daisy character analysis essay

Daisy Buchanan Character Analysis

The great gatsby.

Read a character sketch of Daisy Buchanan

Daisy’s exquisite beauty masks her essential lack of character, her lack of any idea of responsibility, and her shallowness. She is not only beautiful but sexy. Her voice alone is of a special quality. When narrator, Nick Carraway, goes to visit her early in the novel he is struck by it:

I looked back at my cousin, who began to ask me questions in her low, thrilling voice. It was the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down, as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again. Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth, but there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget: a singing compulsion, a whispered “Listen,” a promise that she had done gay, exciting things just a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour.

Daisy is the daughter of a wealthy Louisville, Kentucky family. She is a cousin of the narrator, Nick Carraway. When she was a young woman she was popular among the young officers posted at a military base in Louisville and she enjoyed their attentions. One of them, Jay Gatsby, fell in love with her and misled her about his background, telling her that he came from a wealthy family. She returned his love and promised to wait for him when he was sent to fight in the war. She did not wait for him, however, and married Tom Buchanan, the son of a wealthy aristocratic family, who was approved of by her parents.

Although we see her as something quite wonderful at first – charming, sophisticated, graceful and loving – we are seeing her through the idealistic eyes of the love-stricken Gatsby. In reality, although her charm, grace and sophistication are apparent, she unfolds as shallow, fickle, careless, and irresponsible. Nick describes her as one of those rich people who smash things up and then retreat behind their money. She reveals the depth of that characteristic when, confronted with the choice she has to make between Tom and Gatsby, she chooses Tom and, driving home with Gatsby, allows him to take the blame for killing Myrtle in the accident where she was driving the car. When Gatsby is killed, after all that has happened, and her part in it, she doesn’t even attend his funeral, but moves away, with Tom, back to Chicago, without even leaving Nick an address.

As a character Daisy is very disappointing. Her shallowness and monstrous selfishness are carefully masked by Nick’s fascination with her and Gatsby’s obsessional love. Fitzgerald constructs her with images of light, innocence, and purity. Right at the beginning of the novel, when Nick visits her she is dressed entirely in white, on a huge balloon-like couch with her dress “rippling and fluttering as if she had just been blown back in a short flight around the house.” She is consistently associated with the colour white – her car is white, she fills the house with white flowers etc. She seems to exist as something pure in a corrupt environment – a cheating husband and a best friend who cheats at golf – and presents herself as being worthy of Gatsby’s deep, enduring love

It is easy for the readers to fall in love with her, too, but she is, of course, the opposite of how Fitzgerald is portraying her with those images, and it is because of that portrayal that we are finally shocked by what she is really like.

Although Daisy is quite capable of affection it is money, comfort and luxury that she is really in love with. She is unable to sustain the feelings of love and affection that she shows from time to time. That affection is not supported by loyalty or empathy. Even her little daughter is an object of indifference. While she gushes over her the child is mainly out of sight and clearly out of Daisy’s mind. Pammy appears only once. Instead of displaying any real affection Daisy treats her like a beautiful object to be shown off to visitors.

We have hints of Daisy’s shallowness and selfishness throughout, in spite of still being fascinated by her, but little by little, her true nature is revealed until we are shocked into the realization of what she is really like by the ugly events in the last part of the novel.

The scenes after the one in which Gatsby and Daisy find each other again at the tea party Nick arranges suggest that Daisy has found true love again, but on examination it becomes apparent that that’s not really so. She is in her element with the attention she is getting from her ardent lover but her affair with Gatsby isn’t something that’s happening in isolation from the other issues in her life. There are Tom’s many affairs, and this may serve as a way of getting back at him. When Gatsby shows her his shirts she becomes emotional, even shedding tears. We are left with the question, what kind of response is that to a pile of shirts? Is it about her love for Gatsby or more about her satisfaction with the details of a millionaire’s ability to buy shirts from a company in London – so many that he couldn’t ever wear a fraction of them. When she is unable to tell Tom that she never loved him and tells Gatsby that she loved him too, instead of exclusively, it marks the moment where she has chosen to retreat behind the security of the “old rich” and the social class it expresses.

Life is really too much for Daisy. She follows her own pleasure and when there’s anything more substantial than that to consider she cannot function. She is like a child when it comes to making decisions and basically, the bullying ‘hulking’ Tom makes them for her. Within that framework, following particular rules, she receives particular rewards. She is locked into that mode and when Gatsby challenges it, encouraging her to break away from it, she collapses. It would be impossible for her to go with any man merely for love and that is why she chooses to stay with her bullying, philandering husband. Gatsby could offer her a life of material luxury but she already has that. He could not offer her the social class she also values – above love.

That’s our Daisy Buchanan character analysis. Make sense? Any questions? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Character Analysis: Daisy Buchanan - The Great Gatsby

Daisy Fay Buchanan is the focus of Jay Gatsby's single fixation in The Great Gatsby, which makes her the novel's central character in many ways. Nevertheless, Daisy Buchanan's persona is one that we don't fully understand - her ambitions, her thoughts and even her reasons might be difficult to decipher.

Who is Daisy, and how would an examination of her typically be done? Discover everything there is to know about the most seductive and contentious character in The Great Gatsby, by studying her description, deeds, well-known phrases, and thorough character analysis.

Who is Daisy in The Great Gatsby?

Daisy is an interesting person. Due to the way she is portrayed and her behavior, some people could feel sympathy for her. The author uses subtle indications throughout the entire book to try to make sure that her motivations are not obvious.

When the girl is first introduced to the reader, Fitzgerald emphasizes how endearing she is by writing:

"She held my hand for a moment, looking up into my face, promising that there was no one in the world she so much wanted to see."

She is adept at acting sympathetically, to put it another way. According to her cousin, Daisy is a woman with many distinct sides to her.

Although she initially strikes us as wonderful, charming, smart, graceful, and loving, we view her through the ideological lenses of the besotted Gatsby. Despite her outward grace, charm, and sophistication, she comes across as unreliable, undependable, shallow, and irresponsible. According to Nick, she is one of those wealthy people who destroys everything before hiding behind their wealth.

When she is forced to pick between Tom and Gatsby, she chooses Tom. While driving home with Gatsby, she allows him to accept responsibility for Myrtle dying in the accident while she was driving the automobile. This shows the depth of that trait. After everything that has occurred and her involvement in it, when Gatsby dies, she doesn't even go to his burial but instead moves away with Tom back to Chicago without even giving Nick an address.

Daisy Buchanan's Physical Description

Nick receives a range of emotions and sensations from Daisy. She is regarded as attractive, and her face is said to have a nice shape, which probably drew the many military boyfriends she had in Louisville, Kentucky. She is highly gorgeous on the surface but shallow on the inside. Her laugh is lovely, and Nick initially thought she radiated a stirring warmth. She first comes out as delicate and innocent, but when she and Nick go for a walk, a jaded quality emerges in her eyes.

Nick said, "Her eyes defiantly flashed around her, rather like Tom's, and she laughed with thrilling scorn" .

Gatsby served as one of the officers Daisy went out with back in Louisville. For them to get married after the war, she pledged to wait for him. She didn't, however, wait.

Actions of Daisy in the Book

“I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”

By saying these lines Daisy states that she is fearing for her daughter. As she knows about the societal rules of that era where a girl can’t speak for herself. They have to listen to their elders. She talks about how boring she finds life to be, which appears to explain why a girl might be a fool even if she is gorgeous and appealing. These sentences are noteworthy because they demonstrate how social stigmas around women are constant. Daisy thinks a girl won't suffer or be aware of the terrible reality around her if she is uneducated.

Daisy detests attending one of Gatsby's wild parties. Gatsby completely stops hosting parties as a result of this. Additionally, he dismisses his previous employees and hires new ones after Meyer Wolfshiem sends them to him. He does this partly for commercial purposes and to conceal his relationship with Daisy.

