Monday, June 16, 2014

In Chapter 7, why does Gatsby view Daisy's child with surprise?

In all these years since Daisy and Gatsby (then James Gatz) broke up, Gatsby has been romanticizing her. He does not think of her as a human being, with individual faults and virtues, but as an "ideal woman." He does not know her at all, and overlooks all her terrible and petty personality traits. He has put her up on a pedestal. However, Gatsby's romanticized version of this beautiful and wealthy young woman is at odds with the reality of who Daisy Buchanan has become. She is shallow, superficial, selfish, and even socially cruel. 


She has a husband and child, a three year old daughter named Pammy. The reality is that Daisy is a very negligent parent who sees her child as an accessory or else simply ignores her because it is convenient for her. In Chapter 7, Daisy uses Pammy like an interesting accessory. She brings her out to show her off to her party guests with superficial intentions. She does not truly care about Pammy or even think about her very much. The most profound thing she says about her is:



"I hope she'll be a fool," she says, "that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."



Daisy knows the reality of women's roles in her society. She knows her daughter will one day be just as objectified as she is herself. She believes that the best thing for Pammy is to be objectified.


Daisy and Gatsby would find it more convenient for their fantasy world if Pammy did not exist. Gatsby's reaction to the daughter is predictable. He objectifies Daisy throughout the entire novel. To him, she is a prize that he needs to win. Although he himself believes that he truly loves her with a deep and emotional passion, he never even attempts to see her as a human individual. Indeed, he is only in love with the idea of Daisy, rather than Daisy herself. 

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