Daisy’s Self Perception Vs. Others In the movie “The Great Gatsby” the character Daisy Buchanan displays a complex connection between self perception and how she is perceived by others. Throughout the movie, viewers can see how Daisy’s life is influenced by societal pressures vs. personal wishes, Daisy’s dismissive marriage, her relationship with Gatsby, whether or not Daisy’s intentions can be seen as selfish, and how this impacts Daisy’s perception of herself vs. how she is ultimately perceived by the viewer. Individuals are not defined by a single characteristic. No one is entirely one trait over another, because humans are nuanced and complex creatures. However, we may present ourselves as a product of our environment and conform to societal …show more content…
Since divorce is frowned upon during the 1920s, Daisy stays with Tom despite his infidelity and aggressive personality. As a result, viewers can assume Daisy’s perception of herself may be overshadowed by insecurity and inadequacy despite the fact she is far from it, considering the fact she is still extremely wealthy and beautiful. Ok come back to this paragraph cuz idk what im saying anymore. It is common knowledge that women in the twenties were often objectified. Men viewed women as things, not people, and that the main purpose of women was to be objects of the male gaze. Daisy could be seen as a prime example of a victim of this mentality. Despite Gatsby’s good intentions, it is undeniable that Daisy is objectified and idolized by him. This inability to live up to the perfect image of herself could further reinforce Daisy’s internal struggles, which could externalize itself as fickleness, boredom, and carelessness. Gatsby romanticizes Daisy to the point of obsession, particularly being attracted to her perceived outward traits of luxury, and beauty. Due to this, and his extreme pursuits of winning Daisy back, it seems as if Gatsby views Daisy as a passive object or image of wealth and beauty, rather than a human