How Is Daisy Portrayed In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was published in April of 1925. Though not very popular when it was written and published, the novel is very well known today. The Great Gatsby takes place during the jazz age of flappers and all-around rebellion of the young people. The people of the jazz age were known as the “Lost Generation.” F. Scott Fitzgerald fell in love with a Supreme Court judge’s daughter, Zelda Sayre (Bio.com). Zelda was the girl that everyone always wanted. Fitzgerald was always chasing after the golden girl, which ties into his book. He was also involved in a lot of drinking and parties. In his book, Jay Gatsby, one of the main characters, threw huge lavish parties. Jay Gatsby is portrayed as a people pleasing,

wealthy, young man who focuses on love more than life itself.
In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is blinded by his love for Daisy Buchanan.

Gatsby bought an enormous mansion across the bay from Tom and Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby fell in love with Daisy when they were just teenagers. Daisy was the “golden girl” that everyone wanted, but Gatsby was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to fall in love with her. Gatsby was sent off to the war, so in the meantime Daisy met and married Tom Buchanan. When Gatsby found out about the marriage, he bought the house across from Daisy and Tom’s house. Gatsby does everything he can in the attempt to get Daisy’s attention. He throws huge parties that attract all kinds of people in hopes that one night, Daisy will just wander in among the crowd. No one knows or has ever met him and any rumors are spread about him such as he is a murderer, a bootlegger, or a spy during the war. “It was testimony to the romantic speculation he inspired that there were whispers about him from those who had found little that it was necessary to whisper about in this world” (44). Gatsby’s shady personality does not help in his attempts to find Daisy. No one knows how Gatsby has all his money, especially at such a young age. No one is invited to Gatsby’s extravagant parties, except Nick Carraway who is Daisy’s cousin and also Gatsby’s neighbor. Gatsby approaches Nick at his party, and they find that they were in the army at the same time and partially know each other. Therefore, Nick and Daisy are the only people that know

anything about Gatsby’s past.
Jay Gatsby finds a new companion after inviting Nick Carraway to one of his extravagant parties. One thing that benefits Gatsby is that Nick is Daisy’s cousin which gives him an inside source to help with his plans of winning Daisy back. Gatsby uses Nick to get Daisy to come over to West Egg for what she thinks is just tea with Nick. Little does she know, Gatsby will show up “out of the blue.” Gatsby uses this opportunity to flaunt his money and huge house, which are two things that he knows Daisy has always wanted. “He hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-love eyes.” (91). This just shows that his intentions may seem pure at first, but over time he became obsessed with the idea of wealth and social status. Gatsby was willing to do whatever he had to do in order to get his “golden girl” because having a woman like Daisy would make him seem more classy and worthy of all of his possessions he has such as his over-the-top house and car. Gatsby remained loyal to Daisy throughout the previous years and during the affair.
Near the end of The Great Gatsby, the intensity of the affair between Daisy and Gatsby was increasing.

Sensing the tension, Tom became suspicious about the relationship between his wife and Gatsby during their lunch when Gatsby and Nick go to lunch at the Buchanan’s. It seems as though Gatsby is forcing Daisy into telling Tom about their past and their present affair. Gatsby manipulates Daisy into telling Tom that she loves Gatsby. He hits his breaking point when Tom tells him that Daisy would never leave him. This shows that Gatsby may seem very well put together, but it all may be an act. On the journey back home, Daisy is driving Gatsby’s car. When a woman runs out in front of them, Daisy unintentionally hits and kills the woman. Gatsby decides to take all the blame for the woman’s death to protect Daisy. Gatsby does everything he can to protect Daisy in hopes that their love will finally bring them together forever. Gatsby may not seem like an honest man, but he has had no reason to tell the truth about his past and who he is. Gatsby confides in Nick and ultimately pours his heart out to Nick. The hopeful Jay Gatsby waits a painful, nerve-wracking night for a phone call from Daisy with her decision. “‘I suppose Daisy’ll call too.’ He looked at me anxiously, as if he hoped I’d corroborate this.” (154). Even after death, Gatsby and his genuine feelings seem to remain forever devoted to

Daisy.
Gatsby’s feelings for Daisy seemed constant and unbroken throughout his entire life although no one knew for sure. After the deaths of Myrtle, Gatsby, and Wilson, Tom remained faithful to Daisy until his death. The two of them had more children and raised them happily as they travelled throughout the world. My mother was one of their grandchildren. Recently, when my mother passed, I found pictures in her attic of Daisy and a man that is supposedly named Jay Gatsby. No one will talk to me about the pictures or the man in them. Whenever I bring them up they all immediately change the subject or tell me it’s none of my business. I need answers so after posting the pictures on the internet someone has responded and they seem to know everything about both Daisy and Gatsby.
After talking online with the man whose name is Lucas Montgomery, we decided it was time to meet so that he could tell me the truth behind the pictures. He was a very secretive man and hadn’t given me much information, but I trusted that he was telling the truth. We met in a coffee shop and he looked shady but my desire for answers pushed me to sit and talk with him. He had a box sitting on the table in front of him but he wouldn’t show me the contents. I had numerous pictures spread out across the table and he seemed fascinated by each one.
“Your great-grandmother was beautiful,” he told me after looking through all of the pictures I held. “You look just like her.”
All that I could do was staring at the man sitting in front of me. Not once had I told Lucas that the pictures were of anyone of any relation to me. Even when posting them online I had just said that I had found them and wanted to know more about the happy people in them.
Without a word, I gathered up all the pictures and threw them back into my envelope and stood to leave. I walked outside of the coffee shop and just stared off into the distance thinking to myself, how does he know that Daisy is my great grandmother? How does he know about the man in these pictures? Later that day, I noticed a car across the street from my house. Inside the car was a familiar face, peeking over dark sunglasses. When I walked outside, the mysterious car sped off, leaving just a cloud of dust. I had a missed call from Lucas Montgomery that night asking to meet up again so he can explain himself. We set up another meeting at the coffee shop. I guess everyone deserves a second chance, right?
The next day when I walked into the coffee shop, I saw Mr. Montgomery sitting at a big table with letters spread out in front of him. I sat down and he proceeded to tell me that the man in the pictures was Jay Gatsby, his great grandfather. His great grandmother was Jordan Baker, Daisy’s best friend.
“Gatsby and Daisy had quite the affair,” he continued to say, “Little did she know that Jordan was also sneaking over to West Egg. She moved away after she knew she was pregnant with my mother, Gatsby never knew because of his young death.’
Here I am, sitting across the table from the man that has been sitting outside of my house, seemingly stalking my family. I now knew why. When I was younger I heard about a shady man that was overwhelmingly obsessed with my great grandmother, and now I know the name of that man: Jay Gatsby. It makes sense that his great grandson was still obsessed with my great grandmother and with my family. Lucas Montgomery’s family always envied the wealth and status of the Buchanan family.
Even though Jay Gatsby was portrayed as a man with genuine feelings, he had reasons for his obsession with wealth and Daisy. With the birth name of James Gatz, he was dirt poor as a child. Although it is unclear how Gatsby made his money, everything he did was to win Daisy back. Gatsby may have just been loyal, but even in this century, his actions would be looked as creepy and obsessive.
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