Chapter 1 Pg. 1-21

In Nick Carraway’s introduction, he characterizes himself as someone who reserves their judgment on others. Though he describes this guideline as “a matter of infinite hope”, he also finds that this trait separates him from the rest of his generation. When visiting his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom, Nick finds himself in the glamorous East Egg, which he finds to be far different from his less- fashionable home in the West Egg. Throughout his visit, Nick is surprised by the ignorance of their guest, Miss Parker, the arrogance of Tom and his racist beliefs, and the tolerance Daisy has for her “hulking” and violent husband. Through the private murmurs and dynamic characteristics of his hosts, Nick begins to recognize the illusion of the rich and their “pleasant” lifestyle.  

Daisy Buchanan:

* “’All right,” I said, ‘I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.’” (page 17)

* Daisy has a voice that “men who had cared for her found difficult to forge.” Nick was drawn into listening to her ignorant statements solely because her voice was so compelling. She seems to be excited by plans, big events, and the idea of romance. She also liked to complement Nick and felt intrigued to tell him secrets.

* Though she was just introduced, I feel like Daisy will develop throughout the novel. Her intrigue and mystery seems to be a prominent characteristic of hers. However, I feel like her desire to speak to Nick about her true feelings will grow with their relationship. She may be the key in helping Nick realize the truth about the rich, and how happy they actually are with their lifestyle.

“Her gray sun-strained eyes looked back at me with polite reciprocal curiosity out of a wan, charming, discontented face.”

Through this chapter, I found the characters to be so mysterious mainly because of Nick’s description of their facial expressions. Each reaction they held had a sense of charm and radiance; however they also had showed sorrow and absence of hope, mostly in Daisy. To me she seemed to be crouched in the shadow of Tom and not willing to expose her true character to anyone but Nick. Furthermore, I feel like the chapter gives rise to the theme of “money can’t by happiness.” The rich will try to prove to others they are happy through the perfect family image. And through the reaction Daisy had when she heard the news about her baby, one could see that she has very little hope for her child as a person. I feel like the rich people introduced in this novel are fake and shallow and I hope that through the book this “perfection” can be destroyed to reveal their true characters.