Gatsby is a daydreamer who always imagines a brighter future for himself and concentrates on the hypothetical rather than the realistic. Like many Intuitive personalities, he frequently exhibits signs of distraction or detachment from his surroundings. Gatsby couldn't or won't recognize Daisy's shortcomings, while Nick can.

“Can’t repeat the past? … Why of course you can!”

Gatsby is expressing to Nick Carraway how his time with Daisy was a blessing and how he now wishes he could go back to those times. This is another illustration of Gatsby's naive assumption that Daisy would do everything to relive their earlier interactions. This quotation is essential because it captures the inner struggle of Gatsby, who understands that the past cannot be replicated yet still desires to celebrate it.

Nick carraway here compares Gatsby’s character with Jesus Christ. He also explains that Gatsby is a prosperous man and developed an idea of his own. Nick also explained that from the age of seventeen Gatsby determined to do something bigger and this thought his remained same throughout his life. He is a shy young millionaire who came from modest beginnings in the American Midwest to a prominent position among the privileged on Long Island.

Gatsby makes an effort to blend in with the wealthy, famous visitors to his estate, but he is frequently socially awkward. Gatsby can't fully pick up on all the subtleties of upper-class society's many social standards because he is an outsider and an Architect who typically wouldn't care much about social customs.

Nick remembers how she reacted when Gatsby left.

“Daisy was young, and her artificial world was filled with orchestras that set the year's rhythm and encapsulated the tragedy and suggestiveness of life in fresh tunes, as well as orchids and lovely, cheery snobbery.”

She entered the socialite society and wed wealthy man Tom Buchanan instead of hanging around for Gatsby. At the beginning of the chapter, she relates to Nick how she felt abandoned after their daughter was born since Tom was nowhere to be found.

She explains to Nick, "Well, I've had a very bad time, Nick, and I'm pretty cynical about everything” . Miss Baker, the maid, had just informed Nick that Tom had a girl in town.

She exudes unease and seems to be searching for a solution to her predicament that will allow her to lead a luxurious existence. For Gatsby, Daisy represents the American Dream. This might result from his idolizing vision of her over the years. He understands she has wealth demands that can be met by any man and are fixated on getting her back. It doesn't matter who that man is. She stands in for the material prosperity that Gatsby desires.

The Most Impactful Daisy Buchanan Quotes

She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. 'All right,' I said, 'I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a beautiful little fool—the best thing a girl can be." (1.118)

This incredibly negative remark comes from Daisy. She has just completed telling Nick how, after giving birth to her daughter, she discovered that Tom was nowhere to be found. She gets overwhelmed when she hears that the baby is a girl. Therefore, we can discern that below Daisy's lovely demeanor, she is dissatisfied with Tom and quite gloomy about her position in the world. However, Nick depicts her smirking immediately after this remark, indicating that despite her pessimism, she doesn't appear anxious to change her present circumstances.

"Here, dearis." She groped around in a waste basket she had with her on the bed and pulled out the string of pearls. "Take 'em downstairs and give 'em back to whoever they belong to. Tell 'em all Daisy's change' her mine. Say 'Daisy's change' her mine!'."

She started crying and kept crying. We locked the door and got her into a cold bath after I hurried outside to find her mother's maid. She clung to the letter tenaciously. She squished it into a damp ball and brought it into the bathtub. After noticing it crumbling like snow, she only allowed me to put it in the soap dish.

Nevertheless, she remained silent. A half-hour later, when we left the room, the pearls were around her neck, and the episode ended. We had given her spirits of ammonia, applied ice to her forehead, and fastened her back into her dress. She married Tom Buchanan the following day at five o'clock without flinching and left for a three-month tour to the South Seas. (4.140-2)

We learn about Daisy's background in this flashback, which Jordan narrates, and how she ended up marrying Tom despite still being in love with Jay Gatsby. She seems to care about him so much that she threatens to divorce Tom after receiving a letter from him. Despite this momentary revolt, Jordan and her maid swiftly put Daisy back together. The frock and the pearls stand in for Daisy, resuming her allotted social role. She marries Tom the following day without flinching, demonstrating her unwillingness to challenge the social position determined by her family and social standing.

"They're such beautiful shirts," she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. "It makes me sad because I've never seen such—such beautiful shirts before." (5.118)

Daisy is thrilled with Gatsby's mansion during their reunion, but she breaks down as he giddily displays his collection of shirts.

Students frequently find this scene to be puzzling. Why does Daisy weep at this specific display? The moment may be a commentary on Daisy's consumerism, as she only sheds tears over this obvious sign of Gatsby's newfound fortune. However, it also reveals how devoted she is to Gatsby and how moved she is by his lengths to win her back.

Daisy Buchanan’s Character Analysis

Development: Grew up too rapidly. Daisy, who lives in the Jazz Age, is stunning, wealthy, and appears to have it all. However, she faces more challenges than they appear on the surface.

Residence: Residing in the West Egg district of New York City. Daisy and Tom reside in a gorgeous mansion by the lake. Together, they have a daughter.

Occupation: Debutante in the profession. Daisy likes to laugh and smile while masking her true emotions because she doesn't want to take things too seriously.

Relationship Status: Tom and I are married, although we aren't actually in love. She once fell in love with Gatsby, but she couldn't contemplate him because of his financial situation. He has since returned, carrying a cryptic fortune, and he still harbors feelings for her.

Difficulties faced: Picking between Gatsby and Tom can be difficult. Gatsby assures her that she will have a lovely dream - the fantasy of pure love that every girl hopes for. Tom assures her of her security and stability. Although Daisy is aware of where her heart is leading her, she explains to Gatsby that things are more complicated than that: "Isn't the fact that I love you now enough? The past is beyond my control. I once loved him, but I also loved you.”

Nature: On the outside, this person has a carefree and joyful personality. Daisy is actually a very dejected person whose trust in people and the world has been entirely destroyed. Daisy can be unwilling to accept happiness even when it comes knocking at her door because of her cynicism.

You can argue for any of these viewpoints in an essay about what Daisy represents - money (more like old money), the American Dream, the status of women, or anything else. Just make sure to use her quotes from the novel to support your claim!

Which character in The Great Gatsby does Daisy represent?

Daisy has the man she adores, Gatsby, but decides to wed the wealthy Tom instead. She will accompany Gatsby when he becomes wealthy. She stands for the prize for men and the wealthy, who can never have enough to please them.

What are the three characteristics of Daisy Buchanan?

She is attractive and endearing but also impulsive, vain, uninterested, and sarcastic. Nick describes her as a reckless individual who destroys things before hiding behind her money.

In The Great Gatsby, does Daisy commit suicide?

The Great Gatsby does not feature Daisy committing suicide. She departs with Tom and their daughter when Gatsby is killed without providing a forwarding address.

Does Daisy truly care for Gatsby?

It's tricky to decide this. Gatsby's memories of their time together might be overblown. There is still a question in everyone's mind does she choose to accompany him when he returns with money because of Gatsby, the person, or because of Gatsby's wealth?

How would you characterize Daisy Buchanan?

Daisy is spoilt and superficial. Although she demands wealth and comfort, people are pleasantly amused by her presence and vivacious manner.

What is The Great Gatsby's description of Daisy?

Daisy is said to be charming but unreliable. Although bright, she lacks humor. She has a lovely face shape and is physically appealing.

Why did Daisy not marry Gatsby?

Daisy decided to wed Tom rather than Gatsby because Tom was more affluent and influential. Gatsby was never wealthy, unlike Tom, and grew up in poverty. Daisy assured Gatsby that she would wait for him while he was at war, but she knew that her mother would never permit her to wed a poor man.

What is famous about Daisy Buchanan?

