In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick describes Tom and Daisy Buchanan as careless people due to their actions that surface throughout the plot. The two characters carry out many impulsive actions that they do not take accountability for. Daisy hitting Myrtle, Tom punching Myrtle, and both of their relationships outside of their marriage demonstrate their careless nature. The most prominent example of carelessness is seen when Daisy hits and kills Myrtle with Gatsby’s car. In Chapter VIII of the novel, Myrtle runs out in front of the car that Daisy is driving too quickly for her to press the breaks, which ultimately leads to her death. Although Daisy was unaware of Myrtle's relationship with Tom, it is Daisy’s actions …show more content…
As the plot develops, it is revealed that Daisy is also involved in a secret relationship with her past love, Gatsby. Both secret and destructive relationships of the husband and wife demonstrate their carelessness for each other's feelings. When Gatsby confesses his love for Daisy in front of her husband, Tom is quick to say, “Once in a while, I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time..” (Fitzgerald 138). This confession from Tom demonstrates his carelessness for Daisy’s feelings as he has spent many days away from her, violating and breaking their vows, and only when his relationship with her is threatened, is he able to show love for her. Similarly, Daisy behaves in a careless manner as she continues her relationship with Gatsby although she does not truly love him. Even though she may have had love for him once, Daisy will never love Gatsby the way she loves Tom and the lifestyle and freedom she has with him. Daisy lets Gatsby believe that they have a chance to be together, and lets Tom believe she is entirely loyal to him. Both relationships demonstrate how careless Daisy is with others feelings and would rather satisfy herself than own the truth. The continuation of Tom and Daisy Bucannan’s romantic relationships outside of their marriage highlights
Tom soon becomes aware of this relationship, and that Daisy may leave him. To stop this possibility he confronts Gatsby about his past, revealing that everything Gatsby had mentioned about his past was fictitious. Unchanged by these accusations, Gatsby ideally expects Daisy to confess to solely loving him, although she admits that she had not only loved Gatsby, but Tom as well, “‘I love you now[Gatsby]--isn’t that enough? I can’t help what’s past.’ She began to sob helplessly.
By attracting Daisy, “Gatsby sees the potential for future happiness, acceptance, and the resumption of a stalled love” (Heise 58). Gatsby also attempts to remove Daisy’s husband, Tom, by arguing that Daisy has never loved
“‘Even that’s a lie,’ said Tom savagely. She didn’t know you were alive. Why- there’re things between Daisy and me that you’ll never know, things that neither of us can ever forget.” (Fitzgerald 132). Even when Tom knows that Daisy is cheating on him with Jay Gatsby, he contends his marriage and fights for her.
Scott Fitzgerald depicts the theme of “wealth can breed carelessness” using point of view. In the text, Nick describes the truth about Tom and Daisy, “I couldn 't forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back to their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made…” (191) At the end of the story, Nick views Tom and Daisy as careless people. This example depicts “wealth can breed carelessness” by Nick’s perspective because the most critical things that Tom and Daisy had done in this story was ruined other people 's lives, such as leading Myrtle, Gatsby, and George to their deaths, showing no remorse for their actions, and cared only about themselves and their
A countless number of accidents happen on a daily basis such as running into someone, losing something that is really important, or wrecking a car. The cause of certain events might be the result of common people being careless with their actions and decisions. The outcome of reckless people’s decisions could affect other people negatively or could even cause others harm. Careless people are people who have no concern for others and ultimately only pay attention to the well being of themselves. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Daisy Buchanan to demonstrate the carelessness of people during the RoaringTwenties, and how her carelessness affected herself and the people who were close to her .
However, in chapter 7, during the confrontation, Daisy quickly rethinks her decisions and states, ‘I did love him once – but I loved you too’. As Gatsby hopes and expectations of them being together breaks the audience starts to comprehend that Daisy contradicting statements is purely because she is afraid to leave Tom. Tom came from a wealthy family and was highly respected in society. Daisy knew that life with him would be luxiourous and entirely satisfactory in terms of respect and wealth. In addition, the author is trying to convey to the audience that Daisy is too secure in her marriage with Tom to even consider leaving it.
“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and . . . then retreated back into their money . . . and let other people clean up the mess they had made”(Fitzgerald 179). Towards the end of the story Nicks informs us about Tom and Daisy's blatant disregard for others. Throughout the book, we learn more and more about Daisy’s flawed personality.
When Gatsby confronts Daisy about her love for him, Daisy is unable to deny that she didn’t love Tom. She quotes that she “loved [him] now—isn't that enough? I can't help what's past,” (132). Her love for Gatsby causes her to act without thinking. She doesn’t care who she hurts.
Within the novel, Tom chooses worldly desires over his relationship with his wife. Instead of being a loyal husband to daisy, Tom takes part in an affair with another woman. This claim is supported when Tom says to Nick “I want you to meet my girl.” ( Fitzgerald 24) Tom says in front of Gatsby, Jordan, Nick, and Daisy “ Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart, I love her all the time.”
Gatsby is constantly trying to revive his past relationship with Daisy, which ends up taking him away from reality. Gatsby’s obsession with living in the past and daydreaming about Daisy shows when he is talking to Tom and mentions that, “Your wife doesn’t love you … she’s never loved you. She loves me” (Fitzgerald 130). Gatsby needs Daisy to tell Tom that she never loved him so they can make up for the past time they lost together. Later, finding out the true reason “Gatsby bought that [mansion is] so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (Fitzgerald 78).
Daisy decides to cheat with Jay Gatsby after she becomes bored and complacent with Tom. She finds out that her long-lost lover in Gatsby comes to find her and is now very rich. However, she does love Tom at the beginning of their marriage. Over time, though, she realizes Tom’s true self and is not in love with him like she was at the beginning. In the movie Daisy states, “I've been everywhere and seen everything and done everything.
(99) In this moment, Gatsby makes it clear to Daisy that he could easily provide her with the same lifestyle she shares with Tom. Once Gatsby captures Daisy’s affection, he becomes full of greed and doesn’t want to believe she ever gave any of her love to Tom. “He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you.’” (118) When Daisy states “‘Even alone I can’t say I never loved Tom,’ (142), Gatsby begins to feel a “touch of panic” (142). All of his parties, stories, and entire persona were all fabricated to win Daisy back.
Gatsby thinks Him and Daisy are meant to be married and live with each other for the rest of their lives. Gatsby is loyal to Daisy and believes they can find a way past anything. In addition Gatsby and Tom both share the willingness to compete over daisy. Tom finds info to dig up on Gatsby and goes into further research to find out about his past. Gatsby tries to get Daisy to confess her love for Gastby to Tom’s face.
( The Great Gatsby chp.4). Daisy makes Gatsby act like a fool so much of a fool that he kills Myrtle because of the previous events that happened with Daisy and Tom. “He announced that he had a way of finding out whom the yellow car belonged to, and then he blurted out that a couple of months ago his wife had come from the city with her face bruised and her nose swollen”(The Great Gatsby chp.8). Ironically
In the present time, Daisy is moved on and married, with a child in a beautiful grand home. Her relationship with Tom can be speculated to be based on her wanting to gain his finances or that he can support her like no one else can. Daisy portrays an idealistic vision of herself, and , throughout the story, shows a selfish and narcissistic persona at times. Daisy and Gatsby