The Emotional Complexity of Daisy Buchannan in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

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Are men defined by other's perceptions? If so, this defeats the innate purpose of humanity which is individuality and free will. A belief that societal definitions are the entire representation of oneself would lead to a completely superficial society in which individualism is obsolete. Jay Gatsby would be no more than "a German spy from the war," and Daisy would be a "Catholic” (33). Everyone has a past and this past certainly shapes personality, perspective, and goals; however, the past cannot be the sole definition of oneself. Daisy Buchanan exemplifies the complexity of humanity and thus cannot be categorized so easily because while she is a victimizer of men, she is also a victim of Gatsby and society as a whole. Society is the greatest victimizer of Daisy Buchanan. Daisy "[feels] the pressure of the world" ceaselessly (151). In biology, evolutionary pressure causes species to adapt. Just as other animals have adapted to their surroundings, Daisy became a simpleminded female concerned only with gossip as a response to the conformist pressures of society. Her anguish for this is exhibited when Daisy "[turns] her head away and [weeps] when she find out her child is a girl;" this is a reflection of Daisy's own experiences as a woman in a patriarchal society (17). Daisy is more than the simpleton she plays herself off to be, for she realizes that if her daughter is a" beautiful fool" then she is the "best thing a girl can be (17)." Daisy's statement is an excited utterance that illustrates her belief that it is easier for females to relinquish their individuality and expression of intelligence than to acknowledge the essence of humanity in one’s unique identity. Daisy has not been gifted with idiocy, therefore she must live ... ... middle of paper ... ...ility for her actions, a byproduct of her self-motivated tendencies, causes the allegorical murder of humanity, as the one character who embodies the positive side of human nature is "pale as death” (86). Daisy's sins are no more reprehensible than the sins of any other, and no more or less justified. Everyone is Daisy Buchanan and is stuck in a vicious cycle of self-deprecation and attempts at redemption. To judge Daisy is to judge oneself without recognition of one's own mistakes, and is a greater flaw than the manipulative tendencies forged from the vitriolic expectations of society that Daisy displays. Scholars tend to vilify Daisy for her simple-minded demeanor, but contemporary societies laud higher education, therefore these scholars do what comes naturally to them: learn. Daisy Buchanan faces a much harder path; to accept herself when society condemns her.

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