She is the second cousin once removed of the narrator Nick Carraway and is married to polo player Tom Buchanan, with whom she shares a daughter. Daisy was in a romance with Jay Gatsby before she wed Tom. One of the major problems in the book revolves around her decision between Gatsby and Tom.

What represents Daisy to Gatsby?

Daisy Buchannan illustrates the lack of morality and ethics that permeated society in the 1920s. Even though she remains the center of Gatsby's universe until his passing, she is consistently revealed to be callous and erratic in the book.

What is Daisy Buchanan's greatest love?

Daisy, whom she married for the luxury and comfort his wealth would bring, is naive and more in love with money than Tom.

Daisy Buchanan

She embodies the chief love of Gatsby, which he carried through his being. The girl is distinguished by femininity, fragility, and weakness, emphasized by her appearance. The heroine’s face expresses sadness, but her eyes give liveliness and temperament. Cousin Nick calls her voice “singing”, promising bliss and pleasure.

The protagonist is married to Tom Buchanan, but she increasingly concludes that she chose the wrong partner. The only joy is her child, in the upbringing of which she finds joy in joyless family life. But the girl with all his strength supports her husband and demonstrates love for him in favor of public opinion.

True, it is not only about prestige but about her desire to be loved. She sincerely believes that women should be stupid because a community is cruel to intelligent persons. She ignores the fact of betrayal by her husband, recognizing his amorousness.

Daisy personifies a mythical siren, calling sailors to the light, but bringing only death. It is no coincidence that Gatsby shares the fate of the unfortunate heroes because he sees in the heroine a seductive world filled with luxury, fun, and carelessness. There is no need to talk about hard work, only parties until the morning and laughter. But behind this illusion lies a real gulf, which Gatsby could not make out in time.

The girl is captured by her own fantasies about the ideal man and relationships, so her feelings for Gatsby are instantly destroyed when confronted with reality and rudeness. The woman is not ready to fight for sympathy as it requires a lot of effort. Since childhood, she did not know anything about failure, so she was afraid of becoming on the warpath.

Daisy was not accustomed to being responsible for her deed, which vividly demonstrated a car accident episode. Gatsby takes the blame on himself, saving his beloved from judgment and rumor. Fearing public condemnation, the girl returns to her spouse and again turns into a stupid, weak, rich fool, isolated from the outside world.

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Daisy Buchanan Photo Gallery

Daisy Buchanan Quotes

I’d like to just get one of those pink clouds and put you in it and push you around.

They're such beautiful shirts. It makes me sad because I've never seen such - such beautiful shirts before.

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.

'What'll we plan? What do people plan?

What’ll we do with ourselves this afternoon? and the day after that, and the next thirty years?

All the bright, precious things fade so fast, and they don't come back.

In case there’s a fire or a flood, or any act of God.

You always look so cool. The man in the cool, colored shirts.

Oh, you want too much! I love you now – isn't that enough? I can't help what's past.I did love him once – but I loved you too.

Daisy Buchanan in the Essays

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's third book, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses his narrator, Nick Carraway as a vital tool to comprehend the purposefulness of this story. Imagine having the story in some other characters point of view, a cynical and more sardonic point of view. Daisy Buchanan's...

Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the character of Daisy Buchanan undergoes many noticeable changes. Daisy is a symbol of wealth and of promises broken. She is a character we grow to feel sorry for but probably should not. Born Daisy Fay in Louisville, Kentucky, Daisy...

Author: Marshall Vasquez

The Great Gatsby

F. scott fitzgerald, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions, nick carraway, daisy buchanan, jordan baker.

How to Write a Character Analysis Essay

A character analysis essay is a challenging type of essay students usually write for literature or English courses. In this article, we will explain the definition of character analysis and how to approach it. We will also touch on how to analyze characters and guide you through writing character analysis essays.

Typically, this kind of writing requires students to describe the character in the story's context. This can be fulfilled by analyzing the relationship between the character in question and other personas. Although, sometimes, giving your personal opinion and analysis of a specific character is also appropriate.

Let's explain the specifics of how to do a character analysis by getting straight to defining what is a character analysis. Our term paper writers will have you covered with a thorough guide!

What Is a Character Analysis Essay?

The character analysis definition explains the in-depth personality traits and analyzes characteristics of a certain hero. Mostly, the characters are from literature, but sometimes other art forms, such as cinematography. In a character analysis essay, your main job is to tell the reader who the character is and what role they play in the story. Therefore, despite your personal opinion and preferences, it is really important to use your critical thinking skills and be objective toward the character you are analyzing. A character analysis essay usually involves the character's relationship with others, their behavior, manner of speaking, how they look, and many other characteristics.

Although it's not a section about your job experience or education on a resume, sometimes it is appropriate to give your personal opinion and analysis of a particular character.

What Is the Purpose of a Character Analysis Essay

More than fulfilling a requirement, this type of essay mainly helps the reader understand the character and their world. One of the essential purposes of a character analysis essay is to look at the anatomy of a character in the story and dissect who they are. We must be able to study how the character was shaped and then learn from their life.

A good example of a character for a character analysis essay is Daisy Buchanan from 'The Great Gatsby.' The essay starts off by explaining who Daisy is and how she relates to the main character, Jay Gatsby. Depending on your audience, you need to decide how much of the plot should be included. If the entire class writes an essay on Daisy Buchanan, it is logical to assume everyone has read the book. Although, if you know for certain that your audience has little to no knowledge of who she is, it is crucial to include as much background information as possible.

After that, you must explain the character through certain situations involving her and what she said or did. Make sure to explain to the reader why you included certain episodes and how they have showcased the character. Finally, summarize everything by clearly stating the character's purpose and role in the story.

We also highly recommend reading how to write a hook for an essay .

Still Need Help with Your Character Analysis Essay?

Different types of characters.

To make it clear how a reader learns about a character in the story, you should note that several characters are based on their behaviors, traits, and roles within a story. We have gathered some of them, along with vivid examples from famous literature and cinema pieces:

Types of Characters

Major : These are the main characters; they run the story. Regularly, there are only one or two major characters. Major characters are usually of two types: the protagonist – the good guy, and the antagonist: the bad guy or the villain.
Protagonist (s) (heroes): The main character around whom most of the plot revolves.

For example, Othello from Shakespeare's play, Frodo from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Harry Potter from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and Elizabeth Bennet from 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen.

Antagonist (s): This is the person that is in opposition to the protagonist. This is usually the villain, but it could also be a natural power, set of circumstances, majestic being, etc.

For example, Darth Vader from the Star Wars series by George Lucas, King Joffrey from Game of Thrones, or the Wicked Queen from 'Snow White and Seven Dwarfs.'

Minor : These characters help tell the major character's tale by letting them interact and reveal their personalities, situations, and/or stories. They are commonly static (unchanging). The minor characters in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien would be the whole Fellowship of the ring. In their own way, each member of the Fellowship helps Frodo get the ring to Mordor; without them, the protagonist would not be a protagonist and would not be able to succeed. In the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, minor characters are Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. They consistently help Harry Potter on his quests against Voldemort, and, like Frodo, he wouldn't have succeeded without them.

On top of being categorized as a protagonist, antagonist, or minor character, a character can also be dynamic, static, or foil.

Dynamic (changing): Very often, the main character is dynamic.

An example would also be Harry Potter from the book series by J.K. Rowling. Throughout the series, we see Harry Potter noticing his likeness to Voldemort. Nevertheless, Harry resists these traits because, unlike Voldemort, he is a good person and resists any desire to become a dark wizard.

Static (unchanging): Someone who does not change throughout the story is static.

A good example of a static character is Atticus Finch from “How to Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. His character and views do not change throughout the book. He is firm and steady in his beliefs despite controversial circumstances.

Foils : These characters' job is to draw attention to the main character(s) to enhance the protagonist's role.

‍ A great example of a foil charact e r is Dr. Watson from the Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle.

