Examples Of Daisy Being A Fool In The Great Gatsby

Karen Yu
ENG3UI
Mrs. Dekker
October 26, 2014
Be a Beautiful Little Fool
The Best Way for Women to Survive in 1920’s in America
“I hope that she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”, Daisy says in the book The Great Gatsby written by F.Scott Fitzerald (20). In her mind, to be foolish is the best way to survive in the 1920’s in America, an era when women are not treated as fairly as men. Based on Nick’s narration, Daisy is an extraordinarily charming, desirable, but careless and selfish character who is married to a wealthy and, powerful, young man named Tom Buchanan. Daisy breaks the promise with Gatsby, as a smart and subtle woman, who only concerns herself with her own benefits.
None but a fool would do such a thing since everyone knows that nothing lasts forever. To marry Tom is what Daisy has to do because she is tired of waiting, waiting for Gatsby to come back. She feels satisfied and secured when she decides to marry Tom. However, on the night before her wedding, Daisy pulls out “a string of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars”, and wants Jordan “tell’em all Daisy’s change her mine”, and she “cried and cried” (91, 92). Finally, “the pearls were around her neck and the incident was over” only “half an hour later” (92). After Daisy receives a letter from Gatsby, she does try to change her mind for Gatsby. However, this sudden letter breaks Daisy’s plan. Daisy can’t accept this change because she wants a steady life out of her illusion, which is in her control. As a result, she is married to Tom to finish what she plans
She puts her real feelings away and walks into her “well-designed” illusory world. For instance, when Tom receives a call from his mistress, he goes inside to pick up the call without a world, Daisy then “suddenly threw her napkin on the table and excused herself and went into house” (17). In other words, Daisy clearly knows the affair of her husband. She just buries her miserable emotion inside and doesn’t complain. Moreover, on the day when Daisy’s daughter is born, Tom is “God knows where” (20). This implies one of the causes why Daisy feels “cynical” about everything and becomes more careless (19). It is torturing that her husband does not stay with her even on the day her daughter was born but what Daisy does is just turning away her head and weeping hopelessly. There is no doubt that Daisy understands her marriage is based on the money. She doesn’t gain happiness even though she gets her so called security and wealth from Tom. Ironically, she pretends that everything is going well and doesn’t face the problems in her life. Isn’t she a fool? Apparently, she just tries to obtain what would make her life easier, without realizing what she really