Character: Daisy Buchanan

Introduction

Daisy Buchanan is introduced as a childhood love interest of Jay Gatsby and is a central character in The Great Gatsby.
She is married to Tom Buchanan and lives in the more fashionable area of East Egg.

Personality

Daisy is initially depicted as an innocent, charming, and beautiful young woman.
As the novel progresses, Fitzgerald also portrays her as shallow, materialistic, and self-centered.
Despite her outward happiness, there is a sense of melancholy and dissatisfaction beneath her persona.

Relationship with Gatsby

Gatsby’s love for Daisy is a major driving force in the plot.
He is devoted to her, despite her marriage to Tom.
Daisy also harbours affection toward Gatsby, but this is complicated by her materialistic nature and fear of societal expectations.

Relationship with Tom

Despite Tom’s philandering, Daisy chooses to stay with him, symbolising her attachment to status and comfort over true love.
Regardless of Tom’s affair with Myrtle, Daisy remains largely unperturbed which showcases her potential pragmatism or apathy.

Symbolic Representations

Daisy is a symbol of wealth, glamour, and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of Gatsby.
She is also representative of the morally lax and shallow nature of the American upper class in the 1920s.

Impact on the Plot

Daisy’s decision to remain with Tom, despite Gatsby’s love for her, ultimately leads to the tragic outcomes at the end of the novel.
Her inability to take responsibility for her actions - such as her role in Myrtle’s death - results in further tragedy, particularly for Gatsby.

Summary

Overall, Daisy Buchanan is a complex character whose beauty, charm, and shallow materialism significantly impact the course of events in The Great Gatsby. Her character serves as a critique on the hedonism and moral decay of 1920s American society.