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Examples Of Superficiality In The Great Gatsby

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Through Daisy Buchanan, Fitzgerald exemplifies the motifs of illusion and superficiality to show his theme of how wealth can have an everlasting corrupting influence on a person's true character. Fitzgerald explores the motif of illusion through Daisy Buchanan within her complicated relationship with Gatsby. From the moment Gatsby and Daisy met, he had “believed in the green light, [and] the orgastic future” (Fitzgerald 180) with her. This impossible standard he had set and chased for with Daisy was an unreachable future that highlights the illusion of perfection he created around her. However, Gatsby eventually realizes that she could never truly measure up to what he had put in his mind. The narrative reflects this disconnect: "There must …show more content…

The true meaning behind Gatsby’s lust for Daisy is not about who she truly is or her real character; rather, Fitzgerald leans into the concept of Gatsby’s illustrious dream that could never be achieved. This ties into how countless aspiring citizens who came to America during the 1920s chased after an impossible “American dream” that could never be attained. Daisy Buchanan’s character also dives into the idea of superficiality, much like many other characters, which is particularly evident in her decisions and values. The attractiveness of Daisy is inherently due to her lust for intense wealth, an observation made by Gatsby when he notes, “Her voice is full of money” (Fitzgerald 115). This statement clearly shows how her allure is deeply rooted in her superficial ways, making her appeal more materialistic rather than sincere. Furthermore, her shallow priorities and utmost concerns with men are revealed when the narrator, Nick, states, “She wanted her life shaped now, immediately—and the decision must be made by some force—of love, of money, of unquestionable practicality—that was close at hand” (Fitzgerald

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Another issue is that a partial amount of Gatsby's infatuation can be acquitted to the idea of Daisy rather than person herself. Gatsby equates his love for Daisy with the wealth of her surroundings. “Gatsby's, dream is established here:” States Gary Scrimgeour, “A combination of beauty, love, money, and success.” (Scrimgeour, 2). The conflation of all these ideas heightens his infatuation with Daisy.

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Since he was born, Gatsby’s dream had been to deliver himself from poverty and make something of himself. He moves away from home, changes his name, enlists in the army, doing everything in his power to create a distinct separation between his past and his desired future. As a result, he begins to covet, and carry out an affair with, married ‘old-money’ debutant, Daisy Buchanan, the physical embodiment of Gatsby’s Dream. In the context of 1920’s America, ‘old money’ refers to the elite society to which Daisy and her husband Tom belong, made up of families of incredible generational wealth whose aristocratic grace may only be achieved through breeding.

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In The Great Gatsby, the character Daisy Buchanan embodies purity, sophistication, and grace. She is the epitome of wealthy American women in the 1920s, weaving between social circles often through parties in a way that results in their optimal outcome. However, this superior exterior reveals to be a facade of Daisy’s actions and personality. The author uses her as a way to show that corruption along with a lack of morality is inevitable with immense wealth. Although Daisy leads with an innocent image, her true nature is as dishonorable as that of her affluent counterparts.

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In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, “The Great Gatsby,” Daisy Buchanan struggles to free herself from the power of both Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, whom both use their wealth and high standings as a way to dictate power over and impress others. Fitzgerald purposely develops Daisy as selfish and “money hungry” character when she chooses Tom, a rich man, over Gatsby, a poor man (who she was in love with), which establishes her desire for power that she never achieves.

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Those three concerns—love, money, and above all, unquestionable practicality—seem to be a credo for the Buchanans and their ilk, the kind of people Nick finally denounces as a “rotten crowd” (162). Daisy submits to existence in a rather loveless marriage with an unfaithful husband, failing to challenge Tom for his misconduct towards her. Her situation is far from ideal—that becomes blindingly apparent to her when Gatsby reappears, offering the romantic possibility of escape. But Gatsby trades in dreams, and Daisy is content with just the possibility of escape. Indeed, the scenes in Gatsby’s house have an air of dreamlike unreality, and when confronted with the reality and consequences of her actions, Daisy is frightened and hesitant.

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Daisy’s supposed inferiority cannot be the case when she is described as the “king’s daughter [and] the golden girl”. As a whole, the treatment of women may have been unjust in the 1920’s but Daisy was surely an exception. Furthermore, her relationship with Gatsby, from an entirely character based perspective, is representative of the happiness. In gatsby’s eyes, this happiness can only be achieved through obtaining financial success, or in other words achieving the American Dream. Given that “[Daisy’s] voice [was] full of money” and that the American Dream was explicitly linked to wealth, Gatsby’s prominent pursuit of wealth was to achieve happiness through Daisy’s love.

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