DAISEY'S DAISIES:What She Really Meant.....In Quotes/Dialogue
Quote 1:
"'Oh, you want too much!" she cried to Gatsby. "I love you now – isn't that enough? I can't help what's past." She began to sob helplessly. "I did love him once – but I loved you too." Gatsby's eyes opened and closed.
"You loved me TOO?" he repeated.' (7.264-266)
Translation: 'All I ever had to do was look pretty and pout when I had trouble with something, so this is very hard indeed! I can't make up my mind; never had to make up my mind before because my choices were always made for me in neat, clean and sterile little packages devoid of any compassion, with a little, pretty, pink bow on top of it and my father screaming at me to do it.'
Modern Woman Speak: "Why can't we just continue this big, bold love affair like the rest of the world doesn't exist, including my boyfriend/husband? Who has been very unromantic as of late."
Quote 2:
"'Before I could answer her eyes fastened with an awed expression on her little finger.
"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. That's what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great, big, hulking physical specimen of a– "
"I hate that word hulking," objected Tom crossly, "even in kidding."
"Hulking," insisted Daisy."' (1.67-72)
Translation: They are all being complicit to 'light' domestic abuse here because this scene is probably one of the few exciting moments to happen in the book, so the characters stare in awe since they can't stare in awe at a golden statue or string of pearls and be just as excited.
Modern Woman Speak: "I like how muscled you are, and how dangerous and alluring you can be, and how you could probably exert your will on me at any delicious moment, but I'm also to be respected, dammit, and that hurt, even if you didn't mean it! I want to wear the pants too! And be treated like a delicate thing you must be very careful with."
Quote 3:
"'Suddenly, with a strained sound, Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily.
"They're such beautiful shirts," she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. "It makes me sad because I've never seen such – such beautiful shirts before."' (5.118-119)
Translation: 'My life has been so boring and dispassionate up until now that I have nothing else to get excited for or care about but big, shiny toys and pretty fabrics. Everything I want has always been given to me, but I can't have you. I have to earn you, or better yet, you have to earn me. But you do have such a beautiful collection of shirts. These shirt's aren't as fine as Tom's though, so I can't see this working!'
Modern Woman Speak: "Oh my gosh, Lana. He had the nicest clothes. He could probably take me shopping how well-dressed he was on our date last night."
My interpretations tend to veer on the cynical side (especially if its a dry book), so pick a quote from the Great Gatsby and give me your interpretation of it in the comments-hopefully its cheerier than mine.
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