In Defense of Daisy Buchanan

I’m not going to look you in the eye and tell you that Daisy is great, because she’s not. She is an unlikeable character by all accounts. She makes a TRUCK TON of mistakes and generally doesn’t try to make amends for them. 

But having an opinion about Daisy isn’t as simple as liking or disliking her. If we’re going to talk about Daisy, we need to acknowledge the circumstances that make her who she is—not only as a human being with flaws, but also as a character within a story. Here are a few things to consider before passing judgment: 

• The way she’s raised (ergo, SPOILED)
• The social climate for women in the 20s (not ideal)
• Gatsby and his obsessive behavior (like, dude, CHILL)
• Tom Buchanan and his abusive ways (yikes) 
• Fitzgerald’s own biases (mainly concerning REJECTION)

So without further ado, let’s make with the analyzing!