How Is Daisy Buchanan Selfish

Daisy Buchanan is The Great Gatsby’s most impenetrable and disappointing character. Although Fitzgerald attempts to deem Daisy worthy of Gatsby’s infinite devotion, in the end, she reveals herself for what kind of person she truly is. Despite her flirtatious charm and undeniable beauty, Daisy is merely an insensitive and self-absorbed woman. Gatsby convinces himself that he is wholeheartedly in love with Daisy, when in fact, he is only in love with the idea of her. Although Fitzgerald makes Daisy seem pure and innocent, in actuality, she is the opposite of what she is presented to be.

Daisy is routinely linked with the color white-- her white dress and white car-- making her appear pure in a world of liars and crooks. However, Daisy’s inner-self

is revealed when she is aware of her husband’s unfaithfulness, yet does nothing to stop it because of the money and power her husband Tom has. When Daisy has to choose between Tom and Gatsby at the hotel, it looks as though she is choosing Tom to love. However, she is really choosing to be with neither Tom nor Gatsby. Instead, she is choosing the comfort and protection Tom’s money will bring her.
Daisy’s questionable character is also shown through the way she speaks of her daughter. “I hope she’ll be a fool,” Daisy says, “that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” Daisy believes that in order for a woman to survive in the world, beauty is a necessity over brains. Daisy’s daughter, Pammy, is solely another object Daisy uses to show off and make others talk about her. She has a lack of concern for her daughter and focuses on Pammy only when it is to her convenience. Daisy’s lack of compassion for anyone other than herself is also revealed when she kills Myrtle Wilson and then flees the scene. Myrtle is not wealthy or of the social elite, so to Daisy, she is nonessential and easily replaceable. After Gatsby’s death, Daisy abandons Gatsby and leaves town as if she never knew him. Because Gatsby’s riches and wealth vanish after his death, there is no reason for Daisy to stay. She and Tom leave soon after where Daisy will remain unchanged and blinded by the riches and material objects of the world.