"“Jay Gatsby” had broken up like glass against Tom’s hard malice..."See in text(Chapter VIII)
Nick interprets Gatsby’s willingness to confide in him about the past as evidence that his persona has shattered “like glass” under Tom’s attack. The specific simile emphasizes the fragile nature of the “long secret extravaganza” Gatsby carried on for so long. Its breaking implies that the “new money” class cannot truly stand alongside the wealth of families like the Buchanans. The American dream, therefore, is untenable.
