Monday, January 24, 2011

In The Great Gatsby, chapter 7, did Daisy ever intend to leave Tom? Why or why not?

While we can't know for certain what Daisy might have done had not Tom intervened, it seems extremely unlikely that Daisy would ever have left Tom for Gatsby. First, Daisy is a weak character who looks to the swaggering, domineering Tom for protection. Her affair with Gatsby may be partially heartfelt, but it comes across more as a cry of protest against Tom's serial philandering than a serious effort to change her life. 


During the encounter between Tom and Gatsby at the Plaza hotel, Daisy crumbles rapidly, backpedaling on her assertions of loving Gatsby and never having loved Tom. She says to Gatsby



Oh, you want too much! ... I can't say I never loved Tom. ... It wouldn't be true ...



Tom quickly capitalized on Daisy's wavering loyalties to reassert his control over her. He tells Gatsby that "there's things between me and Daisy that you'll never know, things neither of us will ever forget." He also goes aggressively after Gatsby's shady past and the insecure foundation his wealth is built on, knowing full well how much money matters to his wife. 


In the end, Daisy most likely realizes that she is a fantasy figure to Gatsby, a representative of his desire for lost youth, wealth, and security and that his needs are insatiable and unrealistic. Her relationship with Tom may be troubled, but, as he reminds her, it's real and rooted in a shared past.

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