How to Analyze a Character

While preparing to analyze your character, make sure to read the story carefully.

Pay attention to the situations where the character is involved, their dialogues, and their role in the plot.
Make sure you include information about what your character achieves on a big scale and how they influence other characters.
Despite the categories above, try thinking outside the box and explore your character from around.
Avoid general statements and being too basic. Instead, focus on exploring the complexities and details of your character(s).

How to Write a Character Analysis Essay?

To learn how to write a character analysis essay and gather a more profound sense of truly understanding these characters, one must completely immerse themself in the story or literary piece.

Take note of the setting, climax, and other important academic parts.
You must be able to feel and see through the characters. Observe how analysis essay writer shaped these characters into life.
Notice how little or how vast the character identities were described.
Look at the characters' morals and behaviors and how they have affected situations and other characters throughout the story.
Finally, observe the characters whom you find interesting.

Meanwhile, if you need help writing a paper, leave us a message ' write my paper .'

How Do You Start a Character Analysis Essay

When writing a character analysis essay, first, you have to choose a character you'd like to write about. Sometimes a character will be readily assigned to you. It's wise to consider characters who play a dynamic role in the story. This will captivate the reader as there will be much information about these personas.

Read the Story

You might think that if you already have read the book, there is no need to do so again; however, now that you know the character you would like to focus on, reading it again will have plenty of benefits. It will give you an opportunity to be more precise while reading the scenes that relate directly to your character and are important for his/her analysis. While reading the book, pay attention to every tiny detail to make sure you grasp the whole array of your character's traits.

Consider the following things:

What specific descriptions does the author provide for each character?

For example, when J.K. Rowling describes Harry Potter for the first time, she describes his clothes as old and oversized, his hair untidy, and his glasses as broken. It might seem just like a simple description, but she expresses compassion and pity for an orphan neglected by his only relatives.

What kinds of relationships does your character have with others?

Think about how Harry builds up his friendships with others. First, he and Ron do not like Hermione because she acts like a know-it-all, but when she gets stuck in the dungeons with a horrendous troll, he rushes to save her regardless.

How do the actions of the character move the plot forward?

In 'The Philosopher's Stone,' Harry is very observant of any events taking place at school. He analyzes people's actions, which builds up the plot around the stone and its importance for the magical world.

Get help with your character analysis from our experts.

Choose a Dynamic Character

Choosing a dynamic character is a great idea. This does not necessarily have to be the protagonist, but a character that undergoes many changes has grown throughout the story and is not boring and/or static. This gives you a perfect advantage to fully show the character and make your paper entertaining and engaging for the reader. If you choose a character that is not very dynamic, your essay might seem monotonous because your character will not end up doing much and will not be very involved in the story.

While you are reading, it is useful to take notes or highlight/underline any of the critical elements of the story. This will add depth to your character description(s). By providing vivid and specific examples, you connect your reader to the character, and the character comes alive in their eyes. Review your notes and formulate the main idea about your character when you're finished reading with your character in mind.

Make an initial draft while taking note of the character analysis essay outline provided by your instructor. You may follow the recommended character analysis essay format if you have not been provided with a sample.

Choose a Main Idea

While reading the story, make sure you keep track of your notes. It is a good idea to look at them, choose the ones that are the most representative of your character and find patterns. This will be your thesis. Then, you must support this idea with examples and situations involving your character.

If your character were Jem Finch from 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee, the main idea would be how his personal character is shaped through racial conflicts, social inequalities, and internal struggles between public opinion, his own views, and what is actually right. Essaypro offers you history essay help. Leave us a notice if you need to proofread, edit, or write your essay.

Character Analysis Questions

Now that you have jotted down some main concepts about your character, here is a list of questions that can help you fill in the blanks you might still have:

Where do the events involving your character take place?
What are the relationships between your character and other significant characters?
What is the primary change your character has gone through throughout the story?
What is your character's background?
What is your character's occupation?
What kind of emotions does your character go through?
What are your character's values?
What is your character's value?
Does your character have friends?
Is there a lesson your character has learned by the end of the story?
Does the character achieve the goals he/she has set for himself/herself?

Make a Character Analysis Essay Outline

When you're unsure how to write a character synopsis, remember that creating a literary analysis outline is one of the most critical steps. A well-constructed character analysis outline will keep your thoughts and ideas organized.

Character Analysis Essay Introduction:

Make the introduction to your paper brief and meaningful. It should hold together your entire essay and spark your audience's interest. Write a short description of the character in question. Don't forget to include a character analysis thesis statement which should make a case for the character's relevance within the narrative context.

Character Analysis Essay Body:

Subdivide your body paragraphs into different ideas or areas regarding the character. Look at your professor's rubric and ensure you'll be able to tackle all the requirements. You should also be provided with questions to be answered to formulate your analysis better. The body should answer the following questions:

What is the character's physical appearance, personality, and background?
What are the conflicts the character experiences, and how did he/she overcome them?
What can we learn from this character?
What is the meaning behind the character's actions? What motivates him/her?
What does the character do? How does he/she treat others? Is he/she fair or unjust?
What does the character say? What is his/her choice of words? Does he/she have a rich vocabulary?
How does the character describe themself? How do others describe him/her?
What words do you associate with the character? Perhaps a word like 'hope,' 'bravery,' or maybe even 'freedom'?

Character Analysis Essay Conclusion:

It's time to master the secrets of how to write character analysis essay conclusions. Your ending should also hold your ideas together and shape a final analysis statement. Mention things about the character's conflicts that we could experience in real life. Additionally, you can write about how a character should've reacted to a certain situation.

Character Analysis Essay Example

Read our blogs ‘Character Analysis of Jem Finch', 'The Great Gatsby Book Through Daisy Buchanan Character,' 'Analysis of Characters in Beowulf,' or simply use these character analysis essay examples to reference your paper. You might also be interested in a synthesis essay example .

Now that you know what is character analysis, it might be time to choose a character to write about. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to type ' do my homework for me ,' you should contact our writers. You also get a free plagiarism report, formatting, and citing when buying an essay from us!

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How To Write A Character Analysis Essay?

How to start a character analysis essay, how to write an introduction for a character analysis essay.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

How Long Should a College Essay Be: Simple Explanation

Shifting Identities and Moral Ambiguity: a Character Analysis of ‘The Great Gatsby’

This essay about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” explores the complexities of identity and morality against the backdrop of the 1920s Jazz Age. It analyzes key characters like Jay Gatsby, who embodies the American Dream’s promise and pitfalls, and Daisy Buchanan, whose superficial nature reflects her era’s values. The narrative also considers Tom Buchanan’s crude honesty and Nick Carraway’s evolving moral perspective, framing the novel as a critique of luxury, deception, and societal expectations, with enduring relevance to today’s moral complexities.

How it works

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel, “The Great Gatsby,” delves deeply into the intricacies of shifting identities and the obscure boundaries of ethical clarity, presenting a nuanced examination of American society in the 1920s. Dubbed the Jazz Age by Fitzgerald, this era was characterized by post-war prosperity and an expanding consumer culture, aspects that are intricately portrayed through the novel’s complex characters.

The protagonist, Jay Gatsby, personifies both the promise and the illusion of the American Dream. Born James Gatz, he transforms himself from a poor young man into a wealthy enigma, driven by his love for Daisy Buchanan.

This metamorphosis, fueled by his quest for self-made prosperity, illustrates his commitment to success as well as his disconnection from the actual world.

Gatsby’s ethical ambiguity is suggested through his obscure wealth, possibly derived from illegal activities like bootlegging, alongside his associations with questionable figures such as Meyer Wolfsheim, who is rumored to have fixed the World Series. His charisma and generosity serve as a veneer over his manipulative tendencies, which are aimed at winning Daisy’s affection to fulfill his idealized visions, blending allure with moral compromise.

