Essay On Daisy In The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald builds up Daisy to be a romantic figure through Nick Carroway’s perception, she is heavily associated with musical and natural imagery across the novel. When we are first introduced to her character her presence sets the scene by being likened unto an angel and almost Madonna-like figure in the roaring twenties- an era swept by crime and a settling racy culture that was beginning to stabilise within America. Despite this, my interpretation of Daisy is she is infatuated by materialism which makes her a idealist and a hopeless romantic.

In a literary context, to be labelled as romantic is to find a personal connection with another, which is what Daisy and Gatsby establish in their youth this can create the impression that the love

Daisy had for him was innocent and pure “she wouldn’t let go of the letter” describes Daisy’s battle with herself of trying to let go her memories with her first true love. As she embarks on searching for a perfect relationship she meets Gatsby, although when she does achieve this relationship pinnacle she lets him go for a person with more wealth which results in a very toxic and unloving marriage. Parts of her personality suggest that she is as amorous as Nick believes her to be, however on the contrary after being emotionally distraught over Gatsby’s letter she decisively marry’s Tom the following day which begins to tie in the idea she is more concerned over materialism. She masks her feelings and rushes into the concept of marriage. “She married Tom Buchanan without so much as a shiver”

The moment Daisy is introduced she is falsely idolised to be a divine figure ascending down “their dresses were rippling and fluttering’ the gentle movement of the dresses emphasises the grace and elegancy of an angel or personage with an enchanted nature such as a fairy. The holy symbolism given to Daisy’s description is similar to a ‘Madonna’ who is a religiously respected mother. An interesting impression is given to us as the origins of Daisy’s full maiden name “Daisy Fay” has connotations of nature, beauty, and love this could be the main reason why Gatsby is so captivated by her. An equally significant aspect is Daisy just like a flower her character flourishes and grows as the novel proceeds, we begin to get an idea that she not as romantic as she is seen to be but a destructing force who ruins a lot of characters lives. A flower can hide its imperfections by their petals just as Daisy does by the clothing she chooses to wear- “They were both in white”. Gatsby’s death is foreshadowed by the tragic meaning behind “fey” as it states ‘fated to die’. The house Daisy and Jordan Baker are seen to be flying around can reflect societies view on women in the 1920’s, “after a short flight around the house” suggests they are bound to the house, women were only seen for domestic purposes such as mothering children, cleaning etc. Alternatively, Daisy’s promiscuous nature can be represented through this quote “Daisy was popular in Chicago.They moved with a fast crowd, all of them young and rich and wild but she came out with an absolutely perfect reputation.” Another stereotype of women within the roaring twenties is a flapper who was a lady who would treat sexual encounters with men quite casually; wore excessive makeup and enjoyed jazz music. As Daisy fits into this description the reference to “fluttering” could evoke the image of a majestic bird.

There are aspects to Daisy personality which portrays her as a compelling character, for example her voice entices people to move in closer “Daisy’s murmur was only to make people lean toward her; an irrelevant criticism made it no less charming” the “charm” within her voice allures people to listen and to have all attention focused on her. Daisy’s voice is focused on within a lot of the chapters presented to us, this allows us to understand her emotions to an extent- due to the unreliability of the narrator Nick. There are promising elements to her voice as she speaks to people her “low thrilling voice” allows us to feel excitement and the depth of irresistibility Gatsby feels when he is with her. Gatsby and Nick are presented to be the only characters to really appreciate the seductiveness in Daisy’s voice. Gatsby also states “her voice is full of money” this can be represented as the opportunity for Gatsby to seize the American Dream, he has recognised in himself a insecurity of not having a high status and therefore holds onto it as his motivation to gain wealth,prosperity and most importantly Daisy. Daisy was born into “old money” therefore she inherited her family’s wealth, this money is what powers her voice and therefore she is falsely idolised by Nick. Her voice is romanticised greatly and is described to be “full of aching, grieving beauty” the use of juxtaposition emphasises Daisy’s actions are romanticised to such an extent little details such as her grievance and sadness arouses such grand perfection. Historically, love poems evolved into musical pieces to impress a love interest. Daisy voice is widely associated with musical connections suggesting how romanticised she is. People tended to serenade there loved ones, her voice is described as “the kind of voice the ear follows up and down, as if the speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again” This quote describes her voice having a similar arrangement to a song, this explains how loving she is to those around her, to such a an extent her speech can be seen as though she is singing to them. Similarly, not only is Daisy known for her voice but also her facial features, “her well loved eyes” again, emphasising the great deal of love and recognition she receives from her associates.

Undoubtedly, Nick and Gatsby fail to see Daisy in no other form than what they see in their rose tinted spectacles, however it is arguable that Tom Buchanan sees the real personality she possesses and therefore creates an affair from her.

She has multiple relationships including Tom Buchanan-her husband and also a younger love fling with Jay Gatsby who later becomes the man she has an affair with. There are various occasions where she acts flirtatious around Nick but this could be deemed as her loving and foolish behaviour as a labelled flapper and her desire to be loved. The idea of her being a hopeless romantic stems from her past and present relationships, as dreamy and ideal they are built up to be, they are always intervened or disrupted. Her marriage is not fulfilling for her, “I woke up out of the ether with an utterly abandoned feeling” Tom is not there for her even when she has given life to his child. Her willingness to stick with Tom although aware of his affair, power and status exemplifies how money-orientated she really is “he gave her a string of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars” this can explain her enthusiasm towards her marriage. Ultimately, Daisy’s careless and foolish behaviour leads to the death of Gatsby and Myrtle resulting in her crawling back into Tom Buchanan’s open arms and fortune. Daisy’s obsession with money epitomises the side to her character that is not romantic as she feels inclined to put her financial stability before her romanticised feelings towards

people.

Above all, Daisy’s unfortunate experiences she has with love and relationships places her in a position of being a hopeless romantic, for instance due to disruptions such as her social status, she puts herself and her most prized possession being money before anything else this results in her acting selfishly across the whole novel. Her obsession with materialism would ultimately label her not being a romantic individual however I feel she holds parts of her personality back from fully expressing her real feelings to Gatsby therefore her thought processes and actions suggest she is romantic. Nick Carroway describes her to be other-wordily and of a fairy like nature which just shows the great length of which romanticism surrounds her life. Nonetheless, placing her worldly desires before her heart left her unsatisfied for the rest of her life.