Daisy, the main character of the book, is a typical representative of women of the upper class of the 1920s, the type of woman that has two values in life, acquiring a rich partner and maintaining a wealthy lifestyle. Gatsby remarks that ‘her voice is full of money. She marries Tom because she is attracted to his wealth and sophistication. Gatsby knows that if he will accumulate enormous wealth, he can buy Daisy.

Daisy is a trapped woman. She’s trapped in a marriage that she is unhappy in and trapped in a world where she has no chance to be free or independent. She is at the mercy of her husband, a man who takes her for granted. Daisy is also terribly clever, delivering some of the funnier lines of the book. When a reader looks at the foolishness and shallowness of Daisy they must realize that Daisy may be doing out of necessity. As she said when she delivered her daughter, “- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”. Daisy is smart enough to understand the limits imposed on her and has become jaded and indulgent because of them.

She is emotionally passive. She plays at love with Gatsby as she plays with everything else in life. She likes life without difficulties and always tries to stay in her comfort zone. All she cares about is her. She is careless and emotionless. She runs away after she kills Myrtle with her careless driving. Her love for Gatsby is fake. She does not attend Gatsby’s funeral. She loses her nerve at the critical moment when she has to decide whether she loves Gatsby or Tom. The word careless also describes Daisy as well. Many of the things that Daisy does, the accident with Myrtle, in particular, show a woman who is just careless. Part of this is due to the fact that she had been spoiled all her life. She was born into money and had an endless group of men who would continue to spoil her. So she has learned to think only of herself without regard for other people.

Important Questions:

• Sketch the character of Daisy.
• Why does Gatsby say Daisy’s voice is full of money?
• Sketch briefly the character of Daisy Buchanan.
• Discuss the role of Daisy Fray in the novel in brief.