You want too much.The Great Gatsby · 2013 — Chapter 15 of 18 · 5'23" · B2
Tom Exposes Gatsby at the Hotel, Explained: in our blood
Tom stops pretending and attacks Gatsby in front of Daisy, exposing his bootlegging and his ties to Meyer Wolfshiem. The line that ends the argument is about birth, not money: "We're all different from you... It's in our blood." Gatsby's money cannot buy the one thing Tom claims is inherited.
What happens
At a hotel in the city, Tom confronts Gatsby and reveals that his fortune comes from bootlegging and from dealing with Meyer Wolfshiem. Daisy is caught between the two men and admits she loved Tom too. Gatsby loses his temper, Tom keeps his ground, and Daisy begins to pull away from Gatsby.
Listen for
in our bloodsmall changeget his claws intoup to his eyeballs in debt
00:00 / 05:23Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
in our blood
写在血里；天生如此
汤姆在摊牌时对盖茨比说，他们这些人和他天生就不一样。
Fishing has been in our blood for generations.
Also in this scene
- small change
小钱；微不足道的东西
- get his claws into
把爪子伸向；抓住不放
- up to his eyeballs in debt
deeply in debt (or deeply involved); overwhelmed to the limit
Everything marked in this scene
34 notes across 124 lines
liaison
You want too much....isn't that enough? I can't help......isn't that enough? I can't help...Even that is a lie!...Gatsby, that you'll never know.relative clause
...Gatsby, that you'll never know.- Things that neither of us can ever forget. GATSBY: I need to......speak to Daisy alone.You see, you've got her all excited now, don't you......I can't say I never loved Torn. It wouldn't be true.- As if it mattered to you. TOM: Of course it matters!I'm gonna take better care of you from now on....for a common swindler......for a common swindler...I made an investigation......alcohol over the counter.liaison
...alcohol over the counter....is just small change compared to this bonds stunt......up to his eyeballs in debt...elision
...up to his eyeballs in debt...I'm surprised he hasn't tried to drag you in.He's got nothing to do with- With your little racket.He's got nothing to do with- With your little racket....to get his claws into respectable folk like Walter Chase.We're all different from you.It's in our blood...infinitive after seem
I seem to have......lost my temper....Oxford manners. GATSBY: Daisy, darling.None of this has any consequence....Daisy was drawing further and further into herself....stand it anymore!tolerate
...stand it anymore!Tom Exposes Gatsby at the Hotel, explained
What's really going on
The fight looks like it is about money, but Tom wins it by turning to birth. He tells Gatsby, "We're all different from you." He has already landed the harder blow: "The only respectable thing about you, old sport, is your money." Inherited position becomes the one thing Gatsby's fortune cannot touch, and the claim holds because everyone in the room already believes it. Daisy's confession — that she loved both men — does the rest: it breaks the fantasy that only Gatsby ever had her heart. Tom never has to be likable to win; he only has to remind the room of who belongs.
Theme
ClassTom defeats Gatsby not with facts but with the claim that good breeding is inherited and money cannot buy it.
DreamsDaisy's admission that she loved Tom too collapses the perfect past Gatsby spent years building.
What you'll learn
- Use lose one's temper for snapping
- Hear a front as a respectable cover
- Catch We're different as a class wall
- Use from now on for a new start
Listen for
- want too much — liaison
- over the counter — liaison
- up to his eyeballs — elision
Mr. Gatsby, exactly who are you, anyhow?Tom cuts through the polite fiction and demands Gatsby's real identity, turning the party guest into a man on trial.
The only respectable thing about you, old sport, is your money.Tom reduces Gatsby to his cash, stripping away the manners and charm Gatsby has carefully built.
We're all different from you.Tom claims an inherited difference of class that no amount of money can erase, and the room agrees.
None of this has any consequence.Gatsby's attempt to wave the fight away, insisting the accusations do not matter when set against his love for Daisy.
Questions about this scene
Why does Tom expose Gatsby in front of Daisy?
Tom is losing Daisy and knows it, so he attacks Gatsby's background instead of defending his own behavior. He wants Daisy to see Gatsby as a criminal rather than a rival.
What does Tom mean by "We're all different from you"?
He means their difference is inherited, not financial. Tom argues that class and breeding are in the blood, so Gatsby's money can never make him their equal.
Why does Daisy say she loved Tom too?
She cannot fully break from her marriage or rewrite her own past. Her honesty destroys Gatsby's plan, which required her to say she never loved Tom.
What makes Gatsby lose his temper?
Daisy refuses to deny loving Tom, and Tom keeps pressing the point. Gatsby's controlled manner cracks, and the rage becomes part of what turns Daisy away.
The Great Gatsby · 18 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 16pull yourself togetherThe Yellow Car After the Crash
Chapter 1reserve all judgmentsNick Begins His Story
Chapter 2have the decencyNick Dines with the Buchanans
Chapter 3sit on the sidelineTom's Secret Apartment Party
Chapter 4old sportNick Searches for Gatsby
Chapter 5a pack of liesGatsby Tells Nick His Life Story
Chapter 6keeps his mouth shutGatsby's Lunch with a Gambler
Chapter 7pomp and circumstanceJordan Tells Gatsby's Backstory
Chapter 8acting like a little boyGatsby's Awkward Reunion with Daisy
Chapter 9If it wasn't forGatsby Shows Daisy His Mansion
Chapter 10to your likingTom and Daisy Join Gatsby's Party
Chapter 11make a point ofDaisy Wants to Run Away
Chapter 12repeat the pastGatsby Refuses to Let the Past Go
Chapter 13Have it your own wayGatsby Meets Tom at Lunch
Chapter 14Nobody From NowhereTom Calls Gatsby Nobody From Nowhere
Watching · Chapter 15in our bloodTom Exposes Gatsby at the Hotel
Chapter 16pull yourself togetherThe Yellow Car After the Crash
Chapter 17keep your voice downGatsby Waits Outside Daisy's House
Chapter 18made something of myselfGatsby Keeps Vigil Until DawnChapter 15 of 18 · about 11 min to go