Daisy in The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald
Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the character of Daisy Buchanan undergoes many noticeable changes. Daisy is a symbol of wealth and of promises broken. She is a character we grow to feel sorry for but probably should not.
Born Daisy Fay in Louisville, Kentucky, Daisy was always the princess in the tower, the golden girl that every man dreamed of possessing. ?She dressed in white, and had a little white roadster, and all the day long the telephone rang in her house and excited young officers from Camp Taylor demanded the privilege of monopolizing her that night,? (79). Daisy is beautiful, rich, and appears very innocent as a young woman, although it is later
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It is as if she is hiding a secret that she wants to tell but knows that she should keep to herself.
Through the course of the novel, Daisy handles her husband?s affair very calmly. Even when Tom?s mistress telephones during dinner Daisy exclaims, ?it couldn?t be helped,? (20). Although she must obviously be hurting deeply on the inside, Daisy displays no physical signs of distress over her husband?s affair. This makes her appear stronger than she really is.
Daisy is actually a very weak person. This is probably due to all the physical and mental abuse she has suffered by her husband. She allows him to have complete control over her and order her around as if she were a small child. In a way, she seems to like that Tom is in control because she never has the burden of making decisions. Because of Tom?s finances, Daisy never is in need of anything. She likes living a life of luxury and appears to be quite happy with her situation. While she may not like the concept of her husband cheating on her, she would never consider leaving him or getting a divorce because of what society would think of her. It is Daisy herself that chooses to remain in a loveless marriage.
When Daisy is reunited with Jay Gatsby one sees a different side to the woman. She seems more alive and happier than ever. Daisy actually has something to look forward to each day, instead of her usual routine. As her affair with Gatsby continues, Daisy becomes more and more
Even though Daisy knew Tom was cheating on her, she didn’t act like it bothered her that much. She wanted to keep her marital status. Daisy knew about Myrtle Wilson. She knew that everyone else also knew about Tom and Myrtle, but she didn’t let anyone ruin her marriage. Daisy could’ve easily had anyone she wanted. She could’ve had a better life with someone that pays all their attention to her, not someone else. She would’ve rather been considered a fool than be a
When Tom claims that Daisy actually does love him, he suppresses her opinion by putting words in her mouth to aid his argument. Tom perceives the need that he must speak for his wife as if she can not speak for herself. Also, Tom claims that Daisy obtains “foolish ideas,” and that she “doesn’t know what she’s doing.” He implies that she is crazy and it is understandable that she fools around because of that. This reflects the misogynistic views men had towards women in this time period as they silenced women with their opinions to prove their
Daisy’s husband Tom Buchanan is a typical man of the twenties. At this time not many women were respected, or treated as equals in relationships. There are multiple times in the book that Tom mentally, and physically abuses the women he is in a relationship with. In the beginning of the story while Daisy has some guests over she makes it a point to state that Tom has bruised her finger. Daisy states, “You did it Tom...I know you didn’t mean to, but you did do it. That’s what I get for marrying a brute of a man…” (Fitzgerald, 12). It is evident that Tom has done some physical harm to daisy if her knuckle has turned black and blue. This abusive nature Tom has with Daisy affects her overall view on life. Not only does Daisy accept the abuse like
Daisy Buchanan transforms from a childhood sweetheart to merely the idea of a childhood sweetheart. Gatsby ceases viewing Daisy as a person and more of an object that he must obtain. He has become so alienated from his old self, he does not understand his own obsession. He sacrifices his values to attain Daisy, but his sacrifices bring him farther from his true goal. In the end, he dies alone without a second thought from
The beautiful woman daisey controls another man's every move by the name of Gatsby. Her presence consumes him controlling him to the point where his life revolves around her. Daisy was once with gatsby before he was a powerful rich man. Daisey eventually grew tired of waiting for gatsby to become wealthy so she found another rich man Tom, Daisy had not heard from Gatsby till she received a letter the day before her wedding. The letter at the time from a mystery man broke daisy she “took it into the tub with her and squeezed it up into a wet ball” without speaking a word to anyone or telling what was in the letter(76). Daisy the “next day at five o'clock [married] tom without as much as a shiver” with full knowledge of what gatsby had told her in the letter(76).
Daisy’s and Tom’s relationship is about pure loyalty. Even if it doesn't involve them being loyal to their love,we can say that as Daisy is loyal to Tom’s money and reputation, Tom is loyal towards Daisy’s sedactive and perfect image. One of the things that keeps them together is, how they both are very cruel and selfish. As told by Nick,”they were careless people, Tom and Daisy. They smashed up things and creatures, then they would retreat back into their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together.
