Tom: scene pg129-130

“Open the whiskey, Tom,” Daisy ordered to me, “and I’ll make you a mint julep. Then you won’t seem so stupid to yourself…. Look at the mint!”
I could not take this humiliation any longer, especially not coming from my wife, a woman! I needed to get out this doubt, along with the anger, once and for all.

“Wait a minute,” I snapped with irritation, trying to hide my humiliation, “I want to ask Mr. Gatsby one more question.”

“Go on,” Gatsby said, with a gentle feeling of power and victory.

“What kind of row are you trying to cause in my house anyhow?”

This was it. It was time to face this man and confront him. Time to show whose boss.

“He isn’t causing a row,” Daisy said, again interrupting my moment. “You’re causing a row. Please have a little self-control.”

Self-control?! She wanted me to have some self control when some man was trying to take my wife. This was just ludicrous!

“Self-control!” I repeated mordantly. “I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. NOBODY from NOWHERE make LOVE to your wife. Well, if that’s the idea you can count me OUT… Nowadays people begin sneering at family life and family institutions, and next they’ll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white.”

I just not could not take this! This man was trying to tear apart my family, MY family. Yes, I understand I had an affair with Myrtle, but this man had no right to bother our lives and our marriage. We were all much better without him!

Afterwards I realized I was standing by myself, but at least their attention was all on me, and I hoped that those words were sinking right in those empty brains of theirs.

“We’re all white here,” murmured Jordan.

I didn’t realize that part, but I still wanted to make them see that it wasn’t right for this Gatsby man to cause any trouble with my family, especially not my woman. But this man just thought he was so important and famous because of his huge social parties who just consisted of lazy people with nothing better to do that go waste some hours of their life at an unknown man’s home.

“I know I’m not very popular. I don’t give big parties. I suppose you’ve got to make your house into a pigsty in order to have any friends­—­in the modern world.”

I was mad. No, not mad, furious. I could already feel my packet muscles get tense. I wanted, no, I was desperate to shop everyone that I had every right to want to expose this man! I had to defend my morals!

“I’ve got something to tell you, old sport—“Gatsby began, but was, surprisingly, cut by Daisy’s helpless plea.

“Please don’t!” She cried. “Please let’s all go home. Why don’t we all go home?”

“That’s a good idea,” Mick said as he quickly got up. “Come on, Tom. Nobody wants a drink.”

Obviously no one wanted one. What they wanted was to get away from this huge embarrassing moment Gatsby was about to go through, by they were going to have to stay for it all.

“I want to know what Mr. Gatsby has to tell me.”

“You’re wife doesn’t love you,” said Gatsby.  “She’s never loved you. She loves me.”

“You must be crazy!” I exclaimed. I didn’t even think of how to respond him, I just did. From that moment I not only let my anger and hate toward Gatsby take hold of my words, by my feeling and emotions as well. This man must be truly insane to think that Daisy loves him when she has me. I couldn’t think of that being possible… Daisy’s love not being mine? I suddenly felt some huge anchor hit my heart.

Gatsby, on the other hand, was rather excited and pleased to have that lie out of his chest, for he jumped up and began talking once more.