Throughout history, women have often been reduced to their contributions to a man’s life. They are not judged on who they are, but instead on how they help or harm the supposed superior gender. In literature, female characters are seen only as their role in the storyline of a man. The complexity of the human mind is ignored to simplify the woman into becoming a plot element, nothing more than a roadblock in the protagonist’s story. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby fulfills this stereotype through the character of Daisy Buchanan. Daisy, the love interest of the protagonist Jay Gatsby, is discussed only in relation to other male characters. The recurring debate of whether she is a victim or a villain arises over and over, but many times these arguments perpetuate the idea that her only purpose is not to complicate the life of another. Daisy is both a victim of her circumstances and a villain because of them, and putting her in either category would undermine her complexity as a female character.

VICTIM

Daisy is victimized as the wife of an abusive man and the depersonalized desire of another. Daisy’s purpose is often to serve as a source of conflict between Tom and Gatsby. Daisy faces Tom’s abuse, both physical and mental, throughout their marriage. During lunch with Tom, Nick, and Jordan, Daisy makes a remark about her hand, saying, “‘Look!’ she complained. ‘I hurt it.’ We all looked–the knuckle was black and blue. ‘You did it, Tom,’ she said accusingly. ‘I know you didn’t mean to, but you did do it” (Fitzgerald 12). Tom’s physical abuse is introduced to Daisy’s fellow characters and the readers in a way that might not seem significant at first glance. But, later, when Tom is with his mistress Myrtle and breaks her nose when she bothers him, it is clear that Tom does not shy away from using violence to get what he wants. Emotionally, Tom abuses her with his infidelity. He had been cheating on her from the early days of their relationship, yet claims to love her wholeheartedly, constantly contradicting himself. Tom’s manipulation and her lack of power in their relationship forces Daisy to depend on a husband in a way that causes her to eventually lose her individuality. 

Daisy’s sense of self also suffers under Gatsby’s perception of her. Over the many years they spent apart, Gatsby’s love for Daisy and his desire to be with her transformed into something much greater than her alone. Nick remarks that Gatsby’s “count of enchanted objects had diminished by one” when he sees a look of longing still in his eyes, even when Daisy, the supposed object of his desire, was standing right next to him (Fitzgerald 93). Daisy was no longer a person, but a symbolic representation of an immeasurable dream, one she could not fulfill. As much as she tries to satisfy him, she would always fail because “no woman, no human being could ever approximate the platonic ideal he has invented” (Person 251). It is not her fault that she–or anyone else for that matter–could not live up to the false reality Gatsby had created, but she suffers the consequences. Gatsby blames his dissatisfaction on Daisy and her unwillingness to leave Tom and run away with him. During the confrontation between Tom and Gatsby about who Daisy loved more, she cannot tell Gatsby she has only ever loved him. She desperately attempts to say the right thing, but in the end, she cannot satisfy everyone. To Gatsby, she cries, “‘Oh you want too much!… I love you now–isn’t that enough? I can’t help what’s past.’ She began to sob helplessly” (Fitzgerald 132). He refuses to acknowledge the truth: that his chase for Daisy would always be more satisfying than she would be. Daisy suffers at the hands of powerful men around her.

VILLAIN

As much as she suffered, Daisy was not entirely helpless, frequently taking advantage of her power over those around her while painting herself as innocent. She exploited the fact that the men in her life, especially Gatsby, seemed to worship her. Daisy’s voice is a major part of her character, brought into focus time and time again. Upon Nick’s earliest interaction with Daisy, he describes it as “the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down, as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again… there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget, a singing compulsion” (Fitzgerald 9). Her voice is depicted as musical, a song that one cannot help but feel drawn to, not unlike that of a siren. In Greek mythology, sirens were known for their dangerous songs and voices so compelling they would “bewitch” innocent sailors into killing themselves and falling into the clutches of the sirens. They were regarded as pure evil, seen as “harbingers of death and destruction through seductive deception” (Kabir). They used–or abused–the power they had over men to get what they wanted. Similarly, Daisy often uses her power of desirability to get what she wishes for, whether it be attention, money, or anything else she might want. Not only did she exploit others for her own benefit, but she attempted to portray herself as innocent, most obviously by wearing white. She attempts to mask her corrupt morals and actions by appearing innocent and helpless, the ultimate damsel in distress. In reality, Daisy is quite a shallow character, basing many of her life decisions around material objects and financial wealth. She chooses to marry Tom due to his status as a reputable young man from a wealthy family, even though she is supposedly in love with Gatsby. She still craved the attention Gatsby offered when he looked at her “in a way that every young girl wants to be looked at sometime” (Fitzgerald 75). But no matter how much love and affection he provides her with, he would never compare to Daisy’s most shallow desire, her greatest love: money. To her, Tom, and possibly everyone in the West Egg, money is everything. Even Nick is appalled by their immorality, interpreting them as “careless people” because “they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made” (Fitzgerald 179). Every corrupt action, lie, and secret exists for the sake of creating or maintaining wealth, and Daisy was not exempt from this lifestyle. She would take any action necessary for her own materialistic cravings, disregarding all those she hurt in the process.

