What Does Daisy Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

In ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby embodies a man who is in love with Daisy Buchanan. However, it is feasible to conceive the notion Gatsby is not actually in love with Daisy but with what she represents. What she seemingly represents is “the paragon of perfection” - aristocratic, charming and beautiful. (SparkNotes Editors 2002) Fitzgerald alludes to the assumption that Gatsby is infatuated with all that Daisy represents rather than Daisy herself through the symbolic portrayal of synesthesia, repetition and the materialistic identity that Gatsby has constructed for himself. This essay will deliberate over the idea that Gatsby is not in love with Daisy, but with what she represents.

Daisy Buchanan’s allure is her wealth

and this representation of her is what Gatsby is infatuated with. Daisy’s house “amazed him - he had never been in such a beautiful house before.” Daisy is akin to her lavish house, she has “a ripe mystery about [her]” (Fitzgerald 2001:94) which makes Gatsby irresistibly attracted to her which evidently supports the theory that Gatsby is infatuated with the idea of Daisy more so than Daisy herself. Gatsby is constantly referencing his wealth and success with Daisy, he repetitively reminds Daisy of his materialistic values, “he took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them, one by one, before us.” (Fitzgerald 2001:59) His constant need to flaunt his wealth can suggest it reflects his requirement for reassurance that his status equates to Daisy’s which portrays Gatsby continually has Daisy’s social status in his mind. While originally Gatsby falls in love with Daisy, his love increases as he holds Daisy on a pedestal due to her ethereal and grandiose quality which is inherently connected to her wealthy status.

Gatsby’s primary motivation is status and he uses this as well as his wealth and “things” as the basis for his relationship with Daisy which emphasises the point that Gatsby revolves all of his actions around materialistic and shallow purposes. Fitzgerald’s use of the synesthetic metaphor, “her voice is full of money” (Fitzgerald 2001:76) to describe Daisy is bereft of her values or her personality: it conveys that Gatsby sees only the materialistic essence of Daisy which completely dehumanises Daisy and simply equates her to Gatsby’s collection of luxuries. Furthermore, Daisy is frequently regarded as the epitome of wealth and grandeur, “the king’s daughter.” (Fitzgerald 2001:76) This representation of Daisy is particularly what captivated Gatsby and further supports the idea that Gatsby is not truly in love with Daisy but with what she portrays.

Fitzgerald regularly uses colour as a source of symbolism, describing Daisy as a “golden girl.” (Fitzgerald 2001:76) Gold has connotations of something of value and success which directly correlates with Daisy, the “golden girl” (Fitzgerald 2001:76) that exhibits wealth and accomplishment.

Fitzgerald’s adoption of strong imagery and the noun, “golden girl,” exhibits Daisy as unattainable and the embodiment of everything Gatsby aspires to have. This further establishes the idea that Gatsby is enamoured with what Daisy represents. The whimsical representation of Daisy is what originally attracts Gatsby to Daisy as well as her social status, “it excited him, too, that many men had already loved Daisy - it increased her value in his eyes.” (Fitzgerald 2001:94) It is blatantly mentioned the level of Gatsby’s love for Daisy correlated to her unattainability and her materialistic value. During this narrative of when Gatsby first meets Daisy, Fitzgerald first notes the celestial aura Gatsby notices about Daisy. It is apparent that Gatsby’s acquisitive attributes is the foundation of the love between Gatsby and Daisy. However, the love that Gatsby feels for Daisy does not necessarily correspond with what Daisy represent as he makes vast sacrifices for Daisy, protecting her when she accidentally kills Myrtle, “but of course I’ll say I was.” It is highly unlikely Gatsby would do this for Daisy if he did not love Daisy purely. Alternatively, Daisy’s money is constantly alluded to in

connection with Gatsby.

For the aforementioned reasons, this essay concludes with the perspective that Gatsby does not love Daisy but is infatuated with what she represents: success and wealth. Fitzgerald uses symbolism and Gatsby’s materialistic obsession to express the notion that the foundation of the love between Gatsby and Daisy is superficial and materialistic. While Gatsby made various sacrifices in his life for Daisy (such as taking the blame for Myrtle’s death), it has constantly been noted throughout the novel that Gatsby’s attraction to money and status controls him and is the reason Daisy is seen as more valuable to him.