Character Analysis of Daisy from “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzjerald
Jay Gatsby succeeds in creating an admirable female (Daisy Buchanan) character who presents the perfect protagonist for a narration. Her traits keep altering from childish to an extremely corrupt character as the novel develops. Nick Carraway does not have the complete and relevant picture of the events, which is why his attitude to Daisy changes throughout the novel. Thus, while in the end of the novel Daisy’s shallowness and moral corruption are obvious.
In this narration, Fitzjerald seems to empower the protagonist but misleads the readership at the same time. His choice of order of events affects the perception that readers have about Daisy. The character of Daisy is complex in diverse ways that further confuse the readership. For example, all her relations with other characters seem to be compromised. This is because her character transforms from a meek one to an extremely strong one. This narration seems to lack a perfect order for readers to follow. Instead of a logical narration, there are deceptive flashbacks that strengthen the character of the protagonist. The readership of this narration cannot solve the puzzle because of the piecemeal revelation of information by the narrator. Finally, when readers have the entire narration, they can engage in appropriate judgment of all the characters in the narration. The following is an explication of how Fitzgerald breaks the chronological order of events.
Daisy is introduced when the narrator, Nick Carraway, comes to visit her and her husband. She is Nick’s “second cousin once removed”. This is an impression of a careless, somewhat childish young woman. Her name evokes the beauty and innocence of a flower, while her maiden name, Fay, “can mean faith or fate or fairy” (Levitt 262). We learn that Daisy and Tom have a baby, and that Tom is unfaithful to his wife. The couple has an extravagant lifestyle and tries to make their marriage look perfect. However, it soon turns out that before marrying Tom, Daisy was in love with Jay Gatsby, but they were separated in 1917, during the war. For some time Daisy remained faithful to Gatsby, but after a while, she started dating again and soon met Tom. On the day before their wedding, she almost calls it off after receiving the letter from Gatsby. This story, told by Daisy’s friend Jordan Baker, presents Daisy in a more tragic light – it seems that she was truly heartbroken because of the impossibility of being with Gatsby and that she does not deserve her current unhappiness with Tom. When she discovers that Gatsby is their new luxurious neighbour who arrives to win her heart again, they start seeing each other, and Gatsby is sure that Daisy will stay with him.
One of the key scenes for the understanding of Daisy’s personality takes place in the hotel, where Tom and Gatsby have a confrontation about her. It is interesting that we do not hear Daisy’s own opinion until the end of …