Daisy Buchanan also captures the unstable nature of personal identity and ethical vagueness. Idolized by Gatsby as a symbol of purity and achievement, Daisy’s actual persona reflects her era and social class—charming yet shallow, fickle, and self-centered. Her decision to remain with her husband Tom, despite her feelings for Gatsby, underscores her emphasis on social security over passionate involvement, revealing her survival strategies in a materialistic society.

Tom Buchanan epitomizes the staunch values of the upper class. Crude and openly bigoted, Tom unabashedly pursues his own interests and biases. His frank acknowledgment of his moral shortcomings creates a paradox; he is both repellent and fascinatingly candid, unlike other characters who hide behind pretenses.

Nick Carraway, the narrator, acts as the ethical gauge of the story, transitioning from a detached spectator to an engaged participant. His view of Gatsby moves from admiration to disenchantment as he uncovers the superficiality beneath the allure, revealing the moral decay. Nick’s transformation—initially claiming moral superiority, then admitting his own role in the moral decline—reflects the broader critique of the elusive American Dream within the narrative.

By portraying characters who navigate a landscape filled with luxury and deception, “The Great Gatsby” offers a critique of the societal values of the 1920s, exploring the conflict between true self and social expectation, and between moral integrity and ethical uncertainty. The novel remains a poignant reflection on the pursuit of the American Dream and its effects on personal identity, with implications that still resonate with the ethical complexities of modern society.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Great Gatsby — Daisy vs. Myrtle: A Comparative Analysis

Daisy Vs. Myrtle: a Comparative Analysis

Categories: The Great Gatsby

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, best summary and analysis: the great gatsby, chapter 7.

Book Guides

Chapter 7 marks the climax of The Great Gatsby . Twice as long as every other chapter, it first ratchets up the tension of the Gatsby-Daisy-Tom triangle to a breaking point in a claustrophobic scene at the Plaza Hotel, and then ends with the grizzly gut punch of Myrtle’s death.

Read our full summary of The Great Gatsby Chapter 7 to see how all dreams die, only to be replaced with a grim and cynical reality.

Image: Helmut Ellgaard /Wikipedia

Quick Note on Our Citations

Our citation format in this guide is (chapter.paragraph). We're using this system since there are many editions of Gatsby, so using page numbers would only work for students with our copy of the book.

To find a quotation we cite via chapter and paragraph in your book, you can either eyeball it (Paragraph 1-50: beginning of chapter; 50-100: middle of chapter; 100-on: end of chapter), or use the search function if you're using an online or eReader version of the text.

The Great Gatsby : Chapter 7 Summary

Suddenly one Saturday, Gatsby doesn't throw a party. When Nick comes over to see why, Gatsby has a new butler who rudely sends Nick away.

It turns out that Gatsby has replaced all of his servants with ones sent over by Wolfshiem. Gatsby explains that this is because Daisy comes over every afternoon to continue their affair—he needs them to be discreet.

Gatsby invites Nick to Daisy's house for lunch. The plan is for Daisy and Gatsby to tell Tom about their relationship, and for Daisy to leave Tom.

The next day it is extremely hot. Nick and Gatsby show up to have lunch with Daisy, Jordan, and Tom. Tom is on the phone, seemingly arguing with someone about the car. Daisy assumes that he is only pretending, and that he is actually talking to Myrtle.

While Tom is out of the room, Daisy kisses Gatsby on the mouth.

The nanny brings Tom and Daisy's daughter into the room and Gatsby is shocked to realize that the child actually exists and is real.

Tom and Gatsby go outside, and Gatsby points out that it's his house is directly across the bay from theirs. Everyone is restless and nervous.

From the way Daisy looks at and talks to Gatsby, Tom suddenly figures out that she and Gatsby are having an affair.

Daisy asks to go into Manhattan and Tom agrees, insisting that they go immediately. He gets a bottle of whiskey to bring with them. There is a short, but crucial, argument about who will take which car. In the end, Tom takes Nick and Jordan in Gatsby's car while Gatsby takes Daisy in Tom's car.

On the drive, Tom explains to Nick and Jordan that he's been investigating Gatsby, which Jordan laughs off. They stop for gas at Wilson's gas station. Tom shows off Gatsby's car, pretending it's his own. Wilson complains about being sick and again asks for Tom’s car because he needs money fast (the assumption is that he will resell it at a profit).

Wilson explains the he's figured out that Myrtle is cheating on him, so he's taking her the way from New York to a different state. Glad that Wilson hasn't figured out who Myrtle is having the affair with, Tom says that he will sell Wilson his car as he promised. As they drive off, Nick sees Myrtle in an upstairs window staring at Tom and Jordan, whom she assumes to be his wife. (It’s critical to realize that Myrtle now also associates Tom with this yellow car.)

It's still crazy hot when they get to Manhattan. Jordan suggests going to the movies, but they end up getting a suite at the Plaza Hotel. The hotel room is stifling, and they can hear the sounds of a wedding going on downstairs.

The conversation is tense. Tom starts picking at Gatsby, but Daisy defends him. Tom accuses Gatsby of not actually being an Oxford man. Gatsby explains that he only went to Oxford for a short time because of a special program for officers after the war. This plausible-sounding explanation fills Nick with confidence about Gatsby.

Suddenly Gatsby decides to tell Tom his version of the truth—that Daisy never loved Tom but has always only loved Gatsby. Tom calls Gatsby crazy and says that of course Daisy loves him—and that he loves her too even if he does cheat on her all the time.

Gatsby demands that Daisy tell Tom that she has never loved him. Daisy can’t bring herself to do this, and instead said that she has loved them both. This crushes Gatsby.

Tom starts revealing what he knows about Gatsby from his investigation. It turns out that Gatsby's money comes from illegal sales of alcohol in drugstores, just as Tom had predicted when he first met him. Tom has a friend who tried to go into business with Gatsby and Wolfshiem. Through him, Tom knows that bootlegging is only part of the criminal activity that Gatsby is involved in.

These revelations cause Daisy to shut down, and no matter how much Gatsby tries to defend himself, she is disillusioned. She asks Tom to take her home. Tom's last power play is to tell Gatsby to take Daisy home instead, knowing that leaving them alone together now does not pose any threat to him or his marriage.

Gatsby and Daisy drive home in Gatsby’s car. Tom, Nick, and Jordan drive home together in Tom's car.

The narration now switches to Nick repeating evidence given at an inquest (a legal proceeding to gather facts surrounding a death) by Michaelis, who runs a coffee shop next to Wilson's garage.

That evening Wilson had explained to Michaelis that he had locked up Myrtle in order to keep an eye on her until they moved away in a couple of days. Michaelis was shocked to hear this, because usually Wilson was a meek man. When Michaelis left, he heard Myrtle and Wilson fighting. Then Myrtle ran out into the street toward a car coming from New York. The car hit her and drove off, and by the time Michaelis reached her on the ground, she was dead.

The narration switches back to Nick's point of view, as Tom, Nick, and Jordan are driving back from Manhattan. They pull up to the accident site. At first, Tom jokes about Wilson getting some business at last, but when he sees the situation is serious, he stops the car and runs over to Myrtle's body.

Tom asks a policeman for details of the accident. When he realizes that witnesses can identify the yellow car that hit Myrtle, he worries that Wilson, who saw him in that car earlier that afternoon, will finger him to the police. Tom grabs Wilson and tells him that the yellow car that hit Myrtle is not Tom's, and that he was only driving it before giving it back to its owner.

As they drive away from the scene, Tom sobs in the car.

Back at his house, Tom invites Nick and Jordan inside. Nick is sickened by the whole thing and turns to go. Jordan also asks Nick to come inside. When he refuses again, she goes in.

