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Describe shortly about Daisy Fay Buchanan in The Great Gatsby
Describe shortly about Daisy Fay Buchanan in The Great Gatsby
Describe shortly about Daisy Fay Buchanan in The Great Gatsby
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Daisy Buchanan is the wife of the wealthy Tom Buchanan and the 2nd cousin (twice removed) of Nick Carraway. From Nick’s first visit to the Buchannan’s large Georgian mansion, Daisy is associated with celestial beauty as the first image we have of Daisy in chapter one is her lying on a couch with Jordan Baker surrounded by white material and her and Jordan’s dresses rippling and fluttering. There is a sense of consistent movement in the room from the curtains, to Daisy and Jordan’s dresses, which is inferred from the quote “The only completely stationary object in the room”p7. The adjective ‘stationary’ tells the reader that the couch is the only motionless object in the room which creates and image that daisy and Jordan are ethereal creatures …show more content…
that have been gracefully fluttering around the room almost like angels. This can be inferred from the quote “their dresses were fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house”P7. As well the angelic image of Jordan and Daisy in their fluttering white dresses, serves to make Jordan seem other-worldly, Nick appears to be immediately engrossed by Jordan in the way in which she holds herself.
Nick feels almost subdued by Jordan slayed back demeanour “her chin raised a little, as if she were balancing something on it which was quite likely to fall”p7. Nick is so subdued by Jordan that he almost feels like he is lower than Jordan and he feels like he must almost apologise for disturbing her by entering the room. This is shown by the quote “I was almost surprised into murmuring an apology for having disturbed her by coming in”P8. The noun ‘murmuring’ shows how timid Nick has become once he’s in the presence of …show more content…
Jordan. The way Nick describes Jordan and Daisy contrast with the way he describes the myrtle.
The quote “Her face, above a spotted dress of dark blue crepe-de-chine, contained no facet or gleam of beauty but there was an immediately perceptible vitality about her as if the nerves of her body were continually smouldering.”P15 Shows the reader that unlike Nick’s description of Daisy describes and focuses on her voice, mannerisms, and charm, and his description of Jordan, which focuses on her posture and athleticism, Nick’s description of Myrtle focuses mostly on her body and physical appearance. Nick may only describe Myrtle’s appearances as he only see’s little in Myrtle as she is just a mistress and nothing more. Even though there are many differences between Myrtle and Daisy there are also some similarities. Myrtle and Daisy are both abused by tom in different ways which shows that the novel suggests that women in the 1920’s were dominated by men in different ways. Regardless of class, tom’s abusive actions towards both daisy and Myrtle shows that he hold no remorse for his abusive actions towards any woman regardless of their wealth or social status. This shows the reader that no matter how successful a woman is the male will always be dominant. However, Tom does treat Daisy with more
respect. Daisy and Myrtle represent two different groups of women in 1920’s American society; upper class who have the American dream and lower class who want it. Myrtle thrives for the American dream and the life of luxury, even if that mean being tom’s mistress and letting him abuse her. Part of the American Dream is that woman will be able to prosper if she weds a man, however for Myrtle and George this is not the case. George is incapable of providing for Myrtles needs as she aspires to be a trophy wife. Fitzgerald used Myrtle to represent all of the flaws in the system of the American Dream. Fitzgerald suggests in the novel that women in the 1920’s crave the dominance of a masculine presence. Tom provides Myrtle with the controlling nature she craves, whereas George is less masculine and does not crave the American Dream like Myrtle does. An example of this is when Myrtle shouts "Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!" P37, at Tom Buchanan. This results in him punching Myrtle in the face; this shows how Fitzgerald wanted to show that men only have compulsion and women only have the power of speech. Myrtle is also an important character in the plot who is often washed out by the importance of other characters. She is referred to as; Tom Buchanan's mistress and George Wilson's wife. Fitzgerald is portraying her that women have no important roles in society and are always washed out by men. To conclude, Daisy and Jordan appear to be perceived quite highly however, still lower than men and Myrtle is seen as lower than men and both daisy and Jordan and is seen as just tom’s mistress wanting to get the American dream. Another way this can be interpreted is that Myrtle is seen as just a lower class woman who serves no place in society in the 1920’s.
