Nick’s first impression of Daisy and her household: “Their household was even more elaborate than I expected…and Tom Buchanan in riding clothes was standing with his legs apart on the front porch” (6).
This elaborate description of Daisy and Tom’s house shows how rich the two are. The personification used emphasizes the beauty and splendor of the front lawn. The depiction is completed with an image of Tom standing in an aggressive stance, showing that he is an arrogant man.
Daisy’s voice: “I’ve heard it said that Daisy’s murmur was only to make people lean toward her; an irrelevant criticism that made it no less charming” (8).
Daisy is portrayed as a charming young woman. However, she uses her charm to manipulate people into paying more attention to her. This quote shows that Daisy can be both amiable and alluring.
Jordan Baker: “Miss Baker and I exchanged a short glance…I was about to speak when she sat up alertly and said ‘Sh!’ in a warning voice…Miss Baker leaned forward unashamed, trying to hear” (12).
The way that Miss Baker shushes Nick shows that she is an independent woman who can take care of herself and likes to be in charge. Miss Baker also shows that she is bold and will not hesitate to do what she wants when she tries to eavesdrop on Tom’s phone call.
Tom’s views on the book he recently read and its philosophy: “Have you read The Rise of the Coloured Empires by this man Goddard? …Well it’s a fine book, and everyone ought to read it. The idea is if we don't look out the white race will be – will be utterly submerged. It’s all scientific stuff; it’s been proved…It’s up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things” (10-11).
Tom shows that he is well-read, but he b...
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...to men in an alluring voice. White can also represent angelic character, which is emphasized by the rippling and fluttering of the women’s dresses.
“We walked through a high hallway into a bright rose-colored space, fragilely bound into the house by French windows at either end. The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside that seemed to grow a little way into the house” (7).
The color pink often symbolizes love, tenderness, and acceptance. This is ironic because Tom and Daisy’s house is described to have a rose-colored space, but their relationship is not perfect. Tom has a mistress, Daisy accuses Tom of hurting her, and Daisy grudgingly accepts Tom’s love for polo and horses. In addition, pink and white together are common “wedding” or “marriage” colors, which is also ironic because Tom and Daisy do not have a perfect relationship.
Daisy Blunt is described as a young, beautiful, dark-skinned women who was always nicely dressed. When Daisy walked by the store, the men started to compliment her and said what they would do for her. For example, one of the men, Jim claims he’ll buy Daisy a steamship and hire some men to run it for her.(pg. 69). From Janie’s perspective, Daisy is uncomfortable with all the attention that is suddenly placed upon her. When Daisy shows discomfort, the men would laugh loudly making fun of Daisy. (p...
According to Baker, “After settling comfortably into his new surroundings, Nick drives to East Egg to have dinner with Tom and Daisy Buchanan and thereby becomes innocently yet inextricably involved in events that culminate in tragedy” (Baker). Nick had moved into his new house, then meets with Daisy and Tom and gets drug into their mess.
The color white is associated with purity, and innocence. In the novel Nick describes the room in Tom’s house where Daisy and Jordan are introduced. He describes the room as “bright” and the windows as “gleaming white against the grass”. The dresses Jordan and Daisy are wearing are also white. In the first chapter, Daisy and Jordan’s “girlhood” is described as “beautiful and white”. Childhood represents innocence and because the color white is associated with it, white becomes a representation of innocence as well. The affect the color white makes is the impression of a pure, clea...
Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby are very similar; they are both put in the position of being with Daisy. Gatsby tries to win her over while her husband, Tom, tries to turn her away from Jay Gatsby in order to have her for himself. However, despite the fact that they are both very wealthy, well settled and living very luxurious lives Daisy chooses to be with Tom over her long lost love; Gatsby, because she and he are better suited for e...
Fitzgerald elegantly describes Daisy as an innocent yet charming young woman who is married to a wealthy man, Tom. “her face was sad and lovely with things bring in”this suggests that Daisy is not as simple as she wants us to think, like a absurd and shining girl. For instance, in the text before she uses the word “witty” to describe her graphic and humorous manner. She tries to cover her sadness by putting on a passionate mask.
Daisy’s society places her under strict social regulations based on wealth, which ultimately decide many aspects of her life. The 1920s society that is the setting for The Great Gatsby seems to consist of three social classes: the wealthy, socially connected, and old fashioned in East Egg; the newly rich and flamboyant lacking social connections in West Egg; and the poor living in the “Valley of Ashes.” Daisy Buchannan belongs to the upper East Egg class. Those who are part of this class are held to high social standards. Coming from a wealthy family, Da...
Tom and Daisy Buchanan, the rich couple, seem to have everything they could possibly want. Though their lives are full of anything you could imagine, they are unhappy and seek to change, Tom drifts on "forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game"(pg. 10) and reads "deep books with long words in them"(pg. 17) just so he has something to talk about. Even though Tom is married to Daisy he has an affair with Myrtle Wilson and has apartment with her in New York.. Daisy is an empty character, someone with hardly any convictions or desires. Even before her relationships with Tom or, Gatsby are seen, Daisy does nothing but sit around all day and wonder what to do with herself and her friend Jordan. She knows that Tom is having an affair, yet she doesn't leave him even when she hears about Gatsby loving her. Daisy lets Gatsby know that she too is in love with him but cant bring herself to tell Tom goodbye except when Gatsby forces her too. Even then, once Tom begs her to stay, even then Daisy forever leaves Gatsby for her old life of comfort. Daisy and Tom are perfect examples of wealth and prosperity, and the American Dream. Yet their lives are empty, and without purpose.
