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The Great Gatsby First Word Analysis

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First Words
Sometimes it is necessary to judge a book by its cover in order to get a first impression before reading. In the same way, authors of literature choose their characters specific first words to create a first impression for the reader. In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald selects the first words of Daisy and Miss Baker to give the reader a first impression of their characters and how they will impact the novel.
Within the first chapter, Fitzgerald chooses specific first words to introduce Daisy’s character. Daisy is the cousin of the narrator, Nick Carraway, and the wife of Tom Buchanan. She lives a very wealthy lifestyle in East Egg with her husband. Although she did find out that he has a mistress in the town over. Before Daisy speaks, Nick Carraway came over to her house for dinner. When he arrived, Daisy greeted him be saying, “‘I’m p-paralyzed with happiness.’” Fitzgerald chooses this phrase for her first words to show that Daisy has a loving heart, but is insecure to show it because she doesn’t want to be hurt. By stuttering the paralyzed, it shows that she is somewhat hesitant when it comes to connecting with people. Also, the pairing of paralyzed and happiness shows that Daisy tries to love people but holds back to an extent. One reason she is hesitant to love people is because she loves Tom, but he also has a mistress that she knows about. This can explain why she is hesitant to love people because she has been hurt before while loving
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