Daisy Buchanan

  • older generation value subservience and docility vs younger gen who value thoughtless giddiness and pleasure seeking
  • Remark almost sardonic: refers to social norms of her era but doesn’t challenge
  • describes own boredom with life and that girl can have more fun if she’s simple and pretty

“… that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” (CH1)

“I’m p-paralyzed with happiness.” (CH1)

  • Preceded by what Nick describes as “an absurd, charming little laugh,” Daisy’s playful stutter suggests shes constant performer in social situations.

“[She had] the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down, as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again. . . . “ (Nick, CH1)

  • Rather than express her happiness to see Nick genuinely, performs happiness, and does so ironically —> the reader suspicious how “p-paralyzed with happiness” she really is
  • Instead of describing quality of voice, Nick emphasises effects her voice has on others, esp men. Her voice has enticing mystique that captures the listener’s attention and compels them to follow the musicality of her speech.
  • In this sense, Daisy recalls Sirens of Greek myth, who use enchanting voices to lure sailors into shipwrecks.
  • Like the Sirens, Daisy’s voice issues a vague but entrancing promise of “gay, exciting things” to come, but voice eventually leads to tragedy.

“summing up the sadness and suggestiveness of life in new tunes.” (Nick, CH8)

Nick recounts the story of what happened to Daisy after Gatsby left for the war.

Daisy abandoned herself not just to wealthy society, but jazz that animated it.

  • Nick’s use of a musical metaphor of “new tunes” recalls music of the Jazz Age. High-energy jazz styles created a soundtrack for the Roaring Twenties, expressing both “the sadness and suggestiveness of life.”

Light and airy language also metaphor for social mobility — anchored on balloon suggest no danger of leaving their place and at the highest level

“Two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon […] their dresses rippling and fluttering” (Nick, CH1)

Also shows women light and careless but stil, anchored down perhaps to the men in their lives — reflective of womens position in 1920 society

  • Adj slightly and conscientious connote daintiness to show her motions that are calculatedly controlled, attributed to well bred characteristics of upper class

“She leaned slightly forward with a conscientious expression” (Nick, CH1)

Shows she’s associated with wealth by embodying refined manners

Shallow - baby comes second prioritises partying and the jazz lifestyle - manner changes to reflect mood - motherhood is an anchor preventing her from enjoying her youth

“She added irrelevantly, ‘you ought to see the baby’ (CH1, Nick and Daisy)

Theme: society and class

Theme: Society and class

Theme: society and class

Theme: wealth and poverty, society and class

Theme: wealth and poverty, society and class

“For a momement the last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face … then the glow faded” (CH1 Nick)

Eloquent dexcrpitom reveals grace and magnificence but glow fades as shallowness is revealed