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Sexuality

  • "'Who is Tom?' she asked innocently" (83).
  • "Keeping half a dozen dates a day with half a dozen men" (151)

Daisy uses her sexuality to forward herself, which is easier due to the increased sexuality of the flapper persona.

Emotions

Daisy IS the Most Powerful

  • "But there was a change in Gatsby that was simply confounding. He literally glowed" (89)
  • "There was a husky tenderness in his tone... 'Daisy?'" (132)
  • Obtains wealth, security, prestige
  • Only character to make it out unscathed
  • Manipulates other characters to her advantage

Daisy exercises control over the men in the story in three ways:

Daisy develops an emotional attachment to the male characters, but in the case of Gatsby especially, she seems more prepared to break it.

Historical Context

The Flapper

Voice

  • In feminist history, the Jazz Age comes at a time immediately following the end of first-wave feminism in the US.

Daisy's voice has an intoxicating effect on the men in the story, and it allows her to manipulate them more than any other tool.

  • Breezy and boyish
  • Loose clothes and short hair
  • Drank and smoked freely
  • Short skirts and wild nights

  • During the Jazz Age, youth questioned and challenged traditional values.
  • "(I've heard it said that Daisy's murmur was only to make people lean toward her; an irrelevant criticism...)" (9)
  • "'Her voice is full of money,'" he said suddenly (120)

Daisy as a Flapper

  • Women had more political, economic, and social freedom. However, they were still limited in these areas.

In Conclusion:

While I would not call Daisy a feminine character in the sense that she controls men in order to forward a feminist political or social agenda, Daisy does embody the feminine power evident in the flapper movement. She uses elements of the flapper persona, combined with a traditional innocence, to create an atmosphere of total control over other men in the story.

Daisy as the Most Powerful Character in The Great Gatsby: A Historical Feminine Analysis

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