How Is Daisy Portrayed In The Great Gatsby

Improved Essays
3. Daisy Buchanan is the the main female character in The Great Gatsby. Daisy is characterized as shallow, vain, and materialistic, on the surface; however, as the novel progresses it is revealed that Daisy is actually intelligent, and she has an immersed mind that is often consumed with the real value of women, and the expectancy that they will depend on men to determine their worth in society. Daisy’s marriage to Tom Buchanan, is pivotal in highlighting the complexity of Daisy’s character. Although Daisy is married to Tom, she is not completely happy, as she is in a marriage that is riddled in infidelity, committed by both her and Tom. Daisy’s union to Tom comes from a result of complacency, and the opportunity to have status socially, and …show more content…
The setting in The Great Gatsby is significant to the story because it depicts an accurate representation of the aristocracy and desire for prosperity that swept through America during this era. The novel takes place in the 1920’s, which reflects a new era for America and its citizens. The setting primarily takes place in two fictional boroughs of Long Island, New York; which are dubbed “West Egg” and “East Egg”. In these suburbs, the residents live a very nonchalant lifestyle, with their focuses solely on material possessions, and elite social status. The residents of East Egg are more financially stable, and have already established their place in society, and are perceived by others in society, as being very affluent. West Egg’s residents are wealthy as well, but the residents of this borough tend to be developing their place in the world both financially and socially. The setting is also significant because it reflects the vision and value of Americans during this time period. The aftermath of World War I had taken its toll on Americans, yet the country showed promise by way of economic growth and several cultural and technological advances. These changes in society caused citizens to set their sights on chasing prosperity, both culturally and financially. This chase was dubbed the “American

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Daisy In The Great Gatsby

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Is Daisy really the sweetheart that everybody thinks she is? Daisy Buchanan is another qualifier for the main villain in the story The Great Gatsby. Daisy is in many ways a villain even though she doesn't physically hurt anyone, she hurts a lot of the characters in a mental and emotional way. Stephen, from Goodreads.com, tells us that Daisy is the main villain of the story. He explains that Daisy created the problem with Gatsby ever since they met.…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Today I'm going to talk to you about Daisy. In this book daisy sees herself is foolish or a pushover because Tom is cheating on her and she just lets it happen, she doesn't do anything about it and I put this picture as puppet because she lets every one push her around like tom and here I will give you an example from the book“I'm glad It's a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool“ 20 page. Others see daisy as childish because she has no worries.why did is put the picture of a little girl because it represents when I was child didn't have any worries, I was so happy all the time and here's another quote from the book "They're such beautiful shirts," she sobbed, her voice…

    • 259 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    This quote is very ironic because Daisy realized that she loves Tom, not Jay. Even though Tom has mistreated and cheated on her, Daisy feels secure and safe with Tom. Gatsby believed that he and Daisy were in love, however he also believed that he lost her because he was poor. Now that he has wealth, he still loses her to Tom; Gatsby finally learns that money can’t buy you love. Also Gatsby finally realizes that his American dream will not come true.…

    • 242 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    I concur with your post. Thanks for introducing the fact that both Gatsby and Daisy give the reader the impression that they are both under stress and pressure. The relationship reaches a point where it becomes unsustainable in chapter VII. Daisy’s difficult situation tips and becomes a nightmare. She loves money, and both men have it.…

    • 153 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Daisy Buchanan is a controversial character who plays a huge role in the conflicts of “The Great Gatsby”. She is very materialistic and always has been in the life of money. Daisy also is a selfish character. All she cares about in the world is herself. She always loves to keep a strong image for the public, regardless of what is happening in her life.…

    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Great Gatsby is told by Nick Carraway, who was Jay Gatsby’s neighbor in West Egg. Across in East Egg were Tom and Daisy Buchanan who had one daughter and lived in a nice home, which looks like what the “American Dream” is like but it’s really not. Gatsby had enormous parties at his house every weekend. The parties were to get Daisy’s attention but no one knew that.…

