In the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Daisy Buchanan is unthinking and self-centered. Daisy is unthinking because when she meets Nick for the first time after the war; the first thing she says is “I’m p-paralyzed with happiness” (8) which is really unbecoming for a social butterfly like her. Moreover, she stutters while saying the word “paralyzed” which could imply that she says this without really thinking, because this is not the typical greeting one would say to their cousin, even after a long time. Also, since Daisy is pretty high on the social ladder, she expects people to laugh at her terrible jokes because she laughs after saying she is “paralyzed with happiness” even though Nick does not, illustrating her inconsiderate …show more content…
The ironic thing is, she is already behaving somewhat “paralyzed” because she is doing nothing to save her marriage with Tom. Daisy says foolish statements with radiance which shows that she does not think before she speaks. For example, she “always watch[es] for the longest day in the year and then miss[es] it” (11) which shows how much spare time she has. Funnily enough, Daisy cannot even watch for the longest day successfully because she “miss[es] it.” This statement also implies how the wealthy people like Daisy do nothing; they just watch society without any contribution because they are aimless. Also, since Daisy is always “watching” for something, in other words she always wants something; in the process, she forgets what she already has, revealing her to be insensitive. Lastly, Daisy “want[s] her life [to be] shaped immediately – and the decision must be made by some force – of love, of money, [or of] unquestionable practicality,” (151) she cannot bother to take a decision herself showing her to be unthinking. Out of the three things she says, she picks the one “that was close at hand” which is Tom’s …show more content…
When she hears Tom talking on the phone to his mistress, she throws “her napkin on the table” (14) and goes into the house. Since, Daisy throws “her napkin,” this shows how upset Tom’s actions makes her. However, she never confronts Tom about his affair because that might mean giving up the great lifestyle she is living, thus showing her selfish nature. Also, Daisy assumes that Nick did not come to her wedding because “[they] don’t know each other very well,” (16) when it was in fact because Nick was fighting in the war. Daisy is too self-centered to realize that Nick was in the war which is why he could to come to her wedding, implying that her wedding holds more significance. Also, Daisy’s comment to Nick shows her spoiled personality because she does not seem to care about other peoples’ life, only her own life, portraying her to be self-absorbed. Furthermore, when she finds out her newborn is a girl, Daisy “hopes she’ll be a fool” because “that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” (17) This shows how Daisy does not really have an emotional attachment with her child; she just wants her to be beautiful so she will attract people with her looks. Evidently, Daisy does not value intelligence in women and she thinks women should be able to get through the world using their looks. Moreover, Daisy treats Pammy as an object; she tells her to say hi to the guests and
When Nick visits Daisy she tells him the story of how her daughter was born, “It’ll show you how I’ve gotten to feel about––things. Well, she was less than an hour old and Tom was God knows where. I woke up out of the ether with an utterly abandoned feeling.” By leaving Daisy behind at a time when she most needs him, Tom loses his value of companionship with Daisy. He no longer fits the three criteria that Daisy feels she needs in a man. Daisy knows that Tom no longer loves her and is having an affair with another woman, but despite all of this, Daisy has no intention of leaving him (20). This is because Tom, despite no longer fulfilling her emotionally, is still better for her financially and socially than if she left him to live alone. If Daisy wants to stay in her class, she has no option other than to stay with Tom. When Daisy finally sees Gatsby again, she suddenly has another option besides staying with Tom. Daisy knows that Gatsby has true feelings of love towards her, but leaving Tom would prove to be risky as it could tarnish her reputation and by extension her social stability. Daisy is now struggling between taking a risk for love and maintaining a safe, stable life she is ultimately unhappy
At a cursory glance, Daisy may seem like the quintessential socialite, with a happy marriage and a life of luxury. With her wealthy lifestyle, Daisy has the independence to travel anywhere and whenever she wants, oftentimes without Tom, as seen when Nick invited her to “come for tea … and don't bring Tom” [88]. This small act of independent is offset by Tom’s eventual “perturbation at Daisy’s running around alone”[110]. In this scene, Tom’s grasp on Daisy’s life is tightened once more as if she was an expensive piece of jewelry, with the miniscule possibility of being stolen. However, on the other hand, much of Daisy’s wealth does come from Tom, giving a great deal of control to him in their relationship to the point where Tom does not hide the fact he has a mistress. “You mean to say you don’t know? … I thought everybody knew”[19]. With the way Jordan says this, one can infer that even Daisy knew and she basically had no say in the matter. Furthermore, when Tom’s mistress continues to call during tea and Jordan whispers, “The rumor is that that’s Tom’s girl on the telephone”, it shows the amount of control that Tom has over Daisy and Myrtle [122]. This part also shows the impact of societal norms, which had made it seem acceptable for Tom to have a mistress while if Daisy was having an affair it would be more looked down upon.
Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and is the main female protagonist. The way she is portrayed varies greatly depending on which movie you are comparing to the original book, but the difference stood out to me the most in the 2013 version. In the novel, Daisy is described as being “bright”, “passionate”, and as always having “an excitement in her voice” (pg. 6). She is also very often seen as a greedy and unlikable character who readers are unable to identify with. On the first day that Daisy is reunited with Gatsby, she is touring his house and is overwhelmed by how luxurious all of his belongings are. She weeps with remorse of something that she could have had if she would have waited for Gatsby. It almost seems as if she is crying because she is so upset that she is not as rich as she would have been with him. In the movie, she was written to be more reserved and indifferent about everything. The audience is able to sympathize with her about her great loss of the man that she once loved. She is also not depicted as greedy in the movie. In the scene where she cries over Gatsby’s luxurious clothing, it is implied that she is upset because she lost so much valuable time with the love of her life. I believe that the director of the 2013 movie, Baz Luhrmann did this to make Daisy more mellow and likable to
Daisy’s actions and words contrast greatly with her husband, Tom, and his grave nature. Her impression on the reader is frivolous with her “charming little laugh'; (13), and her light manner. In addition, Daisy’s tendency to murmur, rumored to make people lean closer to her, also reflects on her coquettish personality. Nick’s ability to read Daisy so well from her facial expressions and body language attests that her mannerisms are very illustrative; “Daisy took her face in her hands…I saw that turbulent emotions possessed her, so I asked what I thought would be some sedative questions. She also welcomes Nick’s charming but cheesy flattery, when talking about Chicago and she treats him the same way in return by referring to him as a rose and also by saying “I am p-paralyzed with happiness'; (13).
From the outside, Daisy seems like the demure wife of a wealthy ex-football player, Tom Buchannan. The relationship the two share is far from a perfect marriage, but it is functional for upper-class society. Daisy often speaks nonsense, putting off the impression that she lacks intelligence, but there are moments when Daisy shows her true nature. The first moment occurs when Daisy shares
Even the name brings sunshine, warmth, and innocence to the reader’s ears, yet destruction followed her, and she was full of nothing. With her lilting voice and charm, Daisy captured the attention of all who met her. She had an ease and carelessness about her that people were drawn to like moths to a flame. Daisy’s white clothing and fanciful nature gave her the appearance of purity she did not possess. But Daisy was thoroughly unhappy inside for “that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool,” and Daisy most certainly was that. She possessed a shallowness and selfishness that were brought to full fruition at the end of the story. For Daisy allowed her “lover” to take the blame, die for her, and then never attends his funeral; she was revealed for who she was. “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back inter their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had
Daisy’s dream was to live a very happy, loving life. All she ever hoped for was happiness. When she realized she married the wrong man it changed who she was as a person and when you can’t be who you really are, there is no way of being happy. Daisy found out about a secret Tom was hiding and that is when she really realized this was a wrong marriage and there was zero way of her finding happiness. Jordan states, “She might have the decency not to telephone him at dinner time. Don’t you think?”(20) Jordan prompted that Tom is sleeping with somebody else. Tom hits her and he doesn’t even care about her well being. Daisy thought she had everything until she understood she really has nothing and her life was corrupted trying to live the American dream. Daisy thought she would have love when she married Tom but she didn’t. That love was corrupted by money and power. She never ended up happy, she only ended up with money and that didn’t make her happy. Daisy also realized that she could’ve also married Gatsby for money and she would’ve also gotten the love and happiness she dreamed of from him. Daisy’s goal of living the American Dream and happiness was destroyed and so was her happiness.
Daisy's greed can best be seen in her choice of a husband, and in the circumstances
Characters in The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald are often described differently than they actually act throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Daisy is told to be “by far the most popular of all the young girls in Louisville”. She was said to have great beauty, and its even said that she holds her popularity spot because of it. She is also described as a “fool” which means she is beautiful, just like an angel. As we read on, we come to see that Daisy is actually very careless, selfish, and only focuses herself on wealth and power. She never looked at the consequences of her actions; and she let others clean up the messes she made. She wanted her daughter to grow up just like her, even though it’s a life nobody wanted to live. She even gave up her true love to be with somebody who had money and a good repetition. As perceived in the novel, Daisy is the most despicable character in the novel of The Great Gatsby.
