Daisy Buchanan 2
English Lit: AQA A Level The Great Gatsby - Specification A, topic 4.3.2
Daisy Buchanan - Romantic Figure
On one level, Daisy is a romantic figure as she is subject to Gatsby’s quest to be with her. On another level, she is unromantic and unwanted because Tom is already seeing another woman: Myrtle.
Daisy's attractiveness
- When we first meet her we are aware of her attractiveness. Nick says that she ‘had the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down’ and that ‘there was an excitement in her voice’ (Chapter One).
- But it feels like she may have lost some of her original sexuality and attractiveness after marriage (hence why Tom is having an affair).
- Tom is still protective of her though, even when he is with Myrtle.
Relationship with Gatsby
- Daisy was with Gatsby before his call-up to fight in World War One, and they obviously had a strong romance between them. The novel suggests that they slept together.
- Daisy had a breakdown the day before her wedding to Tom where she got drunk. This seems to have happened because she realised she did not really love Tom but in fact loved Gatsby.
Increasingly realistic approach
- By the end of the novel but, knowing Gatsby’s criminal connections, she decides that she is better off with Tom, even though he is far from perfect.
- So, as the novel proceeds, she becomes more realist and less romantic in her outlook.
Gatsby's failed gesture for Daisy
- It is romantic that Gatsby has bought a house across the bay so that he can gaze over to her and show off with his extravagant parties.
- His plan for romancing her does not work out though and leads to his death.
Daisy Buchanan - Disinterested Mother
When Daisy meets Gatsby again, it seems like she is prepared to abandon her family lifestyle, and perhaps even her daughter Pammy, to be with him.
Abandons Pammy
- When Daisy goes over to Gatsby’s place ‘quite often’ she is abandoning time spent with her daughter.
- She is presented by Nick as not a very committed mother at this point.
- She also abandons Pammy when the group decide to ‘go to town’ (Chapter Six).
Daisy's redemption
- In New York City, Daisy realises that things are escalating and only then does she think about her daughter and maintaining the family unit she has. In this sense, Daisy may be seen to be fickle.
- When Nick sees that Tom and Daisy ‘weren’t happy’, he also observes that ‘they weren’t unhappy either’. This suggests a compromise, perhaps in order to protect Pammy.
Test yourself on Daisy Buchanan 2
How does Nick describe Daisy's voice?
What did Daisy do the day before her wedding to Tom?
When was Daisy with Gatsby?
Why does Daisy eventually decide NOT to be with Gatsby?
What does Nick observe about Tom and Daisy?