As Nick is walking away, he sees Gatsby lurking in the bushes. Nick suddenly sees him as a criminal. As they discuss what happened, Nick realizes that it was actually Daisy who was driving the car, meaning that it was Daisy who killed Myrtle. Gatsby makes it sound like she had to choose between getting into a head-on collision with another car coming the other way on the road or hitting Myrtle, and at the last second chose to hit Myrtle.

Gatsby seems to have no feelings at all about the dead woman, and instead only worries about what Daisy and how she will react. Gatsby says that he will take the blame for driving the car. Gatsby says that he is lurking in the dark to make sure that Daisy is safe from Tom, who he worries might treat her badly when he finds out what happened.

Nick goes back to the house to investigate, and sees Tom and Daisy having an intimate conspiratorial moment together in the kitchen. It's clear that once again Gatsby has fundamentally misunderstood Tom and Daisy's relationship. Nick leaves Gatsby alone.

Key Chapter 7 Quotes

Then she remembered the heat and sat down guiltily on the couch just as a freshly laundered nurse leading a little girl came into the room.

"Bles-sed pre-cious," she crooned, holding out her arms. "Come to your own mother that loves you."

The child, relinquished by the nurse, rushed across the room and rooted shyly into her mother's dress.

"The Bles-sed pre-cious! Did mother get powder on your old yellowy hair? Stand up now, and say How-de-do."

Gatsby and I in turn leaned down and took the small reluctant hand. Afterward he kept looking at the child with surprise. I don't think he had ever really believed in its existence before. (7.48-52)

This is our first and only chance to see Daisy performing motherhood . And "performing" is the right word, since everything about Daisy's actions here rings a little false and her cutesy sing song a little bit like an act. The presence of the nurse makes it clear that, like many upper-class women of the time, Daisy does not actually do any child rearing .

At the same time, this is the exact moment when Gatsby is delusional dreams start breaking down . The shock and surprise that he experiences when he realizes that Daisy really does have a daughter with Tom show how little he has thought about the fact the Daisy has had a life of her own outside of him for the last five years. The existence of the child is proof of Daisy's separate life, and Gatsby simply cannot handle then she is not exactly as he has pictured her to be.

Finally, here we can see how Pammy is being bred for her life as a future "beautiful little fool", as Daisy put it . As Daisy’s makeup rubs onto Pammy's hair, Daisy prompts her reluctant daughter to be friendly to two strange men.

"What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon," cried Daisy, "and the day after that, and the next thirty years?"

"Don't be morbid," Jordan said. "Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."(7.74-75)

Comparing and contrasting Daisy and Jordan ) is one of the most common assignments that you will get when studying this novel. This very famous quotation is a great place to start.

Daisy's attempt at a joke reveals her fundamental boredom and restlessness. Despite the fact that she has social standing, wealth, and whatever material possessions she could want, she is not happy in her endlessly monotonous and repetitive life. This existential ennui goes a long way to helping explain why she seizes on Gatsby as an escape from routine.

On the other hand, Jordan is a pragmatic and realistic person, who grabs opportunities and who sees possibilities and even repetitive cyclical moments of change. For example here, although fall and winter are most often linked to sleep and death, whereas it is spring that is usually seen as the season of rebirth, for Jordan any change brings with it the chance for reinvention and new beginnings.

"She's got an indiscreet voice," I remarked. "It's full of——"

I hesitated.

"Her voice is full of money," he said suddenly.

That was it. I'd never understood before. It was full of money—that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals' song of it. . . . High in a white palace the king's daughter, the golden girl. . . . (7.103-106)

Here we are getting to the root of what it is really that attracts Gatsby so much to Daisy.

Nick notes that the way Daisy speaks to Gatsby is enough to reveal their relationship to Tom. Once again we see the powerful attraction of Daisy's voice. For Nick, this voice is full of "indiscretion," an interesting word that at the same time brings to mind the revelation of secrets and the disclosure of illicit sexual activity. Nick has used this word in this connotation before—when describing Myrtle in Chapter 2 he uses the word "discreet" several times to explain the precautions she takes to hide her affair with Tom.

But for Gatsby, Daisy's voice does not hold this sexy allure, as much as it does the promise of wealth , which has been his overriding ambition and goal for most of his life. To him, her voice marks her as a prize to be collected. This impression is further underscored by the fairy tale imagery that follows the connection of Daisy's voice to money. Much like princesses who is the end of fairy tales are given as a reward to plucky heroes, so too Daisy is Gatsby's winnings, an indication that he has succeeded.

"You think I'm pretty dumb, don't you?" he suggested. "Perhaps I am, but I have a—almost a second sight, sometimes, that tells me what to do. Maybe you don't believe that, but science——" (7.123)

Nick never sees Tom as anything other than a villain ; however, it is interesting that only Tom immediately sees Gatsby for the fraud that he turns out to be . Almost from the get-go, Tom calls it that Gatsby's money comes from bootlegging or some other criminal activity. It is almost as though Tom's life of lies gives him special insight into detecting the lies of others.

The relentless beating heat was beginning to confuse me and I had a bad moment there before I realized that so far his suspicions hadn't alighted on Tom. He had discovered that Myrtle had some sort of life apart from him in another world and the shock had made him physically sick. I stared at him and then at Tom, who had made a parallel discovery less than an hour before—and it occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well. Wilson was so sick that he looked guilty, unforgivably guilty—as if he had just got some poor girl with child. (7.160)

You will also often be asked to compare Tom and Wilson , two characters who share some plot details in common.This passage, which explicitly contrasts these two men's reactions to finding out their wives are having affairs , is a great place to start.

Tom’s response to Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship is to immediately do everything to display his power. He forces a trip to Manhattan, demands that Gatsby explain himself, systematically dismantles the careful image and mythology that Gatsby has created, and finally makes Gatsby drive Daisy home to demonstrate how little he has to fear from them being alone together.
Wilson also tries to display power. But he is so unused to wielding it that his best effort is to lock Myrtle up and then to listen to her emasculating insults and provocations. Moreover, rather than relaxing under this power trip, Wilson becomes physically ill, feeling guilty both about his part in driving his wife away and about manhandling her into submission.
Finally, it is interesting that Nick renders these reactions as health-related. Whose response does Nick view as "sick" and whose as "well"? It is tempting to connect Wilson’s bodily response to the word "sick," but the ambiguity is purposeful. Is it sicker in this situation to take a power-hungry delight in eviscerating a rival, Tom-style, or to be overcome on a psychosomatic level, like Wilson?

"Self control!" repeated Tom incredulously. "I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if that's the idea you can count me out. . . . Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions and next they'll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white."

Flushed with his impassioned gibberish he saw himself standing alone on the last barrier of civilization.

"We're all white here," murmured Jordan.

"I know I'm not very popular. I don't give big parties. I suppose you've got to make your house into a pigsty in order to have any friends—in the modern world."

Angry as I was, as we all were, I was tempted to laugh whenever he opened his mouth. The transition from libertine to prig was so complete. (7.229-233)

Nick is happy whenever he gets to demonstrate how undereducated and dumb Tom actually is . Here, Tom’s anger at Daisy and Gatsby is somehow transformed into a self-pitying and faux righteous rant about miscegenation, loose morals, and the decay of stalwart institutions. We see the connection between Jordan and Nick when both of them puncture Tom’s pompous balloon : Jordan points out that race isn’t really at issue at the moment, and Nick laughs at the hypocrisy of a womanizer like Tom suddenly lamenting his wife’s lack of prim propriety.

"She never loved you, do you hear?" he cried. "She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved any one except me!" (7.241)

Gatsby throws caution to the wind and reveals the story that he has been telling himself about Daisy all this time. In his mind, Daisy has been pining for him as much as he has been longing for her, and he has been able to explain her marriage to himself simply by eliding any notion that she might have her own hopes, dreams, ambitions, and motivations. Gatsby has been propelled for the last five years by the idea that he has access to what is in Daisy's heart. However, we can see that a dream built on this kind of shifting sand is at best wishful thinking and at worst willful self-delusion.

