ipl-logo

How Does Daisy Buchanan Affect The Great Gatsby

935 Words4 Pages

Historically, the 1920s were a period of boundless economic growth and expansive consumerism in the United States of America. Amidst the vast forests of advertisements and streets packed bumper-to-bumper with Ford’s Model T, money rapidly became a symbol of societal power. Credit allowed United States’ citizens to develop a buy-now-pay-later mentality, inspiring the unwarranted augmentation of materialism. Despite this, the Jazz Age came quickly to an end upon the occurrence of Black Tuesday, in which the stock market crashed irrecoverably, leaving millions in poverty. Thus the Great Depression was triggered, an obvious consequence of the reckless spending and disregard of the law that characterized the 1920s. Tom and Daisy Buchanan, along …show more content…

This is obvious even before the wedding, as Daisy appeared agonized prior to the ceremony: “‘Take ‘em down-stairs and give ‘em back to whoever they belong to. Tell ‘em all Daisy’s change’ her mine. Say ‘Daisy’s change’ her mine!’ She began to cry--she cried and cried”(76). However, Daisy knew, in order to maintain her elevated status on the social hierarchy, she needed to marry a man of the same strata, so she married Tom Buchanan and, “didn’t say another word”(76). The discontent once again becomes apparent directly before the occurrence of the mortality-inducing car crash that killed Tom’s lover, especially demonstrated with Daisy’s venomous comment to Tom, “‘you’re revolting’”(131). By making this remark, Daisy made indisputably clear the negative sentiments she harbored for her husband. The Buchanan marriage seemed to be crumbling, the romantic facade appeared to finally breaking down to reveal the couple’s incompatibility. Overall, Daisy and Tom’s marriage was a hasty decision that led to both the individuals’ dissatisfaction. Due to her wealth, Daisy especially felt pressured by societal expectations to sacrifice her optimism in order to maintain her position in the Jazz Age hierarchy. In essence, the wedding of Tom and Daisy Buchanan was a rash, superficial choice that led to the inevitable development of discontented tensions building in the couple’s

Show More
Related
1697 Words | 7 Pages

Following the conclusion of World War I, countries in Europe struggled to rebuild their war-shambled economies and societies. On the other hand, WWI had seemingly ushered in a new era of prosperity for the Americans. The 1920s, better known as “The Roaring Twenties,” transformed and shaped modern-day American society. However, under the glittering facade of prosperity and fortune, the US economy began to decline as a series of internal failures threatened to undermine the nation. While many believe that the unprecedented crash of the stock market on October 29, 1920, better known as Black Tuesday, was the cause of the dramatic economic downturn of the century, long-term causes contributed highly to the impending catastrophe.

Read More
884 Words | 4 Pages

The exciting and prosperous decade of the 1920s suddenly ended when the world faced a severe economic crisis known as the Great Depression. Most men were unaware of the upcoming crash of the economy and were left penniless. What led up to this catastrophe that not only affected our country but the world, globally? After the 1920’s many people began thinking they could get rich easily by buying stocks. This was the beginning of many unexpected problems such as stock market speculation, the failure of many banks, and the problem of overproduction and underconsumption.

Read More
655 Words | 3 Pages

1. The point I find to be the most crucial to the plot in Chapter 1 is the Buchanan’s blatant unhappiness. Tom is obviously unhappy in his married life because, not only is he restless in the sense that he moves frequently, but he also is having an open affair. Daisy is also obviously unhappy because of the way she so readily opened up to Nick, whom she did not know well despite their familial relation, and in the way she interacted with Tom. Even if I had not read this story before, I would have picked up on the fact that this singular point would be a catalyst to the rest of the plot.

Read More
871 Words | 4 Pages

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays women in an extremely negative light. The idea Fitzgerald gives off is that women are only good for their looks and their bodies and that they should just be a sex symbol rather than actually use their heads. He treats women like objects and the male characters in the novel use women, abuse women, and throw them aside. I believe that Daisy, Jordan and Myrtle are prime examples of women in The Great Gatsby being treated poorly.

Read More
80 Words | 1 Pages

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.

Read More
600 Words | 3 Pages

In chapters four and five the author further characterizes Daisy through her fixations and joy in the extravagancies of men. Jordan and Nick discuss Daisy’s past life and her marriage to Tom. After Daisy’s family rejected Gatsby due to his lack of wealth, she looked elsewhere for an eligible bachelor that her family accepts. Jordan explains the circumstances of the marriage to Nick saying, “‘In June she married Tom Buchanan of Chicago, with more pomp and circumstance than Louisville ever knew before’” (Fitzgerald 50).

