Similarities Between Gatsby And Daisy Buchanan

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is one of the most popular literatures from the 1920s. Fitzgerald portrayed the life of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious young gentleman living in an extravagant mansion in West Egg. In the novel, we witness the transformation of a boy from humble origins to a wealthy gentleman. In Gatsby’s ideal future, he wishes to be with the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. The fact that Daisy is already married to Tom Buchanan does not shield her from Gatsby’s persistent attempt to win her heart. Nevertheless, Tom’s relationship with Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy have several similarities and differences. For instance, the Buchanan’s relationship seems to share a stronger bond together compared to Daisy’s

“ ‘I never loved him," she said, with perceptible reluctance. "Not at Kapiolani?" demanded Tom suddenly. "No." From the ballroom beneath, muffled and suffocating chords were drifting up on hot waves of air. "Not that day I carried you down from the Punch Bowl to keep your shoes dry?" There was a husky tenderness in his tone. ". . . Daisy?’ ” (Fitzgerald 131) Tom is as Daisy described “a brute”, this is perhaps the only time Tom shows vulnerability in the novel as he calls Daisy’s name with “husky tenderness in his tone”. Even though Tom choses to have affairs with other women, he does not actually want to peril his marriage with Daisy. When Myrtle mocks Daisy by continuously shouting her name, Tom physically injuries Myrtle. Tom’s action shows that Daisy is more significant to him than any affairs he has had in the past. On the other hand, Gatsby only adores the idea of Daisy. He barely knows anything of Daisy’s life. “Afterward he kept looking at the child with surprise. I don’t think he had ever really believed in its existence before.” (Fitzgerald 116) Gatsby never took the time adapt to the real world, he has a whole life planned for Daisy and himself in his imagination that is far from the reality of life. His desired future with Daisy is based on his own unrealistic fantasy; it is based on the idea of Daisy, not Daisy herself. To Gatsby, Daisy is the incarnation of all his hopes and

Apart from love, Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy is also built selfishness and vanity. “It excited him too that many men had already loved Daisy—it increased her value in his eyes.” (Fitzgerald 147) The fact that Daisy’s value increased in Gatsby’s eyes due to her popularity with other officers suggests Gatsby’s vanity. Moreover, Daisy’s selfishness was shown when she ended her relationship with Gatsby without a proper farewell. “She vanished into her rich house, her rich, full life, leaving Gatsby - nothing” (Fitzgerald 148) On the other hand, Tom’s marriage with Daisy is not essentially built on love either, but on conveniency and vanity. Tom needs a beautiful and socially acceptable wife; while Daisy needs a wealthy and powerful husband. Even though their relationship seems dysfunctional, they have no intentions of making amendments. Tom is publicly unfaithful to Daisy and does not consider himself at fault. "And what's more, I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time." (Fitzgerald 131) Ultimately, Daisy is not completely innocent either. The night prior to Daisy’s wedding, she knew she loved Gatsby, but she also knew Gatsby had little money at the time. Coming to the realization she valued wealth more than happiness, she chose to marry Tom. Thus, none of the two relationship are solely built on