"Daisy, that's all over now," he said earnestly. "It doesn't matter any more. Just tell him the truth—that you never loved him—and it's all wiped out forever." ...

She hesitated. Her eyes fell on Jordan and me with a sort of appeal, as though she realized at last what she was doing—and as though she had never, all along, intended doing anything at all. But it was done now. It was too late….

"Oh, you want too much!" she cried to Gatsby. "I love you now—isn't that enough? I can't help what's past." She began to sob helplessly. "I did love him once—but I loved you too."

Gatsby's eyes opened and closed.

"You loved me too?" he repeated. (7.254-266)

Gatsby wants nothing less than that Daisy erase the last five years of her life. He is unwilling to accept the idea that Daisy has had feelings for someone other than him, that she has had a history that does not involve him, and that she has not spent every single second of every day wondering when he would come back into her life. His absolutism is a form of emotional blackmail.

For all Daisy's evident weaknesses, it is a testament to her psychological strength that she is simply unwilling to recreate herself, her memories, and her emotions in Gatsby's image. She could easily at this point say that she has never loved Tom, but this would not be true, and she does not want to give up her independence of mind. Unlike Gatsby, who against all evidence to the contrary believes that you can repeat the past, Daisy wants to know that there is a future. She wants Gatsby to be the solution to her worries about each successive future day, rather than an imprecation about the choices she has made to get to this point.

At the same time, it's key to note Nick’s realization that Daisy "had never intended on doing anything at all." Daisy has never planned to leave Tom. We've known this ever since the first time we saw them at the end of Chapter 1 , when he realized that they were cemented together in their dysfunction.

It passed, and he began to talk excitedly to Daisy, denying everything, defending his name against accusations that had not been made. But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself, so he gave that up and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room. (7.292)

The appearance of Daisy's daughter and Daisy’s declaration that at some point in her life she loved Tom have both helped to crush Gatsby's obsession with his dream. In just the same way, Tom's explanations about who Gatsby really is and what is behind his facade have broken Daisy's infatuation. Take note of the language here— as Daisy is withdrawing from Gatsby, we come back to the image of Gatsby with his arms outstretched, trying to grab something that is just out of reach . In this case it's not just Daisy herself, but also his dream of being with her inside his perfect memory.

"Beat me!" he heard her cry. "Throw me down and beat me, you dirty little coward!" (7.314)

Myrtle fights by provoking and taunting . Here, she is pointing out Wilson’s weak and timid nature by egging him on to treat her the way that Tom did when he punched her earlier in the novel.

However, before we draw whatever conclusions we can about Myrtle from this exclamation, it’s worthwhile to think about the context of this remark.

First, we are getting this speech third-hand. This is Nick telling us what Michaelis described overhearing, so Myrtle’s words have gone through a double male filter.
Second, Myrtle’s words stand in isolation. We have no idea what Wilson has been saying to her to provoke this attack. What we do know is that however "powerless" Wilson might be, he still has power enough to imprison his wife in their house and to unilaterally uproot and move her several states away against her will. Neither Nick nor Michaelis remarks on whether either of these exercises of unilateral power over Myrtle is appropriate or fair—it is simply expected that this is what a husband can do to a wife.

So what do we make of the fact that Myrtle was trying to verbally emasculate her husband? Maybe yelling at him is her only recourse in a life where she has no actual ability to control her life or bodily integrity.

The "death car" as the newspapers called it, didn't stop; it came out of the gathering darkness, wavered tragically for a moment and then disappeared around the next bend. Michaelis wasn't even sure of its color—he told the first policeman that it was light green. The other car, the one going toward New York, came to rest a hundred yards beyond, and its driver hurried back to where Myrtle Wilson, her life violently extinguished, knelt in the road and mingled her thick, dark blood with the dust.

Michaelis and this man reached her first but when they had torn open her shirtwaist still damp with perspiration, they saw that her left breast was swinging loose like a flap and there was no need to listen for the heart beneath. The mouth was wide open and ripped at the corners as though she had choked a little in giving up the tremendous vitality she had stored so long. (7.316-317)

The stark contrast here between the oddly ghostly nature of the car that hits Myrtle and the visceral, gruesome, explicit imagery of what happens to her body after it is hit is very striking. The car almost doesn’t seem real—it comes out of the darkness like an avenging spirit and disappears, Michaelis cannot tell what color it is. Meanwhile, Myrtle’s corpse is described in detail and is palpably physical and present.

This treatment of Myrtle’s body might be one place to go when you are asked to compare Daisy and Myrtle in class . Daisy’s body is never even described, beyond a gentle indication that she prefers white dresses that are flouncy and loose. On the other hand, every time that we see Myrtle in the novel, her body is physically assaulted or appropriated. Tom initially picks her up by pressing his body inappropriately into hers on the train station platform. Before her party, Tom has sex with her while Nick (a man who is a stranger to Myrtle) waits in the next room, and then Tom ends the night by punching her in the face. Finally, she is restrained by her husband inside her house and then run over.

Daisy and Tom were sitting opposite each other at the kitchen table with a plate of cold fried chicken between them and two bottles of ale. 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. (7.409-410)

And so, the promise that Daisy and Tom are a dysfunctional couple that somehow makes it work (Nick saw this at the end of Chapter 1 ) is fulfilled. For careful readers of the novel, this conclusion should have been clear from the get-go. Daisy complains about Tom, and Tom serially cheats on Daisy, but at the end of the day, they are unwilling to forgo the privileges their life entitles them to.

This moment of truth has stripped Daisy and Tom down to the basics. They are in the least showy room of their mansion, sitting with simple and unpretentious food, and they have been stripped of their veneer. Their honesty makes what they are doing—conspiring to get away with murder, basically—completely transparent. And it is the fact that they can tolerate this level of honesty in each other besides each being kind of a terrible person that keeps them together.

Compare their readiness to forgive each other anything—even murder!—with Gatsby’s insistence that it’s his way or no way.

The Great Gatsby Chapter 7 Analysis

It's no surprise that this very long, emotional, and shocking chapter is laced through with the themes of The Great Gatsby . Let's take a look.

Overarching Themes

Morality and Ethics. In this chapter, suspicion of crime is everywhere:

Gatsby’s new butler has a "villainous" (7.2) face
a woman worries that Nick is out to steal her purse on the train
Gatsby lurks around outside the Buchanans’ mansion like "he was going to rob the house in a moment" (7.384)
Daisy and Tom sit and conspire together at the kitchen table

This air of the illegal heightens the actual crimes that take place or are revealed in the chapter:

Gatsby is a bootlegger (or worse)
Daisy kills Myrtle
Gatsby hides the car with its evidence of the accident
Daisy and Tom decide to get away with murder

This descent into the dark side of the Wild East (contrasted with Nick's version of the calm and strictly above-board Middle West) reveals the novel’s perspective on the excesses of the time period. It is interesting that the vast majority of the crime or near crime that is described is theft—the taking of someone else’s property. The same desires that spur the ambitious to come to Manhattan to try to make something of themselves also incite those who are willing to do the kind of corner-cutting that results in criminality. Only Daisy, who is already so established that theft is unnecessary to her, takes crime to the next level.

Love, Desire, Relationships . Just as crime is everywhere, so too is illicit sexuality. However, the heat and tension seem to reverse the behavioral tendencies of the characters we have come to know over the course of six chapters.