White is a colour which appears many times throughout the novel. At first, it is used to describe Daisy. The first thing Nick mentions when he sees Daisy in East Egg is that she is wearing a white dress. This colour is related to Daisy, it is "her" colour. Daisy´s clothes are always white, her car is white, she even speaks about her "white childhood". This colour represents her purity, her innocence, her unperturbed self.
Nick observes many relationships during his stay in New York, and looks upon these relationships with a perceptive eye. He sees that relationships which lack mutual feelings are destined for failure. Nick watches as Tom Buchanan meets with his mistress, Myrtle, and Nick notices the disparity in the respect that Tom and Myrtle have for each other. Myrtle appears to follow Tom’ s each and every demand, as if she were at the end of a tightly held rope, which Nick compares to the “...small expensive dog leash made of leather and braided silver” (166) which was found in Myrtle’ s drawer at her house. Myrtle’ s leash, one that could be used to control and manipulate every action of a person’s pet, is representative of Myrtle’ s willingness to subordinate her will to accommodate Tom’s demands. Myrtle’ s absolute de...
Daisy's carelessness reveals her corruption as a human being. She uses her wealth and social status to escape whatever she chooses, like the death of Myrtle. Additionally, her actions demonstrate the dishonest exploitation of power for personal gain and attention. Daisy’s character, due to her money, inherently values her advantage over the lower class, revealing a nature of entitlement. Additionally, she gives no respect to anyone around her, sometimes n...
Hugh Hefner once said, “I looked back on the roaring Twenties, with its jazz, 'Great Gatsby' and the pre-Code films as a party I had somehow managed to miss.” The parties of the Roaring Twenties were used to symbolize wealth and power in a society that was focused more on materialism and gossip than the important things in life, like family, security, and friends. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays the characters of Tom and Daisy Buchanan as the epitome of the era. The reader sees these characters acting selfishly and trying to meddle with others’ lives. On the other hand, Nick Carraway, the narrator, acts more to help others and act honestly. Initially the reader sees Carraway’s views towards Jay Gatsby as negative as Gatsby’s actions are perceived as being like the Buchanan’s. As the novel moves forward, the reader notices a change in Carraway’s attitude towards Gatsby. Carraway sees Gatsby for whom he truly is, and that is a loving person who only became rich to win Daisy’s heart. But in this the reader also sees how corrupt and hurtful Gatsby’s actions were to the love of his life. Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy reveals that just as Gatsby’s dream of wooing Daisy is corrupted by illegalities and dishonesty, the “American Dream” of friendship and individualism has disintegrated into the simple pursuit of wealth, power, and pleasure.
But rather than confront Tom about this, Daisy chooses to be submissive, not voice her opinion and hope that her daughter will be a fool. This suggests that Daisy is critically aware of the place that women hold in the particular historical context, where being oblivious and ignorant towards a spouse’s actions – being a “fool” – is better than having knowledge of their wrongdoings and feeling as if speaking up about it will not alter the situation. Although she appears superficial at times, the audience should not dismiss the potential wisdom of her character. Although Daisy is talking about her daughter, in many ways, this quotation is autobiographical about Daisy subsiding to cultural expectations regarding women and not confronting her husband about his adultery. However, it is apparent that Fitzgerald views Daisy’s submissive and conforming nature negatively.
Daisy Miller may be uneducated, as Winterbourne and his aunt describe her, but she is witty." One illustration of her humor takes place at Mrs. Walker"s party when Winterbourne is criticizing her for her relations with Giovanelli." He says they don"t "understand that sort of thing here"not in young married women."Daisy cries, "I thought they understood nothing else!" and goes on to say, "It seems to me more proper in young unmarried than in old married ones."Daisy typically speaks and behaves frankly, almost in a child-like fashion, but this shows, as the narrator describes it, a "startling worldly knowledge" (1587)." Daisy is somewhat rustic but smart." She has a "natural elegance" and a mixture of" "innocence and crudity," and yet, as seen in her response, her character proves to go beyond the boundaries of this character type of the natural beauty (1564 and 1574).
Daisy was Nick’s second cousin once removed, and Tom Buchanan was Daisy’s hulking brute of a husband and classmate of Nick’s from college. Jordan Baker, a prominent tennis player of the time, was staying with Daisy and Tom. As they sat down and chatted, it was Jordan who mentioned Gatsby, saying that she had been to one of his extravagant parties that he held every weekend. The four sat down to dinner when Tom received a phone call, which Daisy suspected to be from Tom’s mistress. Afterwards, Daisy and Nick talked and Jordan and Tom went out to walk about the grounds. Daisy talked about her little daughter and how when she was born Tom was not even there and she had wished out loud that she would be a fool, for that was the only way she could ever be happy. The four met again at the house and then Jordan went to bed and Nick went home.