Daisy Buchanan : The Great Gatsby Essay -- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Behind every great man is a beautiful, charming maiden who holds his heart. What if this woman was not absorbed with taking care of his heart but was completely absorbed with money, reputation, and her own needs. In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Mrs. Daisy Fay Buchanan is the object of affection or the "rock of [Gatsby's] world."(99) All Daisy's life she has wanted to be noticed, to be heard, and to be loved. However, when everything she has always wanted is being held in her hands, in the form of Gatsby, Daisy chooses money as her form of happiness ultimately leading to her misery. Daisy's action and choices are extremely defined by her "East egg" way of life, which is a representation of old money and high class society within the novel. In short, Daisy thinks with her wallet instead of using her common sense, her head, or her heart. When reading the novel "it [seems]†¦the thing for Daisy to do [is] to [leave Tom], child in arms"(20) but unfortunately "there are no such intentions in her head". The reason being, Tom is her financial provider and equal socially. Even though Gatsby has enough money to support her now with his "drug stores" he will always be nouveau riche, a continuous flaw, according to Daisy's high class standards of life. If Daisy was not of high society or have money, she would lose what little power and influence she possesses as a woman of the 1920s. Some one as egoistical as Daisy cannot bare to be as unacknowledged like lower class society, but because Daisy is an ethereal beauty with money and charm her voice remains heard. At what cost does Daisy pay to keep her voice heard? Money allows her a form of power, yet "her face [is] sad and lo... ...burning and the heat is to the point of fatality Daisy only has Tom on her mind. Or it could mean Gatsby's love for Daisy makes the world outside around her so pleasant while Tom and his money creates nothing but a heat equal to burning fire and brimstone for Daisy's life. Though Gatsby is a great man and Daisy is the definition of charm and beauty, she will never allow herself to hold his heart. Daisy's love for money, her reputation, and her own needs have ultimately led to her down fall. Daisy chose to marry Tom and his wealth over being Gatsby's foundation of love. Daisy believed money would give her the attention, giver her the voice, and give her the love she wanted all her life. However, all she has received from pursuing money is misery. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1925.