Explore the ways in which Fitzgerald presents the character of daisy in chapter one of ‘the great Gatsby’.
The character of Daisy Buchanan plays a vital role to the development and progression of the novel. When we are first introduced to daisy she is depicted as a figure of content, filled with innocence; even her name “daisy’ radiates a sense of naivety. However as the storyline, and even chapter, advances we soon realise that the initial perception of daisy we receive is maybe not as truthful as we are lead to believe and we later on start to see underneath her façade.
Our first encounter with Daisy takes place whilst Nick is visiting the Buchanan’s mansion for the first time. Daisy in envisioned along with friend Jordan baker, as being ‘in white’, by using the colour white Fitzgerald indicates a sense of innocence and purity, which in liaison with the name ‘daisy’ leads to a notion of a naive, harmless character. Daisy is described as having ‘ballooned slowly to the floor’ conveying an aura of gracefulness and lightness as if she has no cares or worries about life. However Fitzgerald writes how they had ‘re-surfaced’ after “Tom” Daisy’s husband had walked into the room, as if he provided the heaviness to the room, suggesting a possible difficulty or tension between the two characters and their marriage.
When we first meet Daisy she is keen to stress her happiness to Nick and Tom, she emphasises her joyfulness when she says “I’m p-paralysed with happiness’ this holds significance as exaggerating this state of paralysis which seems to be in she is conveying the degree of her happiness and how it is physically consuming her to the extent where she in unable to do anything else but be filled with felicity. As we read on further Fitzgerald shows a child-like side to Daisy, Fitzgerald writes that when she sees Nick she looks at him “promising that there was no one in the world she so much wanted to see”. The way in which Fitzgerald describes Daisy’s action portrays a childish manner, not too dissimilar so a small child looking at someone close to them e.g. a parent or carer. This dewy-eyed attitude is something that continues on throughout the chapter.
Daisy is the link between all of the characters, she is tom’s wife, Nick’s relative and Jordan’s friend; and with everyone of the character she has a completely different relationship. Daisy and Jordan’s relationship is not mentioned as much as the other characters however we get the impression that Jordan is the more mature one of the two friends when Daisy is written to say ‘don’t look at me… I’ve been trying to get you to New York all afternoon’ where they would have presumably have drunk alcohol and celebrated all through the afternoon. However Jordan is adamant that she is ‘ “absolutely in training’” so therefore would not participate in more drinking out in New York City. We also learn that Daisy is loyal to Jordan; when Tom is commenting on Jordan’s lifestyle Daisy defends her, arguing ‘coldly’ “her family is only one aunt about a thousand years old.”
Nick and Daisy’s relationship is shown is somewhat more depth, and through their relationship Fitzgerald conveys some crucial themes. The fact that Nick is not immediate family and in fact her second cousin once removed highlights the theme of loneliness. We are told that Nick did not even attend Daisy’s wedding and in fact the possibility is that they would have only encountered each other a few times, yet the way in which Daisy greets him would suggest that they were close family. This emphasises the theme of loneliness, as normally if daisy would have been truly contempt with her life then she would not have reacted to him with such delight and joyousness. We also learn that Nick to Daisy is someone who she feels she can be herself without being judged on the state of the home state. The majority of those people surrounding her are aware of the on-going difficulties of her marriage, and yet here is Nick who is
