Sunday 4 January 2015

How does Daisy treat men in The Great Gatsby?

Daisy treats men with a mix of angry scorn and dependence. Remember that Daisy is all about Daisy. She wants to be the center of attention; she does not want to take the responsibility of making decisions or owning her personal actions. Daisy values money and material possessions above all. As Gatsby so aptly put it, "Her voice is full of money."


Though she is angry with Tom for cheating on her repeatedly, she does...

Daisy treats men with a mix of angry scorn and dependence. Remember that Daisy is all about Daisy. She wants to be the center of attention; she does not want to take the responsibility of making decisions or owning her personal actions. Daisy values money and material possessions above all. As Gatsby so aptly put it, "Her voice is full of money."


Though she is angry with Tom for cheating on her repeatedly, she does not leave him. When the showdown between Tom and Gatsby occurs in the hotel in New York, Daisy can't commit to either man. It isn't a matter of not wanting to hurt either one. Instead, she doesn't want the stress and consequences of taking an action. She keeps to the status quo by saying she loved both of them. Tom is triumphant; Gatsby is shocked. Daisy doesn't care.


She tells Gatsby, "You ask too much." In her world of shallow needs, uprooting the materially comfortable life she already has for a light affair is impossible. She just knows she wants to keep her wealth and status; she depends on Tom for that. Gatsby may have the money, but he doesn't have the social status of 'old money.'

No comments:

Post a Comment

How can a 0.5 molal solution be less concentrated than a 0.5 molar solution?

The answer lies in the units being used. "Molar" refers to molarity, a unit of measurement that describes how many moles of a solu...