The usually reserved Nick wonders about his train conductor and "whose flushed lips he kissed, whose head made damp the pajama pocket over his heart" (7.23). He also makes a dirty joke about the Buchanans’ butler having to yell over the phone that he simply cannot send Tom’s body to Myrtle in this heat.
The usually passive Daisy kisses Gatsby on the mouth in front of Nick and Jordan in a display of rebellion. Later she calls Tom out on his euphemistic description of the times he cheated on her right after their honeymoon as a "spree" (7.252), a word that just means "fun good time."
On the other hand, the womanizing Tom primly and hypocritically rants about the downfall of morality and the possibility that people of different races will be allowed to intermarry.
Similarly, the normally weak and ineffectual Wilson overpowers his wife enough to lock her up when he finds out about the affair she’s been having. He also feels as bad about the situation as if he had gotten a woman pregnant by accident.
Everyone’s desire for someone who is not their spouse is underscored by the way that an ongoing wedding is continuously described as deeply unappealing throughout the chapter. Eventually, the wedding music pops up in the middle of the climactic argument like this: "From the ballroom beneath, muffled and suffocating chords were drifting up on hot waves of air" (7.261). Married life is suffocating, and these characters spend significant energies trying to break free.

Motifs: Weather. The overwhelming heat of the day plays a vital role in creating an atmosphere of stifled, sweaty, uncomfortable breathlessness . Each scene’s overwhelming tension and awkwardness are further heightened by the physical discomfort that everyone is experiencing (it’s also key to remember that being hot and slightly dehydrated elevates the level of intoxication that a person feels, these characters pour back whiskey after whiskey). The hot mugginess ratchets up anger and resentment, and also seems to elevate the recklessness with which people are willing to expose and pursue their sexual desires. So crucial is this atmospheric element, that every movie adaptation of this novel makes sure that the actors are covered in sweat during these scenes, making it almost as uncomfortable to watch them as it is to imagine making it through that day. Here’s a quick clip that shows you what I mean.

Mutability of Identity. It is fitting that just as lots of wool is removed from lots of eyes, as Gatsby is source of wealth is revealed, and as Daisy is shown not to be the fairytale figment of Gatsby’s imagination, the idea of façades, false impressions, and mistaken identity is front and center .

First, on this blisteringly hot day, Daisy is entranced by Gatsby’s projecting an image of looking "so cool" and resembling "the advertisement of the man" (7.81-83). Gatsby’s glossy appearance is perfect but also clearly shallow and fake, like an ad.
Later, Myrtle seethes with jealousy when she sees Tom driving next to Jordan, and assumes that Jordan is Daisy. This case of mistaken identity contributes to her death, as she assumes that Tom would be driving the same car back from the city that he took there.
Third, Daisy and Jordan remember a man named Biloxi who talked his way into Daisy and Tom’s wedding, and then talked his way into staying at Jordan’s house for three weeks as he recuperated from a fainting spell. Their memories make clear that his entire story about himself was a sham—a sham that worked, until it didn’t, like the façades of the main characters in the story.
Fourth, Wilson briefly assumes that Michaelis is Myrtle’s lover. His failure to understand who it is that is a really having an affair with his wife leads to the novel’s second murder.

The Treatment of Women . Also key this chapter are women characters.

First, there is the pairing of Daisy and Jordan , whose outlooks on life are confirmed to be diametrically opposed.

Daisy is rich, overindulged, and endlessly bored with her monotonously luxurious life . She grabs on to the romance with Gatsby is a possible escape, but is soon confronted with the reality of the perfect, idealized being that he would like her to be. Daisy realizes that she prefers the safe boredom and casual betrayal of Tom to the unrealistic expectations—and thus inevitable disappointment—of being with Gatsby. Her fundamental cowardice is a better fit for Tom, as we find out after the car accident when she kills Myrtle. It’s Tom who offers her complicity, understanding, and a return to stability.
On the other hand, Jordan is a pragmatist who sees opportunity and possibility everywhere . This makes her attractive to Nick, who likes that she is self-contained, calm, cynical, and unlikely to be overly emotional. However, this approach to life means that Jordan is basically amoral, as revealed in this chapter by her almost complete lack of reaction to Myrtle’s death, and her assumption that life at the Buchanan house will go on as normal. For Nick, who clings to his sense of himself as a deeply decent human being, this is a dealbreaker.

Next, we have the comparison between Daisy and Myrtle , two women whose marriages dissatisfy them enough that they seek out other lovers. There are many ways to compare them, but in this chapter in particular what seems important is whether each woman is able to maintain coherence and integrity.

What Gatsby wants from Daisy is a complete erasure of her mind, history, and emotions , so that she will match his weirdly flat and idealized notion of her. By demanding that she renounce ever having had feelings for Tom, Gatsby wants to deny her fundamental sense of self-knowledge. Daisy refuses to compromise herself in this way and so is able to maintain psychological integrity.
On the other hand, Myrtle, whose physicality has always been her most defining feature, ends up losing even the most basic integrity—bodily integrity —as her body is not only ripped open when she is hit by a car, but this mutilation is witnessed by many people and then also graphically described.
Jordan’s cool aloofness prevents her from being trapped in the same way that Myrtle and Daisy are. Despite even her admission later that breaking up with Nick hurt her feelings, we certainly get the sense that Jordan could take him or leave him. She retains a lot of power in their relationship. For example, when Nick suddenly freaks out about turning 30, she shows him how to be "too wise ever to carry well-forgotten dreams from age to age" (7.308) and by putting her hand over his with "reassuring pressure" (7.308).
Neither of the other two women is ever on top even in this very mild way. For example, Tom, who is used to putting his hands on people as a way of showing his power over them (in this chapter he does it to the policeman, and then to Wilson), puts his hand over Daisy’s at the end of the chapter to indicate that she is back within his circle of control. But at least Daisy’s escape attempt led her to Gatsby’s presumably gentlemanly treatment.
The same can’t be said for Myrtle, who goes from bad to worse, as she escapes her marriage to have an affair with Tom , who feels free to beat her, and then is forced to return to her husband, who feels free to imprison and forcibly remove her from her home.

Death and Failure. Death comes in many forms, both metaphorical and horribly real. Of course, the primary death in this chapter is that of Myrtle, gruesomely killed by Daisy. But this is also the chapter where dreams come to die. Gatsby’s fantasy of Daisy undergoes a slow demise when he meets her daughter, and when he learns that she is simply unwilling to renounce her entire history with Tom for Gatsby’s sake. Similarly, any romantic ideas Daisy may have had about Gatsby vanish when she learns that he is a criminal.

Crucial Character Beats

Gatsby stops throwing parties at his house and instead carries on an affair with Daisy. Nick, Gatsby, Daisy, Jordan, and Tom have lunch together and decide to go to Manhattan for the day to escape the heat.
Both Tom and Wilson realize that their wives are having affairs; however, only Tom knows who Daisy's affair is with. Wilson decides to take Myrtle to live somewhere else.
Nick, Gatsby, Daisy, Jordan, and Tom end up in a suite at the Plaza Hotel where everything comes tumbling into the open. Gatsby and Daisy admit that they've been having an affair, Gatsby demands that Daisy tell Tom that she has never loved him. Daisy cannot do this, and Gatsby's dreams are dashed.
Gatsby and Daisy drive home together. On the way, with Daisy driving the car, they hit and kill Myrtle, who is trying to escape being imprisoned in her house by Wilson.
Gatsby decides to take the blame for the accident, but doesn’t quite realize that it is all over between him and Daisy.
Daisy and Tom have an intimate moment together as they figure out what they are going to do next.

What’s Next?

Compare the novel’s four trips into Manhattan : Nick at Myrtle’s party in Chapter 2 , Nick’s description of what it’s like to be a single guy around town at the end of Chapter 3 , Nick at lunch with Gatsby in Chapter 4 , and insanity at the Plaza in this chapter. Does Manhattan affect the way the characters behave? Does it make them more or less likely to act out to be there? Do they feel comfortable there?

Move on to the summary of Chapter 8 , or revisit the summary of Chapter 6 .

What are some of the overall themes in Gatsby? We dig into money and materialism , the American Dream , and more in our article on the most important Great Gatsby themes .

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Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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