Yes, Gatsby did nobly take the blame for Daisy's blunder, and yes, he lost his life for it. However, it is his reasoning behind his infatuation with Daisy that really disgusts me.
This is especially apparent in the passage on page 148:
It amazed him - he had never been in such a beautiful house before. But what gave it an air of breathless intensity was that Daisy lived there - it was as casual a thing to her as his tent out at camp was to him. There was a ripe mystery about it, a hint of bedrooms upstairs more beautiful and cool than other bedrooms, of gay and radiant activities taking place through its corridors... It excited him, too, that many men had already loved Daisy - it increased her value in his eyes...He took what he could get, ravenously and unscrupulously - eventually he took Daisy one still October night, took her because he had no real right to touch her hand.
When describing to Nick how the two met, Gatsby claims that Daisy was the first "nice" girl he ever met. That statement itself seems reasonable; Perhaps every girl he'd encountered thus far had been rude or not forthcoming. But he supports this statement by saying that it is the "breathless intensity" of Daisy's HOUSE that impresses him, not Daisy herself. He loves how rich she is, and how everything that happens in the house was "radiant".
To add on to his shallowness, the fact that other men already love Daisy "increas[es] her value", illustrating his self-centered thinking. Then, knowing full well that he has no right, he deceives and takes advantage of her like a "ravenous" animal with no moral boundaries.
By no means is Daisy a saint, though. In her own way, she's worse than Gatsby; She feels no remorse for killing Myrtle, nor does she slow down after hitting her. She then allows Gatsby to take the blame for the accident, causing him to be murdered. To top it all off with a bitter cherry, she doesn't bother to come to Gatsby's funeral. So much for loving him.
I've heard quite a few people say that Gatsby and Daisy's supposedly undying love for each other is the ideal love story. But honestly, if love is based on material goods and selfishness, I don't want any part in it. -MC
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| The characters of The Great Gatsby in a nutshell. |
I felt that Gatsby and Daisy were in love, but in love with each other's wealth and "value". I too thought that it was really strange that Gatsby liked the fact that other guys were going after Daisy too. He is evaluating her based on the demand for her as if she is an object for sale. I found it ironic that he expects Daisy to only love him nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you said that Daisy seems to be worse than Gatsby, which is really interesting considering his occupation and "shady" relations. Also like Yunsoo pointed out, that she is almost an object being put up for sale to him, which goes along with the feminism viewpoint in the homework.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you saying that Daisy is worse than Gatsby. The whole book was based upon the entire forbidden union between the two, with her knowing she had no intention of leaving her husband. I almost feel as if she only engaged in Gatsby to get back at Tom for his affairs with other women.
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