As Nick and Gatsby wait for Tom, Jordan, and Daisy in the scorching heat, the pair have a revelation about Daisy's voice, and what it is about her voice that draws men magnetically towards her. In his reflection on his cousin Daisy's voice, Nick strips away previous conceptions of Daisy's character, and reduces Daisy's charm to the possession of old money. Through his discovery of what makes Daisy so alluring, Nick reveals that what has made Daisy so appealing to Gatsby besides her youth and beauty is that she has something that Gatsby will never have, no matter how much wealth he acquires, and that is a family name. In addition to providing a character revelation about Daisy, this quote demonstrates exceptional imagery. Fitzgerald uses the metaphor of music, once again, to describe the beauty of Daisy's voice. He describes her voice as having a "jingle", and being "the cymbals' song", comparing her voice to instruments made of metal — it is the same sound that coins would make if clashed or jingled together (120). This quote also provides colour symbolism, as Daisy is linked to the colours white and gold. White is a symbol of Daisy's apparent purity and innocence, and gold symbolizes her wealth and class. In this quote, Nick and Gatsby conclude that Daisy's "golden" and "white" qualities are what lure men to her.
Daisy Buchanan's Best and Worst Qualities
Best Qualities
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Worst Qualities
Jordan states "you forgot that a lady was present" when Daisy begins to kiss Gatsby to which Daisy responds telling Jordan "kiss Nick too" (111). Daisy "told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw. He was astounded" (113).
"It makes me sad because I've never seen such - such beautiful shirts before" (89).
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Daisy's Role in the Novel
In chapter one, Daisy Buchanan, the enchanting yet married love interest of Jay Gatsby reveals that she hopes that her daughter will “be a fool”, because Daisy feels that being a “beautiful little fool” is the best thing that a girl in the 1920s can be (Fitzgerald, 17). Then in chapter seven, the only time when Daisy’s daughter Pammy appears in the novel, Daisy proves to be absent to the emotional needs of her child, showing her off to her guests as one might show off a new toy, or beautiful article of clothing. In this way, Daisy reveals how she feels women must be in the 20s. Perhaps, if Daisy had in fact been a fool, and been able to turn her back on her love for Gatsby permanently, as well as turn a blind eye to Tom's many affairs, she would be happier. Daisy plays an extremely important role in the novel in highlighting the theme of gender roles. In contrast to her comrade Jordan Baker, who is cynical, and in many ways defies the social standards for women in the 20s as a professional athlete, Daisy appears to be a naïve, giddy, innocent, and pure woman, fitting the newly defined mould for young women in the 20s. Daisy is associated with the colour white and often appears wearing white – a colour that for Fitzgerald symbolizes purity and innocence. The most compelling part of Daisy’s character as described by both Nick and Gatsby, is Daisy’s alluring voice. It is “full of money”, and speaks of social status, luxury, and a promising future (120). Through the course of the novel, Fitzgerald carefully deconstructs Daisy’s pure and white image, to reveal a grimmer and much less appealing reality. The extent of the corrupt nature of Daisy’s character is fully realized in chapter seven. Following a confrontation with her husband, in which she was supposed to tell Tom she loves Gatsby and never loved Tom, Daisy exhibits that she “had never, all along, intended doing anything” about her love for Gatsby (132). Instead, she once again picks her desire for material wealth and family security attached with old money over true love, as she did when she first married Tom Buchanan. Daisy is a greatly flawed and tragic character who is unable to separate her love of material wealth from her love of genuine affection. She is careless to the point of cruelty and after severely hurting people, retreats back into her money and allows “other people [to] clean up the mess [she] [has] made" (179).