The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald | Teen Ink

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

September 19, 2017
By Mengyu_Xu SILVER, Hightstown, New Jersey
Mengyu_Xu SILVER, Hightstown, New Jersey
5 articles 0 photos 0 comments

In The Great Gatsby, the author F.Scott Fitzgerald, uses Daisy’s voice to represent specific themes in the novel. Daisy’s voice seems melodious, but, if we go beneath the surface, there are two underlying implications in her voice: wealth and fakeness. The one of wealth is alluring to Gatsby and all he has wanted in the world. Daisy’s fakeness is obvious by the fact that she rarely speaks directly about what she means or what she wants. Her voice is when described in a couple of different ways add to the author’s artistry and the development of one of his important themes: wealth and the emptiness of those who possess it

For one, Daisy’s voice is one of old money. She has grown up with wealth, and then married Tom who came from old money. This is true because she lives in East Egg, the more prestigious of the two eggs. Gatsby even comments that her voice was “full of money” indicating that it was obvious that she has been wealthy for a long time. She has never suffered financially and this is what Gatsby himself has always wanted: wealth and to be better than his farmer family. Daisy represents that allurement of money for Gatsby, which is a big theme in the book about Gatsby’s dreams of inventing a glamourous life for himself full of fortune so he may attain his greatest goal: Daisy.

Secondly, Daisy’s voice seems to be fake or sounds melodious to put on a show so people do not see her pain. She can easily go from one topic to another in a conversation and never really say what she means, possibly to avoid honest conversation. For instance, when she is having dinner with Tom and friends, she ends their current discussion topic to talk about her finger. She exaggerates that her finger hurts, and she seems to be implying that Tom is to blame for being rough with her but never really says anything more about his abuse. She just moves on to the next topic. This also contributes to the meaning and artistry of the novel because it shows how excessive money supersedes honesty and happiness. Daisy, just like Gatsby, will lie to others and themselves to create a fake happiness if they are wealthy.



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