Myrtle Wilson came from a working class family with a low social standing. Due to her family’s lack of money, Myrtle’s options were limited to marrying men of equal or lower economic status than herself. As a result, Myrtle married George Wilson, a poor car mechanic. In her relationship with George, Myrtle lacked control due to her status as a woman and was thus forced to listen to her husband. However, because of her lower status, Myrtle did learn to use her physical attributes to her own advantage. In other words, Myrtle knew how to exaggerate her physical beauty in order to attract men such as Tom Buchanan; who would pay her with money and expensive gifts in return. Thus, “there is a clear connection between the material disadvantages” Myrtle faced and her lack of morals; given “the paucity of her allotment of the fundamental decencies” (Voegeli). In other words, because of her lack of economic backing, Myrtle Wilson grew up as a woman of lower class with less options in life; which limited her social power and drove her to act unlike any high class lady. Thus, Myrtle’s only option for increasing her status was through material services such as her relationship with Tom Buchanan. All in all, Myrtle Wilson’s economic status limited her to the life of a low class woman and her power others in her
The first time that the reader catches an insight of Myrtle, Fitzgerald develops Myrtle to be a mere object of Tom's’ desire. Fitzgerald does this to extenuate the fact that Tom will not move on past Daisy to be with her. Tom “got some women” that supposedly is a secret but there is a lack of secretism on Myrtles end seeing as she is now calling during evening meals from “New York” just to talk to Tom. This further proves that she is in need of attention, something her husband can not fully give her at any random moment of the day. Myrtle is willing to express herself even when she’s already married. It reveals that she is deceiving her own husband, who is later mentioned in the novel. This allows for Myrtle to be looked down upon by the reader, it also entails her to be seen as an attention seeker. Again, Fitzgerald appeals to present-day behaviors by allowing Myrtle to be viewed as someone who wants to be showcased. Almost everyone can relate that they’ve wanted attention in their life at some point. This connects Myrtle to the reader's past or current feelings. Fitzgerald uses this to let readers feel compassion for Myrtle which emphasizes all she needs is for someone to properly love her, treat her, and show her what she needs to do to become successful in her
The dinner party scene also introduces the theme of societal expectation by contrasting two very different characters: Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker. Daisy is portrayed as an almost angelic or fairy-like figure, first seen lounging on the couch: “buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon” (12). One could infer that the phrase ‘anchored balloon’ symbolizes the constraints and expectations placed upon women during the 1920’s. In this way, Daisy represents the life led by traditional women during this era. Expectations were as such; women were to marry young, have children, devote their lives to raising families and were completely dependent on their husbands. Daisy’s dependence on Tom is represented by her childlike characteristics: “She
Myrtle appears as the total opposite character to the Daisy. She is ‘thick, faintly stout” (Fitzgerald 29), but “sensuously” and “immediately perceptible about her vitality” (Fitzgerald 29). She is the woman from “the bottom” who wants to be acceptable as a lady from the upper class. She is terribly vulgar, but she is more alive and natural than Daisy is. The unpleasant scene in their apartments, where Carraway appeared because of Myrtle’s invitation, is full of the philistine contentment and boasting.
In the beginning of the novel she tells nick that she has done everything and seen it all, showing how her money and wealth have allowed her to do whatever she pleased. While Myrtle lives in automotive repair station with her husband. Myrtle doesn't have the money or the status that Daisy has. Myrtle is unhappy because she is poor and wants a life where she can be rich and glamorous. She wants the materialistic things in life.
Daisy knows very well that tom is cheating on her, but doesn’t care because it's more convenient to stay in her unhappy marriage. Even though she wants to be with Gatsby, she wants to keep her social status and being with Tom makes this all the easier. Now, this is quite the opposite of Myrtle. She has a loving husband who would do anything for her, but her social status is all she cares about. Myrtle is willing to hurt George and ruin their marriage in order to climb up the social ladder. Neither of these women have respect for themselves. Both Daisy and Myrtle allow Tom to treat them
In the novel, The Great Gatsby, the two central women presented are Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson. These two women, although different, have similar personalities. Throughout the novel, there are instances in which the reader feels bad for and dislikes both Daisy and Myrtle. These two women portray that wealth is better than everything else, and they both base their lives on it. Also the novel shows the hardships and difficulties they have in their marriages. They are never satisfied with what they have, and are always longing for more.
Myrtle is known to wear darker colours in contrast to Daisy. This can be seen when Nick first meets Myrtle, “Her face, above a spotted dress of dark blue crepe-de-chine (25)” and also when Myrtle leaves with Tom and Nick, she is dressed in a “brown figured muslin (27)”. Myrtle is also different from Daisy by the way she acts. Daisy moves and acts with grace while Myrtle is more loud and rowdy. This is why Myrtle is different from Daisy in appearance and
Myrtle’s perception of reality is blurred. She fails to recognize her social standing as someone of the lower class, and instead brings upon a self lead pretentious charade that she is of the upper class. She has an acquired habit of stating that various aspect in her life are under her expectations. She insists that she only “married him because (she) thought he was a gentleman”, and that he “fit to lick ...
