Gatsby is merely a lovesick young man, and he only means good. He never violently attacks another person such as Tom does. However, Gatsby's involvement in illegal activities can only cause one to speculate that he may be responsible for numerous deaths, much like Tom who provokes George Wilson to murder Gatsby and commit suicide. Although Gatsby and Tom are very much alike, Tom is a much more outwardly violent and aggressive man than Gatsby, making him much like a vision of Gatsby's evil alter ego.
East and west are expansively used in this novel to contrast certain types of people and their mannerisms. Fitzgerald seems to be implying that a person's behavioral characteristics are due to their environment. In the novel, the east is used to represent an evil area, much like the Valley of Ashes. The valley fully represents the evil and waste of the eastern United States. The valley is described as, " a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat ,"" (27) demonstrating how the bleakness contrasts with the beautiful fields of wheat in the west. This west being described embodies all that is good in the world, a pure innocence that is quickly lost by all pursuing the American Dream. Nick, Tom, Daisy, and Myrtle, all hailing from the west (were good at one time), have moved east, signifying their loss of the original good they possessed. It is interesting to find that Gatsby, claiming to hail from San Francisco, considers this the Midwest. Gatsby is utterly confused by the question of his birthplace, signifying his confusion with the question of good and evil. He doesn't really know what lies between, there seems to be no grey area for him. Gatsby seems not to recognize people who are partially' evil as having cruel intentions. This quasi-evil includes all characters in this story, including Gatsby himself. Analysis of Gatsby's behavior reveals this misunderstanding. Gatsby has engaged in illegal activities in order to acquire his wealth, and indirectly, Daisy.
