# Tom D'Invilliers — This Side of Paradise character guide

> Tom D'Invilliers in This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Tom DвАЩInvilliers, Tom, Tom d’Invilliers, Tommy, Thomas Parke D’Invilliers, D’Invilliers

**First appearance:** 0005-ii-spires-and-gargoyles

## Snapshot

A poet with a taste for decadence and a sharp, self-mocking wit, Tom is Amory's most intellectually honest friend at Princeton.

## Who they are

Tom drifts through Princeton with a volume of Swinburne and a talent for puncturing the campus's self-importance, trading verses and cynicism with Amory in late-night rooms. He is more genuinely literary than Amory and less driven to be liked, which makes him both a foil and a comfort. His friendship matters because it gives Amory a mirror for his own pretensions and a companion in the aesthetic pose that will define his youth.

## Relationships

### [Amory Blaine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/this_side_of_paradise_se/characters/amory_blaine)

_friendship_

A close, literary-minded friendship with the effete, aesthetic Tom, who serves as Amory's foil and fellow seeker of artistic truth.

### [Burne Holiday](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/this_side_of_paradise_se/characters/burne_holiday)

_friendship_

A shared intellectual bond at Princeton, with Burne's earnestness complementing Tom's aestheticism in their mutual rejection of conventional values.

### [Amory Blaine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/this_side_of_paradise_se/characters/amory_blaine)

_friendship_

A close, literary-minded friendship with the effete, aesthetic Tom, who serves as Amory's foil and fellow seeker of artistic truth.

### [Burne Holiday](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/this_side_of_paradise_se/characters/burne_holiday)

_friendship_

A shared intellectual bond at Princeton, with Burne's earnestness complementing Tom's aestheticism in their mutual rejection of conventional values.

### [Amory Blaine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/this_side_of_paradise_se/characters/amory_blaine)

_friendship_

A close, literary-minded friendship with the effete, aesthetic Tom, who serves as Amory's foil and fellow seeker of artistic truth.

### [Burne Holiday](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/this_side_of_paradise_se/characters/burne_holiday)

_friendship_

A shared intellectual bond at Princeton, with Burne's earnestness complementing Tom's aestheticism in their mutual rejection of conventional values.

## In the story

### [Book I: The Romantic Egotist](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/this_side_of_paradise_se/chapters/book-i-the-romantic-egotist)

Amory's friend at Princeton; a poet and intellectual who shares Amory's literary interests.

### [Spires and Gargoyles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/this_side_of_paradise_se/chapters/ii-spires-and-gargoyles)

Debates with Amory about Princeton's influence and recites poetry.

### [The Egotist Considers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/this_side_of_paradise_se/chapters/iii-the-egotist-considers)

Collaborates with Amory on literary pursuits and helps print Amory's satirical poem in the Nassau Lit.

### [Narcissus Off Duty](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/this_side_of_paradise_se/chapters/iv-narcissus-off-duty)

Discusses the club reform movement with Amory and Burne; takes a neutral stance.

### [Interlude: May, 1917–February, 1919](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/this_side_of_paradise_se/chapters/interlude-may-1917-february-1919)

Recipient of Amory's letter from Brest; Amory plans to share an apartment with him and Alec.

### [II: Experiments in Convalescence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/this_side_of_paradise_se/chapters/ii-experiments-in-convalescence)

Amory's friend and intellectual sparring partner; criticizes American literature and shares his satirical free verse poem.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/this_side_of_paradise_se/characters/tom_dinvilliers
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/this_side_of_paradise_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/this_side_of_paradise_se/characters