    • 1788 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Daisy, a beautiful flapper from the 1920s, living the perfect life of wealth and respect in society, has everything she ever wanted. Always wearing white to show her innocence and purity, she is the trophy wife every man dreams of. Her friendly and flirty personality draws people in, while her high stature in society distances her away from the common people. This is exactly what had happened with the love of her life, Jay Gatsby, when she was younger. He left to war and she was forced to marry a rich man named Tom.…

    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Great Gatsby, Daisy determines the unexpected deaths of Myrtle Wilson and Jay Gatsby. Daisy Buchanan is a self-absorbed, vacuous socialite whose decisions lead to the destruction of both Jay Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson. Daisy Buchanan’s failure as a wife is her first flaw the reader is exposed to. After being…

    • 1381 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The 1920’s were a time of social and economic reform. The 19th amendment was ratified which gave women the right to vote, getting women one step closer to overcoming patriarchal dominance. Women began to reform their physical appearance and became less sexualized with binded chests and short hair. This change in physical appearance made women feel more empowered but it does not remove men’s feelings of superiority as women were still limited from opportunities and treated as property more than a capable human. In The Great Gatsby, Daisy is motivated by money and loves her husband for his economic status and although Myrtle does display some Flapper-like ways such as her extramarital sex, she is also very sexualized and treated as a prize by…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Daisy is revealed as a character corrupted by wealth in a power struggle against her husband, Tom Buchanan, in a marriage which she is perfectly content to be a part of. While the marriage between Daisy and Tom is corrupt as whole, Daisy is by far the greatest contributor of the corruption, even as it remains a secret to the characters until the novel’s end. During the first half of the story, the average reader will begin to hate Tom for his bigotry and arrogance and hope for Daisy to leave Tom, and when Gatsby appears in Daisy’s life again to regain her love, everything seems to set in place for a happy ending between Daisy and Gatsby. However, Daisy goes on to demonstrate throughout later chapters…

    • 1595 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There are several components to a person; each one affected by different things: relationships, family history, gender, race and ethnicity, and a surrounding society. It is also these components that create a character in literature, which explains why characters can seem so relatable. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, characters are lost in an array of parties, clubs, and events that have no purpose. Life in the 1920s seems glamorous and wonderful; however, it is the underlying corruption and deception that causes the eye to only see the glamor. One of Fitzgerald’s main characters, Daisy Buchanan, is depicted with the elegance and glamor that she should have; however, she is as corrupt and desperate as the rest of society.…

    • 1624 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Many suffer from the consequences of their own actions, however it’s not uncommon that one may carry the burden of another’s mistakes. Unfortunately, this is flawlessly displayed in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. Throughout the entirety of the novel, knowingly so Daisy continues to let her irresponsible decisions hurt the ones closest to her. Daisy Buchanan is a self-absorbed vacuous socialite whose decisions lead to the destruction of Gatsby, Myrtle, and Tom. Through murder, heartbreak and lies Daisy destroys others.…

    • 1498 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Greed In The Great Gatsby

    • 1041 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Due to Daisy living in East Egg, she tries to maintain her social status by marrying Tom instead of waiting for Gatsby. She accuses her husband that their love “[n]ever matter[ed] to him” while in the hotel room (143). Daisy upholds her affluent East Egg image but at the cost of landing herself in an unhappy marriage. Suffocated by her wealthy lifestyle, Daisy looks for fun outside of her matrimony by associating herself with Gatsby. She has an affair with Gatsby because of the money he has and what he can provide for her.…

    • 1041 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    She is often seen as an innocent southern belle, just a beautiful fool. However, many readers view her in a completely opposite way. She has been noted as quite a dishonorable character, almost more of a villain, in the harshest of descriptions. She is motivated purely by her own comfort and security, which come in the way of money and material items.…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Daisy still thought she had everything. Wealth, love and happiness, which all fall into the category of The American dream, but she discovers that she has nothing. Daisy actually has a child who doesn’t seem significant to her. The kid is never around, which shows quite a bit about Daisy. When her kid was born, Daisy said, “I’m glad it’s a girl.…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays