The Great Gatsby - Daisy Buchanan

In this passage Nick describes his first meeting with Tom and Daisy since he has moved to West Egg. While approaching he comments on Toms "Two shining arrogant eyes", eyes is a common motif in the Great Gatsby and often used to symbolize God and power which is further emphasized when Nick "could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat", Fitzgerald often associates Tom's powerful presence with his stocky and well-built body. Not only does the way Tom dresses and his possessions symbolize his wealth, status and power, but he literally embodies all of those ideas as his body becomes a symbol of empowerment.

Nick then turns his attention to Daisy by referring to her as "The other girl...[that] made an attempt to rise". Daisy, throughout the novel is often described as a "girl", striping her of her age and maturity which is in contrast to Tom's oozing presence of status and strength. The description that she "made an attempt to rise" further shows how Daisy has little mobility in her and Tom's relationship as she can only "attempt to rise" and is unable to stand and speak for herself.

Daisy embraces Nick and "[holds his] hand for a moment,looking up into [his] face, promising that there was no one in the world that she so much wanted to see". The greeting by Daisy appears to be over dramatic, as she is trying hard to show her gladness that she, in the end, lacks sincerity.

Daisy is portrayed as Gatsby's muse (muse: the source of an artist's inspiration). It is discovered later in the book that Gatsby's real name was James Gatz but he changed it because he wanted to pursue a new, better life than his current one. To Gatsby, if he could get a girl like Daisy, he could finally tell himself that he has 'made it' and become the upper-class, high status man he has always desired.

The Great Gatsby - Chapter Seven

By Daisy inviting Gatsby to her's and Toms house for lunch, she is taking a great risk at her husband finding out about their romance and Tom uses the fact of Gatsby's criminal history to humiliate Gatsby in front of Daisy, suspecting that there is more going on than what can be seen on the surface.

Gatsby did not "ever really believed in [Daisy's child] existence before" until he sees the child in front of him, this suggests how Gatsby has been clasping onto the Daisy that he knew way-back-when and not considering how Daisy has changed over the period of time. This idea of fantasy is extended further on in the passage when Daisy tells her daughter "You dream, you. You absolute little dream." Having a daughter had always been a dream of Daisy's and through the way Daisy acts towards her, Daisy still believes she is a dream - a daughter that is only there when Daisy desired one.

How Daisy acts towards the child, is somewhat similar to what is witnessed with Nora in A Doll's House. Daisy seems to treat her daughter as she is not real. She coos over her as though she is a doll, like an accessory to Daisy, something to show of the life she has made, and seems to have no real bond with her daughter as she is almost entirely in the care of the nanny, this is emphasized when the child is said to respond "shyly", showing how uncomfortable Daisy's own daughter feels around her. Daisy, in this passage, is shown to be immature and selfish, and essentially portrayed as a child herself - not really fit to be a mother.

Daisy seems to be putting on an act to show how deeply she cherishes her daughter by stating "Come to your mother that loves you.", it is like she is not only reminding the child that she is in fact her "mother", but also that she "loves [her]", but also reminding herself of these facts.

The Great Gatsby - ScreenR on Commentary

The Great Gatsby - Chapter Six Analysis

The chapter is opened to the truth about Jay Gatsby past (which is very different to the rumours and what Gatsby has told of himself).

The story begins with Gatsby being referred to with his birth name (James Gatz) which he changed when he was 17. The reason he did this becomes clear as it is revealed that "his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all." (pg78), meaning that he never wanted to believe that he was brought up on an unsuccessful farm run by his parents. He had been ready to change his name for a long time suggesting that he modelled himself on an idealized version of "Jay Gatsby", who becomes a personification of the 'American Dream', by changing his name, he is leaving his past and reinventing himself as someone that comes from wealth.

Though coming from very little wealth and opportunity, he quits from being a janitor - his only source of income - because he finds the work humiliating as it suggests his social class which is at odds to what he believes his social standing to be.

The awkward luncheon reinforces the great difference there is in the book between those who come from inherited wealth and those who come from new money. Tom sees Gatsby as inferior to himself, even though Gatsby may be wealthier.

The Great Gatsby - Chapter Two

In this chapter, the status hierarchy is established. This is introduced through the meeting with Tom and Mr Wilson. Tom greets Mr Wilson in a condescending manner by "slapping him jovially on the shoulder" while saying "Hello, Wilson, old man,". This type of behaviour normally occurs between friends, however Tom and Mr Wilson are none of the sort. Instead, Tom is invading Mr Wilson's personal space and not caring because to Tom, Mr Wilson is not important.

This is the chapter where Myrtle is also introduced. Though Myrtle married a handy man with little status and lives in a standard, run-of-the-mill house, she is a lover of beauty and a social climber and finds that her only escape from the Valley of Ashes is through an affair with a wealthy, high status man. Her attempts to climb in status is shown at the party she holds in her apartment. As the party begins Mrs Wilson changes her outfit and "with the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change. The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur." However, though she now appears to be a women of status, moments later when she is speaking to a guest, her heritage and true status shines through as she uses the term "fellas", language used by the lower class,also her voice is described as "mincing" which undermines the beauty of her appearance described earlier. This reinforces one of the ideas that Fitzgerald presents, that your heritage, family background and status matter and cannot be ignored.

Myrtle's apartment is also a projected symbol for the world Myrtle lives in as the apartment comes across distorted as "The living-room was crowded to the doors with a set of tapestried furniture entirely too large for it....The only picture was a over-enlarged photograph, apparently a hen sitting on a blurred rock. Looked at from a distance, however, the hen resolved itself into a bonnet, and the countenance of a stout old lady beamed down into the room." - the idea of the furniture being too large for the apartment suggests that like the furniture, Myrtle, too, is out of place. "hard dog-biscuits - one of which decomposed apathetically in the saucer of milk" suggests decay and corruption and points to the affair between Myrtle and Tom.

The Great Gatsby - pg16+

Daisy is shown to be a theatrical character and appears very naive and ignorant. This is shown through her treatment of her husband's affair. After Tom's mistress has called the house while Daisy and guests were at the table, though Daisy "glances searchingly at Miss Baker then at [Nick]" as though she seems to be panicking, she looks outside and describes the nightingale on the lawn as "romantic" and share this feeling of romance with Tom, though moments before he was on the phone to his mistress. The fact that Miss Baker thought "everybody knew" about the affair, and was surprised when Nick did not, suggests that the affair is not well hidden, either due to accident, or lack of sparing his wife's feeling, in any case, it portrays Daisy's habit of putting 'her head in the sand' and not addressing Tom, as fear of the outcome.

Also the fact that when Miss Baker tried explaining that "Tom's got some women in New York" to Nick and Nick replied "blankly" "Got some woman?", unable to grasp the meaning of what Miss Baker was saying shows that there is a world hidden for Nick. That though he is within, he is also without as some concepts of this world are hard for Nick to comprehend.

Chapter two (pg22) is the introduction of the Valley of Ashes where the Wilson's live. The area is described to be full of "hills and grotesque gardens". The contrasting images of "grotesque" and "gardens" is strong, as "gardens" are normally associated with beauty, but placed with the adjective "grotesque", the two ideas clash. The description of the town makes it become non-existent, similar to a ghosts town as it is referred to as a "solemn dumping ground"(pg22)

The Great Gatsby - Depiction of the Buchanan's in the opening chapter

Tom Buchanan is shown in the opening chapter a man of control and authority as when Nick is referring to having been invited for dinner he refers to both Tom and Daisy as the "Tom Buchanas"(pg8). This is reinforced as Nick approaches the Buchanan's house for dinner and "Tom Buchanan in riding clothes was standing with his legs apart on the front porch"(pg9). This stance portrays pride and protectiveness to what is his. He controls Nick right from the moment Nick has stepped foot on their property. "I've got a nice place here,"(pg10) he says and then "[turns Nick] around by one arm"(pg10) and announces that they will "go inside"(pg10).

Daisy presents the opposite persona however. Nick and Daisy are distant cousins, and even barely at that as Nick refers Daisy to an "old friend whom [he] scarcely knew at all". Daisy however, treats Nick as though they are personally very close when she "held [Nick's] hand for a moment, looking up into [Nick's] face, promising that there was no one else in the world she wanted to see."