When first meeting Daisy’s friend Jordan Baker, Nick refers to her as the “balancing girl”(8). This gives insight to Nick’s sarcastic humor and genuine opinion of the upper class society. Instead of simply referring to her as “the girl on the couch,” he appoints her a much more snobbish title. Upon his encounter with Jordan, Nick remarks that she appears to have her chin lifted in the air as if she were balancing an important object. Usually this action is associated with the pretentiousness and haughtiness of the wealthy class. By Nick’s establishment of such a title, it divulges Fitzgerald’s harsh and bitter tone that he generated during the materialistic and corrupt world of America during the 1920’s.
While Nick and Daisy are conversing, Daisy “added irrelevantly”(9) that Nick should see her baby. By throwing in such an inconsequential statement, Daisy absentmindedly changes the topic, making the conversation as a whole, meaningless. It possesses absolutely no depth, just as the shell of the person stating it. Daisy’s “irrelevant” comment reveals how the materialistic society in which she has integrated herself into has taken over every aspect of her being; therefore, she cannot even hold a conversation with any meaning behind it. Out of all people, Daisy should know what depth is, for she hides her love for Jay Gatsby. She puts on façade by appearing shallow to meet the standards of the people in her social group. This enforces Fitzgerald’s biting tone of disapproval of the robotic, hollow people the affluent society had created.
Your analysis of the author's words creates a clear image of the wealthy class, specifically "old money." The words placed in Fitzgerald's text seem to leave hints at his tone without openly expressing it, creating a deeper purpose in his book. Also, your view on Jordan's actions reveal a side that I had not thought of. It does seem that Jordan's movement could show her "old money" views, however I think she is less likely to curl back into her status like Tom and Daisy did. Although, the most astonishing part of your blog was where explained the effect of the word "irrelevant." Your connection of the word to Daisy's useless amount of ethics was extremely effective and detailed, illuminating a connection that most people would not have found. It is extremely effective in exemplifying Fitzgerald's view of "old money."
ReplyDeleteI specifically enjoyed how you described Daisy and her manner of speaking to others. You describe her as absentminded and without any true content to any of her conversations. Describing a disconnection from her world around her, perhaps she is clouded by the obsession of money and wealth so drastically that she is unable to speak of other "unworthy" topics. However, I do not believe his tone is disapproving of these "hollow" people, but more informative or warning to the characters in our own lives that possess these same greedy qualities towards our own personalities and possessions.
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