- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Ch. 1
"All right... I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool--that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Ch. 1
Scandal. Rebellion. Duty. These were all new revelations during the American 1920’s. Samples of these fashionable aspects of society can be found within the entertainment of the times. Take for example F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, published in 1925. It is filled with several scandals that ultimately end with the fulfillment of one’s commitments. Two of literature’s most complex characters, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, live through the pages of The Great Gatsby as their story unfolds. The couple is cast as a phenomenally wealthy pair, residing in a suburb of New York City. It is no secret to Daisy or to any one else that Tom was carrying on an affair with a contemptible woman, and although Daisy did not approve of her husband’s calumnious behavior, she had not consider leaving him. She continues on in silent misery as the perfect wife until her young love, Jay Gatsby, reenters her life. During the climax of a series of dramatic events, a monumental confrontation occurs in which Daisy must decide between her lover and her husband. Despite all cliché expectations, Daisy and Tom stay together in the end. From the moment they meet, their wealth and personalities lead to a fascinating dynamic between themselves and others. Upon observation one can only assume that instead of romantic passion, monetary connections and certain changes in each personality held Daisy and Tom together.
In order to end up in a marriage, Daisy and Tom would have had to have been drawn towards each other at some point. It is obvious why Daisy would have been desirable to Tom. She is described as being “by far the most popular girl in Louisville”(74). She was born of an extremely wealthy family and was expected to marry someone of her own class in society. Although she fell madly in love with Gatsby, he could not provide her with riches and it was while he was away at war that she met Tom Buchanan, whose “family was enormously wealthy—even in college his freedom with money as a matter for reproach”(6). Tom provided her with the one thing that Gatsby could not: financial security, thus making him an advantageous marriage mate. Yet, there must have been more of a connection than that of money and political standing, for a close friend of Daisy records,
I saw them in Santa Barbara when they came back, and I thought I’d never seen a girl so mad about her husband. If he left the room for a minute she’d look around uneasily, and say ‘Where’s Tom gone?’ and wear the most abstracted expression until she saw him coming in the door”(76).
Clearly the two had quixotic attraction when their marriage first began that provided an amorous appeal.
It is obvious that between that time of that intoxicating love and the ‘almost end’ there was change in personalities. Daisy seems like a fragile victim because Tom is painted as incredibly domineering. “Two arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward”(7). In addition to his physical appearance, his voice also lent into what Fitzgerald calls “fractiousness”(7). Tom’s forceful behavior is countered by Daisy’s delicate, lady-like ways that are always up to par. Because she is submissive and always obedient, she is an easy target for Tom, the bully. There is more than one instance in which Daisy caves under Tom’s overbearing requests. Notice her response to one such request when Tom asks if he may sit with someone else at Gatsby’s party, “‘Go ahead,’ answered Daisy genially, ‘and if you want to take down any address here’s my little gold pencil’”(105). Surely this is not the response of a woman who is madly in love with her husband! Tom shows no hesitation when inching away from her and she easily gives up his attention. Daisy’s docile ways allow her to handle every situation she encounters in the least problematic way and her flexible thoughts and opinions make her acceptable by any group. It also gives way for Tom’s headship which makes him confident enough in Daisy’s love for him to be shamelessly unfaithful.
Daisy’s feelings towards Tom are so unmistakably mixed. She has an innate sense of loyalty to him; however, that feeling is easily swayed by her uncontrollable emotions towards Gatsby. Unlike the tense gaiety that Tom and Daisy’s relationship produces, when Gatsby and Daisy are together, passion and love seem to flow through and out of both. By simply spending a matter of minutes together, their entire beings became controlled by irrepressible joy. “At his lips’ touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete”(111). After this “incarnation” Daisy became much more outgoing and independently opinionated than before, and her youthful courage returned. As soon as she arrived home from her gallivants, Tom would break the spell and Daisy retreats back into her subdued, passive ways. It is no wonder she felt an undeniable attraction towards Gatsby.
Daisy and Gatsby’s secret love could only be kept in the dark for so long, and Tom’s initial reaction towards the circumstances showed much angst. “He was astounded. His mouth opened a little, and he looked at Gatsby, and then back at Daisy as if he had just recognized her as some one he knew a long time ago”(119). He realizes that Daisy was no longer under his influence and within minutes of this daunting recognition, he learns that his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, is leaving the state. “Tom was feeling the hot whips of panic. His wife and his mistress, until an hour ago secure and inviolate, were slipping precipitately from his control”(125). This was entirely unacceptable by Tom’s gripping standards. A heated argument between Tom and Gatsby ensued because of Daisy’s double life. Not only does she have two romantic interests, but her split personality is ordered to a screeching halt and a decision has to be made between her bold and thrilling passion and her subservient life as Tom’s wife. Only when she began to state her true feelings of revolt for Tom did his avid confessions of love come rushing forth. Her cowardly customs shine through like never before. “Her frightened eyes told that whatever intentions, whatever courage she had had, were definitely gone”(135). Daisy was once again a puppet to Tom’s wishes and Gatsby had been left in the wind.
Before anything more could be settled, the situation is further interrupted by Myrtle Wilson’s unexpected death. It is only after this tragic event that the entire affect of the day could be seen in Tom. “A change had come over him, and he spoke gravely, and with decision”(142). His words are no longer filled with disbelief and revulsion, they are uncharacteristically gentle. He explains to Daisy his sorrow and states, “I’m going to take better care of you from now on”(133). Still their youthful affections do not reappeared, but notice this scene of Tom and Daisy alone:
He was talking intently across the table at her, and in his earnestness his hand had fallen upon and covered her own. Once in a while she looked up at him and nodded in agreement. They weren’t happy, and neither of them had touched the chicken or the ale—and yet they weren’t unhappy either. There was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture, and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together”(145).
Because Daisy is a follower, she caves to Tom’s temporary change into a sweeter, more compassionate mate and she becomes even more malleable. Their marital bond remains unbroken.
Immediately after, the two pick up what was left of their life and move to Chicago. They leave behind many doubts and questions in the minds of those around them, but their reputations remain unscathed. Their wealth and position make it possible to act on such an impulsive decision that undoubtedly saves their social lives. Daisy and Tom might have fled the scene, but the effects of their selfish decisions are much felt by those left behind, particularly by the narrator, Nick. He passed this judgment. “They were careless people, Daisy and Tom—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made…”(179). Because of their irresponsibility and dishonesty, two more men, Gatsby and Wilson, end up dead, while Daisy and Tom began their life anew. The injustice of the entire situation is massive; yet the only thing separating Daisy and Tom from the blame was the wealth to buy their innocence by evading the scene.
The complexity of the relationships in The Great Gatsby continues to rival the average mind. Through all of the scandals and distrust, Daisy and Tom stay together. This is not only because of the monetary gain, but also because of a social duty that they feel obligated towards. It could even be attributed to a faint, but nevertheless present, romance. Their prideful and selfish ways cause much heartache and regret around them and continues to be one of the most dramatic tragedies of 20th century literature. F. Scott Fitzgerald truly encapsulated the feel of the 1920’s in this entrancing novel. It embodies aspects of life that are prevalent even today; a life filled with scandal, rebellion, and duty.