Throughout The Great Gatsby, there are many important characters, one happening to be Tom Buchanan. Tom is a rich, arrogant man (Fitzgerald 7, 12) who lives in the “inherited rich” side of New York, East Egg. Tom, accompanied by his oh-so-proper wife, Daisy represent the maturity and poise of the East Egg. While West Egg represents the wild, party animals, who have just come to their wealth. Tom especially represents the absence of morals in the East Egg it seems, because of his extreme wealth. Fitzgerald makes Tom Buchanan a short tempered, aggressive, bully who does not seem to care about how he treats others around him. As long as he has his money, his actions and aggression are unpredictable.
Myrtle is, as Daisy, impressed with Tom's wealth and appearance, but, like Jay Gatsby, is stuck in a fantastic, idealized perception of her object of affection. Even when abused and trampled over by Tom, Myrtle continues to adore him, just as Gatsby continues to dote upon Daisy after being obviously rejected by her. As far as ethical considerations, Gatsby tends to prove himself a sincere and caring person, while Daisy and Tom just destroy the lives of two people and then leave town to escape the consequences of their actions.
Daisy and Jordan are members of the elite class and are often presented as motionless, sitting or lying down, and when they do move it is leisurely. On the other hand, Myrtle is a member of the lower class and is depicted as annoyingly full of energy. During their journey to Tom and Daisy’s apartment, Daisy rapidly states “I’m going to make a list of all the things I’ve got to get. A massage and a wave and a collar for the dog and one of those cute little ashtrays where you touch a spring, and a wreath with a black silk bow for mother’s grave that’ll last all summer” (Fitzgerald, page 40). Myrtle’s abundance of energy is induced by her obsession with obtaining wealth. Despite drastic differences in how females are depicted based on their differences in wealth, both Daisy and Myrtle are treated as inferior to their husbands. This patriarchal view influences a feminist
Daisy is young, beautiful and quite the socialite. She attracts everyone around her with a “stirring warmth [that] flowed from her as if her heart was trying to come out to you concealed in one of those breathless, trilling words” (Fitzgerald 19). As her cousin Nick Carraway- the narrator of the story and keeper of all secrets throughout the story- describes her, he emphasizes that there is something deceiving about Daisy that made those around her intrigued and invested in her and what she had to say. She and her husband Tom Buchanan “moved with a fast crowd, all of them young and rich and wild, but she came out with a perfect reputation” amidst the fun, hectic and chaotic 1920s (Fitzgerald 82). To those around her Daisy has a desired life as the wife to the extraordinarily wealthy Tom Buchanan- a famous polo player in his college years- with a beautiful young daughter, a big house in the West Egg area of Long Island and plenty of money to spare. However, her seemingly glorious life is not as wonderful as it seems due to her knowledge of her husband’s affair with a young poorer woman named Myrtle Wilson. In Tom and Daisy’s relationship their love for one another is questionable as “Daisy’s affections cannot be relied upon” and neither can her husband’s
Myrtle was not given the same opportunity as Jordan and Daisy so she chose to deal with societal expectations by being extremely outgoing in a controversial way. By doing this, Myrtle was able to find Tom, who could financially support her unlike her husband. Myrtle reveals her motives by saying: “I was so excited that when I got into a taxi with him I didn’t hardly know I wasn’t getting into a subway train. All I kept thinking about, over and over, was ‘you can’t live forever; you can’t live forever’” (36). This shows that Myrtle’s reasoning for finding a man like Tom was so she could live a more fulfilling life and not settle for her husband similar to Daisy. Daisy; however, was settling for a wealthy man while Myrtle would be settling for someone who can provide an extravagant lifestyle. Myrtle does make the decision to stay alongside her husband and not disregard him completely which gives him slight control over her. Myrtle chooses to exploit the freedom given to women at this time by having an affair with Tom unlike Jordan who is helping to push societal norms forward Myrtle is just taking advantage. By not fully committing to being independent Myrtle gives slight control to her husband, which he uses to his advantage when saying: “‘I’ve got my wife locked in
Not only was the argument itself immature by nature - the debate revolved around whether or not Myrtle was allowed to say the word “Daisy” as it reminded Tom of his infidelity - but Myrtle’s dialogue gives the reader the impression that she is less logical or reasonable than Tom is. Fitzgerald writes her shouting Daisy’s name over and over again so as to taunt Tom for the affair rather than provide a reasoned counterargument that would suggest that she does have some strand of maturity. Perhaps she is written that way to expound upon the gender injustice barriers that plagued the early 20th century, or perhaps it may be concluded the Fitzgerald himself held some of the misogynistic ideals that he expresses in his writings. At any rate, the argument that precedes the main conflict of this passage is important for character development as it is plain evidence regarding the internalized misogyny of the novel that is the belittlement of Myrtle both as a character (by Fitzgerald) and as a lover (by