Examples Of Daisy Being A Fool In The Great Gatsby

“The Great Gatsby”, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, left a convoluted understanding of Daisy’s interpretation of true love when Daisy followed her heart that led her to Tom, an old money lifestyle, and allowed her to be “ ‘a beautiful little fool’ (21)” though, her heart guided her down a naive path of reality that masked her heartache and hindered her from distinguishing the difference between unconditional love and the satisfaction of money. The characters in East Egg who epitomize the idea of old money, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, excessively rely on their wealth to provide them with the intangible desires of life that money can never buy but only people can obtain, which in this case, is true love. Money, in their eyes, depicts their recognition

On the surface, Daisy insisted that she was just a fool, but in all truthfulness, being a fool was the only possible way she can shield her heart from the constant piercing pain of her unhappiness and regret that lurks in her everyday life. Accordingly, if she is nothing more than a fool, then she does know nothing more than to be oblivious to the truth, and likewise, she cannot be held accountable for her careless mistakes she made over her lifetime. In the same way, she chooses not analyze those mistakes, because knowingly hiding from the truth is easier than accepting it. She was also so reluctant to imagine living another life outside of her own, because she felt threatened by the possibility of facing her reality; that new life may not also enable her to reach her potential of embracing the role of being “a beautiful little fool” like she has always thought of herself and even her daughter only to be (21). Additionally, Daisy optimistically claims to be “ ‘p-paralyzed with happiness’ ”, which entails more than the reader may think the author indicated (13). From enduring the perpetual pain and loneliness over the years, she is numb to the true feelings of her heart, and as a result, she has not experienced the sensation of true happiness because she has nothing to compare the feeling to. When Daisy openly admits to Gatsby, “Oh you want too much!” she implies that Gatsby is asking for an answer to a problem that for once cannot be resolved by money (139). In other words, the request of Gatsby brings Daisy into reality and requires her to acknowledge her true feelings within her heart, which is numb to the sensation of happiness and love because of her craving for wealth; money will not mend this issue of love. On the other