For Daisy, Tom is financial security and for Tom, daisy is a beauty/status symbol on his arm. And in the end, that is put before anything else. In the novel, One Sunday Morning, The characters Billy Holmes and his fiance, Clara Hart share a similar relationship. Billy, through his actions hurts both himself and his fiance, deeply. It was only three weeks before they were set to be married when Billy Holmes was seen walking out of a hotel with another woman on his arm. Shortly after this he showed up at Clara’s door, looking very disturbed and disheveled. He confessed what he had done, and Clara was destroyed. She spent days locked away in her room, trying to comprehend why her fiance who loves her so much would have done such a thing. During this time Billy had gone missing, however Clara knew where he was hiding. She went with her good friend Mary Nell to find him. She was not there to forgive him, she was there so his family would be able to stop worrying. When she found him he seemed destroyed too, laying on a couch, tear stained cheeks, clearly has not bathed in days. All he does is beg for her
Daisy marries Tom only because he has money. Daisy is in love with material objects. She uses her money to get away from reality, and when she feels threatened, she hides behind her money. Furthermore, she says, "And I hope she'll be a fool-That's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool. "(Pg.
Daisy marries Tom due to the fact that he is rich. At the time of Tom and Daisy’s marriage, Daisy wants to be with Gatsby the one she really loves, she receives a letter from him and she begins “to cry” she “cries and cries” while Jordan and her mother’s maid give her a bath but “she wouldn’t let go of the letter. She [takes] it into the tub with her and [squeezes] it into a wet ball” (76). Once Jordan and the maid leave “the pearls [are] around her neck and the incident [is] over” (76). Gatsby gives Daisy a heartfelt letter while Tom gives her a necklace with a high price tag. The gifts allow Daisy to realize that Tom is richer than Gatsby. Causing Daisy to do what she is expected and born to do which is to marry the rich guy. At the time Daisy chooses to shape her life “immediately and the decision must be made by some force of money, of unquestionable practicality [...] That force [takes] the shape in the middle of spring with the arrival of Tom Buchanan” (151). The pearl necklace, the one that Tom gives to Daisy is a symbol that portrays her being trapped under Tom’s control which is why she stays with him. Towards the end of the novel, he goes “into the jewelry store to buy a pearl necklace” (179). Tom is buying another necklace to show that their past is repeating as if they were in a cycle. Now at the end, their relationship is starting all over again. Overall, “Tom and Daisy smashed up things and
Daisy’s original impression of Gatsby is evident in her early letters to him, “...he had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe that he was a person from much the same stratum as herself- that he was fully able to take care of her” (149). Daisy loved Gatsby under the false hope that they belonged to the same social class. She grew up surrounded by riches, never working a day in her life, and she could not comprehend the struggles of a man who must work for the food he eats each day. Daisy knew that she must marry when she is beautiful, for being a beautiful rich girl of good social standing was her highest commodity and most valuable chip in marrying well. In order to live a secure life, she had to find someone the had the means to provide for her extravagant lifestyle, and the deep care for her that would allow Daisy to do as she pleased. The only definition of love Daisy knew was one of disillusioned power and commitments under false pretenses in order to keep the wealthy continually rich. Daisy acknowledges the false pretenses of marriage for the wealthy in how she describes her daughter’s future. She tells Nick, “‘And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this
Daisy is obsessed with materialistic items, causing her to chase wealth and be, in a way, a “gold digger.” Wealth is one of the main reasons she married tom, because she couldn’t wait any longer, had zero patience and as stated in the novel “she wanted her life molded now.” Daisy uses these materialistic items as an escape from reality or her real life problems. She is corrupted and brainwashed by this lavish way of life.
From the first chapter, the reader can conclude that her philosophy of going through life includes living a life of pleasure. This materialistic obsession has reached a point in her life that she cries after seeing something expensive that she hadn’t seen before, for instance, Gatsby’s expensive shirts. After she cried she sobbingly states, "It makes me sad because I've never seen such – such beautiful shirts before." (92) Her materialistic lifestyle has reached a maximum point to which she cries for what most would consider “a simple shirt”. Essentially, Daisy is only happy when she has materialistic objects and hints that she is only married to Tom Buchanan because of his riches, and not necessarily because she loves