Daisy's Relationship In The Great Gatsby

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By the first chapter, Fitzgerald characterizes Tom as a well built man with a conceited attitude. Right at the start he is described as having a “cruel body” and having people at New Haven who “hated his guts” (7). Having this in mind, the reader has already accumulated an assumption towards Tom without even realizing it, so when Tom brings up the book he is reading, The Rise of the Colored Empire, the reader is suspicious and finds him to be racist. He claims that the white race is the “dominate race” and that they must be careful to not let the other race “submerge” the white race (13). Right after Tom makes this statement, Nick goes on to say that “there was something pathetic in his concentration” (13). By including this, Fitzgerald lets …show more content…

The Buchanans’ conversations reveal the broken relationship that they possess. Tom dismisses Daisy when she makes a comment towards him and Daisy says things that she knows irritates Tom. This is not how a relationship works, and from watching them any outsider could tell that they are not in love. Daisy once described Tom as “a brute of a man, a great, big, hulking physical specimen….” and when he said that he hated the word hulking, she continued to repeat it (12). The reader can clearly see the crack in their relationship, and they reveal that they are no longer in love or infatuated with each other. During the dinner a “fifth guest” is brought up as the phone rings. The reader is informed that Myrtle, Tom’s mistress, is calling and it brings tension to the lunch. The second time she calls, it reveals that Daisy knows about the affair, she shook her head at Tom “and all subjects, vanished into air” (15). This is why Daisy gives Tom a hard time, because she knows he is cheating on her and even though she may act like she doesn't care, deep down it hurts her. The luncheon turns from something fun and lighthearted to a heavy burden weighing down on all of the guests shoulders. Everyone can feel the impact it has on Daisy, because she has to deal with the affair while acting as a caring, loving wife for

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