Daisy's Carelessness In The Great Gatsby

During the roaring 20s, money was the only thing that meant something to many people. If one had money, then he or she was considered important in society. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, many characters have the quality of being careless. Along with carelessness, many characters were selfish, and they did not consider the feelings of other characters. In the novel, Jay Gatsby, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, and Jordan Baker all possess this tragic flaw.

Jay Gatsby is a rich man who wants nothing other than Daisy Buchanan. Back when the two were younger, they were in love. The two lovers met in Louisville before Gatsby left for war, but when he returned from the war, he discovered Daisy married Tom Buchanan. From then on, Gatsby

began trying to win Daisy back. Jordan Baker, a professional golfer and one of Gatsby’s acquaintances, told Nick about Gatsby and Daisy. She explained, “‘Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay”’ (Fitzgerald 78). Gatsby threw huge parties expecting Daisy to make an appearance, but she never did. Gatsby also spent a great deal of money on an unreachable dream he made up in his mind. He was careless with his money, of course he did have a purpose, but in the end, his plan did not pan out the way that he had expected. Because Gatsby was so set on Daisy, he never made any real friends, other than Nick. Gatsby was careless with not only his money, but also his life. He died in an accident, but with all the money he had, he never enjoyed it because he was set on the unreachable dream in his head.
Along with Gatsby, Tom and Daisy were also careless.

Both of the people in the marriage ended up having an affair with someone else. Neither of the two considered the feelings of the other. Tom had an affair with another married woman, and Daisy had an affair with Gatsby. One afternoon at dinner, Tom confronts Gatsby about the affair. Daisy broke in during the argument and said that she loves both men. One the way home, Tom told Daisy and Gatsby to ride back together, because Tom wanted to prove that Daisy was his. During the ride home, there was an incident that involved the accidental death of Tom’s other lover. After the accident, Tom and Daisy run off. No one knew where they went. When Nick called the house concerning Gatsby’s funeral, Tom and Daisy were nowhere to be found. Nick made the comment, “‘They were just careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made…” (Fitzgerald 179). Tom and Daisy ran away from their problems, and they never came back to clean up the mess. They did not care how big of a mess they made, and they did not care who was left to clean it

up.
The last character with the flaw of carelessness is Jordan Baker. Nick and Jordan were fond of each other. During one conversation, Nick called Jordan out on the subject of carelessness. He said, “‘Suppose one day you met somebody just as careless as yourself”’ (Fitzgerald 58). She replied confessing her likeness for him because Nick does care about others. She thought they would even each other out. Throughout the novel, the two became a couple and often meet for lunch dates. At the end of the novel, Nick had lunch with Jordan after the death of Gatsby. During the lunch, Jordan reveals to Nick that she is engaged to another man. Nick does not know whether she was lying or not because she is known for being dishonest. Nick ended up leaving to go back home because he is sick of the carelessness of the people from the east. Jordan did not consider the feelings of Nick, and she was careless concerning the death of Gatsby. Her willingness to meet with Nick after the funeral showed how careless and shallow her character was.
In conclusion money was very important in the 1920s. It was a social status if one had money or not. When one obtained money, he or she did use it wisely. Jay Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and Jordan Baker, all possessed the flaw if carelessness. Gatsby wasted money on an unreachable dream, Tom and Daisy ran away from the messes that they made, and Jordan did not consider the feelings of other people before she made a decision.