclusiveness is perhaps highlighted in the fact that Gatsby – having enormous economic assets – decides to live in West Egg, as he is not member of the traditionally powerful and influential people, even if he is wealthier than most of them. By presenting Buchanan as a socially successful man, the writer may besides and to an extent be criticizing the contemporary social stratification, as he presents Buchanan – the influential aristocrat – as an evil person, as the villain of the whole novel, and Gatsby – the rich yet socially weaker character – as the actual hero of the movie, demonstrating how the social position does not make a person more important or better. This contraposition between Gatsby and Buchanan as regards the social status also demonstrates another important aspect that characterized the 1920 decade: the collision between the old and new social stereotypes and rules. Furthermore, Buchanan as the opposite of an outcast can be also remarked in the way in which Carraway conveys his social success when he was just a