9/2/23
First Post
This is my first post on this page. I think a lot of people may wonder why this blog is titled the way it is. Throughout the novel, Gatsby and Daisy dance around each other, and while on the surface it seems they may love each other, some think that it’s superficial, it’s for show, or it’s a consolation prize for Gatsby. On top of this, all the characters in The Great Gatsby seem to perform for each other and show off their wealth and luxurious lifestyles. There’s a line in the book that describes Jordan and Daisy as silver idols weighing down white dresses. To me, this refers to two things. The first is that these two women can be seen as objects that hold value but don’t serve a purpose other than decoration. The second is that silver idols are symbolic of showing off wealth with unnecessary objects and acts that hold little depth to individuals.
In this blog, I want to discuss the difference between love, lust, and obsession in relation to Daisy and Gatsby. However, I also want to discuss how the characters all pull off this type of flashy wealth act in the East.
Most people, including myself, tend to remember the beautiful shirts scene in chapter five. As I’m sure many people have done, I was asked to analyze this scene and I stick to the same explanation. I believe that the colorful shirts represent Gatsby’s wealth and because he’s casually throwing them around, he finds his wealth a means to an end that he utilizes and flaunts. I think Daisy cries at the shirts because she mourns the life she could have had with Gatsby if she had waited. Daisy realized that she could have lived a luxurious life with a man she actually liked instead of her predicament with Tom. However, I think the crying was a show to gain sympathy and attempt to broadcast her emotions.
In this sense of the scene, Gatsby broadly sees Daisy as something he can win in his life with money and status. With this reasoning, it’s hard to determine whether he’s doing it for love or for a victory. And on the flip side of it, Daisy plays up her act to get what interests herself.