When her character is looked at as a whole, it is clear that Daisy acts as both a victim and a villain. She has faced abuse and pressure all her life from everyone she knows–her parents, suitors, and society in general. It is not unexpected that a person in such a situation would eventually become the product of their circumstances. She has made immoral choices and imperfect actions, but she cannot be judged and categorized into a certain stereotype without taking into account her motivations. In one of her earliest conversations with Nick, Daisy tells him the story about the birth of her daughter. One of the first things she said in the delivery room was, “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” (Fitzgerald 17). In one line, Daisy reveals her over-awareness of her lousy situation, as well as her understanding that she cannot escape. She wants to protect her daughter in the only way she knows how, by being underestimated. Daisy lives an unsatisfactory life due to the expectation for her to succumb to societal expectations. Her purpose is to get married, play the standard role of a 1920s woman, and live to please her husband. When she loses the love of her life, she lacks a choice. Instead of suffering, she resorts to using her power to marry someone who will be able to benefit her when she knows she may never truly be happy with any of them. She could have waited for Gatsby, but she was pressured by her family to marry, not to mention the fact that she was never sure if Gatsby would return from his duty alive. She was not so inclined to marry Tom, as shown by her episode the day before her marriage. Jordan Baker recalls the event, telling Nick, “She wouldn’t let go of the letter… But she didn’t say another word. We gave her spirits of ammonia and put ice on her forehead and hooked her back into her dress, and half an hour later, when we walked out of the room, the pearls were around her neck and the incident was over. Next day at five o’clock she married Tom Buchanan without so much as a shiver, and started off on a three months’ trip to the South Seas” (Fitzgerald 76). Upon first glance, it may seem like Daisy was acting heartlessly, betraying Gatsby. But her life likely would have been much worse if she did not marry Tom. She did not have a choice.

THE TRUTH

Daisy’s story is rather similar to that of another woman, one by the name of Medusa. In Greek mythology, Medusa is characterized by her head of snakes that turn an unsuspecting victim to stone with just a glance. She is villainized by her fellow mythological characters and historians alike, blamed for killing the innocent. Eventually, the heroic Perseus comes along and slays her, ending her reign of terror. But, there is a different side to Medusa’s story, one that gives more insight into her character. As a mortal, Medusa had vowed celibacy to her goddess, Athena, but was sexually violated by Poseidon–Athena’s enemy–in her temple. Some argue that Athena was enraged at Medusa, either for breaking her vow of celibacy or out of Athena’s jealousy. To her fellow gods and historians alike, it would make sense that Athena stripping Medusa of her appeal to men would be the greatest of all punishments. In a different interpretation, though, neither Athena nor Medusa is blamed for the horrible situation they were forced into. Athena, under the pressure of those around her, is forced to do something to please her fellow gods, but “instead of punishing Medusa with a head of snakes that could turn men to stone, Athena protected her. Athena blessed Medusa with the ability to defend herself, and her daughters, from men. So she would never be hurt again” (Archibald). Daisy is both Medusa and Athena: she controls her own suffering by taking charge of her own narrative and the perception of her by others. The storyteller of these women’s lives also plays a large role in their characterization. The tale of Medusa was recorded by men, twisted to unjustly demonize her femininity and strength. The opinion of these historians was often that “a woman can either be beautiful, virtuous, passive, kind, so that they can pacify the male gaze and be well behaved in the eyes of patriarchal society. Or, she can be assertive, able to defend herself, not pandering to the male gaze’s ideals – in which case they are dangerous, the downfall of men and something to fear” (Archibald). When a powerful, female character is no longer able to be contained, she is villainized. Through the eyes of Nick Carraway, Daisy is not a person, but a pawn in the story of Gatsby’s life. This story is not about her, and her complexity as a human is not taken into account when Nick forms judgments of her morality. He shares the view of Fitzgerald and other men of his time, jumping to conclusions to benefit his own plotline. The action of attempting to categorize Daisy as either a victim or a villain is inherently shallow, denying the complex understanding she deserves. By the other characters and readers alike, Daisy is held to a much higher moral standard than her male counterparts. Her womanhood alone paints her as a person to be silent and please others. As soon as she challenges that, she is depicted as a soulless, cold villain. Instead of forcing Daisy into a shallow, surface-level stereotype, her character deserves to be treated as others are: as a human being, flaws and all.

Daisy Buchanan is not a villain. Her purpose is not to hurt Jay Gatsby, the novel’s antagonist. She is a woman trying to survive in a time and place where no others are on her side. She is not helpless nor entirely innocent. She reminds us what it means to be human, and that is the beauty of her character in The Great Gatsby. She serves as an inspiration to young women today, encouraging them to control their own stories and make the best of an unfair situation.

Works Cited
Archibald, Megan Bellatrix. Medusa. 12 Mar. 2021, blogs.ed.ac.uk/s1436180_tpg-sites-2020-2021sem1/2021/03/12/medusa/.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. 1925. Scribner, 2013.
Kabir, Syed Rafid. “The Sirens of Greek Mythology.” History Cooperative, 30 July 2022, historycooperative.org/ancient-greek-sirens/.
Oates, Ryan. “The Horrible Tale of Medusa.” The Odyssey Online, Odyssey, 27 Oct. 2017, www.theodysseyonline.com/horrible-tale-medusa.
Person, Leland S. “‘Herstory’ and Daisy Buchanan.” American Literature, vol. 50, no. 2, May 1978, p. 250, https://doi.org/10.2307/2925105. Accessed 14 Mar. 2023.
Settle, Glenn. “Fitzgerald’s Daisy: The Siren Voice.” American Literature, vol. 57, no. 1, 1985, pp. 115–24. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2926317. Accessed 14 Mar. 2023.