Daisy and Tom do not have an honest relationship, in fact, Daisy consistently lies to him. These lies are not perceived as that bad because
Daisy Buchanan is an attractive young woman from Kentucky who met Jay Gatsby through other military officers stationed near her home. This specific character represents the lasting innocence that was left in having an “American Dream”. This vibrant and young girl was used to portray the childhood
For a outsider the life of Tom and Daisy seem like a dream. But behind all this is a mask, Tom and Daisy relationship isn’t as dreamlike as people believe it to be. In reality Daisy married Tom for his money. Right before Daisy’s wedding she received a letter. Breaking down Daisy through off the pearls around her neck and exclaimed, “Take them down-stairs and give ‘ em back to whoever they belong to. Tell’ em all Daisy’s change’ her mine. Say: Daisy’s change’ her mine!”(77) Yet thinking money would make her happy Daisy drinks her way to the altar, and marries Tom, even after her meltdown where “She began to cry-she cried and cried.”(77) She cried for the fact that she was in love with another man, who happens to be
Beforehand, she can be seen fidgeting with her napkin and is clearly distressed, yet she never speaks up. The reaction evoked is extreme for Daisy, as she goes so far as almost getting out of her seat to tell Tom to shut up. Again, however, Daisy’s programmed submissiveness can be seen the moment Tom questions her (“Self-control!?”), and her face shows clear hesitance. This passivity and gender inferiority is perhaps most evident when Daisy initially attempts to leave. Not yet done making his point, Tom screams “Sit, Daisy!”
I feel bad for Daisy in the beginning because she knows that her husband, Tom has “got some woman in New York”(Fitzgerald 15), but can’t do anything about it. She has to deal the unloyalty of her husband and she can’t say anything about it. I think it’s because she doesn’t want a divorce so she doesn’t do anything to stop her husband. Tom doesn’t show much affection towards Daisy and Daisy doesn’t show any back, so I feel like they have a dead marriage. They have no love for each, but they are
It is revealed that Daisy truly had affection for Tom when she says, “Even alone I can’t say I never loved Tom, it wouldn’t be true” (Fitzgerald 133). Although she had loved tom in the past, the same can’t be said in the present. Many examples are present throughout the book that show Daisy having lost her affection towards Tom. The first introduction of both Tom and Daisy in the book shows her cynical behavior towards Tom when he says, “I hate that word hulking,” to which Daisy replies to, “hulking” (Fitzgerald 12). Daisy enjoys teasing Tom and seeing his reaction.
Daisy, on the other hand, seems at first as though she truly does love and care for her husband. While Tom keeps himself at a distance in both relationships, Daisy seems to possess an outright need for his company. This is supported by Jordan’s recollection of Daisy’s behavior towards Tom after marrying him: “If he left the room for a minute she’d look around uneasily and say: ‘Where’s Tome gone?’ and wear the most abstracted expression until she saw him coming in the door. She used to sit on the sand with his head in her lap by the hour, rubbing her fingers over his eyes and looking at him with unfathomable delight” (Fitzgerald, 76-77). That being said, there are in fact several signs that point toward Daisy not loving her husband at all. Perhaps the most notable is her behavior just before her and Tom’s wedding ceremony, when she is found “lying on her bed as lovely as the June night in her flowered dress – and as drunk as a monkey. She had a bottle of Sauterne in one hand and [Gatsby’s] letter in the other” (76). Daisy goes so far as to even momentarily call off the marriage altogether, ordering the bridesmaids to “tell ‘em all Daisy’s change’ her mine. Say: ‘Daisy’s change’ her mine!’” (76). Why, then, does she marry Tom after all and seem so in love with him afterwards? People usually seek out partners who will make them happy, protect them from that which they fear, etc. What does Daisy fear? She
Carol Iannone writes, “Shaped against her grain by a tradition that has left her true identity out of account, she must articulate her very grievances in a language created by her oppressor” (Iannone). The quotations mentions how the portrayal of females within novels create a traditional view amongst women. The portrayal of female characters within literature is very important when observing a novel, as it allows readers to gain insight on how females are viewed in a particular time. Through the observation of women characters in The Great Gatsby, it is clear to see how females were viewed during that time period. The novel is the story of the character Jay Gatsby, that who attempts to remake the past by changing his identity and becoming wealthier, to win the heart of his lost love, Daisy Buchanan. Although once lovers, Daisy has married another man, Tom Buchanan, after Gatsby goes away fighting in WW1. Through characters within the novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays women in a negative manner with adverse characteristics and shows them being inferior to men (THESIS). First off, the negative depiction of women is shown through the stereotypical character Daisy, as she is the ‘weak’ women. Moreover, F.Scott Fitzgerald shows women in a negative perspective through the disposition of the character Myrtle Wilson, the ‘gold-digger’. Lastly, the actions and beliefs Tom has towards women, illustrates the inferiority women have against men. Overall, The Great Gatsby is a novel in which F.Scott Fitzgerald uses the characters Daisy, Myrtle, and Tom to portray women in an unsuitable manner, being less than men in all aspects.
Tom in response, the dysfunctional nature of their relationship comes to light. For Tom, his need to gratify his ego prevents himself from stopping the number of extramarital affairs he has. For Daisy, her low self-esteem born from the social stigma of women at the time, leads her to stay with a man she knows is no longer truthful to her. While those psychological disorders may lead to a defective relationship, other issues such as a fear in commitment in both of them may also lead to their relationship maintaining itself. While ego gratification may explain some of the actions Buchanan performs, his extramarital affairs may actually stem from a fear in