Read More
854 Words | 4 Pages

Daisy Buchanan is a woman who needs constant affection. Jordan Baker, a friend of Daisy, narrates, “In June she married Tom Buchanan... he gave her a string of pearls” (Fitzgerald 75-76). Jordan acknowledges that Daisy married Tom even though she promised to wait for Gatsby because she could not stand being lonely. Money was also a huge factor; it was evident that Tom was rich.

Read More
613 Words | 3 Pages

Daisy is shown to be acutely aware of Tom Buchanan’s infidelity, yet does nothing to combat it. Afterall, she has no love left for Tom anymore, only his money -- and it is not like that was what was having the affair. Additionally, her desire for status and money above all else can be shown in the way she treats her daughter, Pammy Buchanan. She sees her own daughter as little more than an object that she can parade as needed and forget when it is convenient. Daisy goes as far as to say she hopes her daughter to be “A beautiful little fool,” implying a woman has no place in this world, unless she is like Daisy, dependent entirely on her own beauty and the wealth of richer

Read More
965 Words | 4 Pages

His wife and his mistress, until an hour age secure and inviolate, were slipping precipitately from his control” (Fitzgerald 75). Tom Buchanan had reached the highest level of anger after he was told by Gatsby that Daisy did not love him anymore and they love each other for five years and when he had heard that “[He] turned to Daisy sharply” (Fitzgerald

Read More
995 Words | 4 Pages

Daisy and the Devil she was Turned Into The Great Gatsby is one of the best works of literature because of the many complex characters that are present. One of the most controversial characters in the book is Daisy Buchanan. At the beginning of the book, I thought Daisy would be a very minor character and would have little or no impact in the book. After I finished the book, I realized she had an impact; however, I still did not think she had a huge role in the novel.

Read More
2439 Words | 10 Pages

The era’s “perfect woman”, Daisy Buchanan is a bubbly, conflicted woman whose choice is between two men: her husband, Tom Buchanan, and her

Read More
2397 Words | 10 Pages

The era’s “perfect woman”, Daisy Buchanan, is a bubbly, conflicted woman whose choice is between two men: her husband, Tom Buchanan, and her former lover Jay Gatsby. Since Daisy’s character was written in the 1920s, women’s characters were based on the traditional women of the time period, and many women then were still seen as objects and as less desirable than men. When Daisy is invited to Gatsby’s mansion, her first sight of him in many years upon seeing his expensive clothing, she is so overcome with emotion that she begins to weep “with a strained sound” and begins to “cry stormily” showing her true reaction to something as petty as material objects (92). She continues, claiming that

Read More
1062 Words | 5 Pages

In the present time, Daisy is moved on and married, with a child in a beautiful grand home. Her relationship with Tom can be speculated to be based on her wanting to gain his finances or that he can support her like no one else can. Daisy portrays an idealistic vision of herself, and , throughout the story, shows a selfish and narcissistic persona at times. Daisy and Gatsby

Read More
444 Words | 2 Pages

In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I believe that Daisy is to blame for Gatsby’s death. This claim can be proven through Daisy’s continuous affair with Gatsby despite Tom’s suspicions, Daisy selfish nature, and the fact that she killed Myrtle herself and let Gatsby take blame. For example, Daisy’s continuous affair with Gatsby despite Tom’s suspicion was one of the factors in Gatsby’s death. One example of this is when Nick witnesses “Daisy’s face was smeared with tears, and when I came in she jumped up and began wiping at it with her handkerchief” (89).

Read More
685 Words | 3 Pages

The “Roaring 20s” was a period of economic prosperity, which lasted from 1920 until the stock market crash on October 29, 1929 (Black Tuesday). It came just after the end of World War I in 1918, which resulted in a changing American identity, and concluded with Black Tuesday, which ushered in the era of the Great Depression. During this time period, the country also underwent a transition from Wilsonian progressivism to the laissez faire policies of Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert C. Hoover. From 1917-1929, several factors contributed to the eventual stock market crash, including the government’s attitude toward unions and other labor groups, individual economic practices, and the agricultural crisis. From an outsider’s perspective,

Read More

More about How Does Daisy Buchanan Affect The Great Gatsby

Related Topics

Open Document