Daisy
Throughout this chapter we witness the intense build up to the moment everything falls apart between Tom and Daisy Buchannan’s relationship. The hot weather contributes to the outcome of the day and the decisions Daisy makes because “everything is confused” by the fact “it’s so hot”. The fact that Daisy notices the confusion caused by the intensely hot weather leads us to doubt that her denial of love for Tom Buchanan is thoroughly sincere or even credible. The confusion amongst Daisy’s thoughts may have led to her mistaken feelings towards Gatsby, a completely inaccurate misjudgement of what she feels for him because of the “relentless beating heat” constantly suffocating her thoughts, resulting in a misconstrued perception of the love she feels for the two men in her life. All of the hints at confusion and disorientation throughout the chapter make us think that Daisy’s statement of love for Gatsby and not Tom in completely legitimate.
Daisy’s character does in fact make us question her declaration. She is perceived throughout, despite her beauty and charm, as a shallow foolish character. She says that she hopes her daughter will “be a fool” because “that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” a statement that clarifies her intentions in life, to go through it completely oblivious to other people’s feelings, receiving all that she can, but never truly giving. Her declaration of love for Gatsby to Tom is a reflection of her personality. It is a selfish inconsiderate statement that conveys her foolishness, she has motive to try and make Tom jealous because of his affair with Myrtle Wilson, she toys with Gatsby’s emotions to fulfil her revenge on Tom. The love that Gatsby feels for Daisy is genuine, but Daisy’s reason behind declaring her love for Gatsby is more for the attention. From the very beginning Daisy is portrayed as an attention seeker, she asks Nick if she is missed in Chicago, just one of the things that suggest...