Daisy In The Great Gatsby

Gatsby’s perception of the ideal woman is essentially embodied by Daisy, or at least his image of her. When Gatsby thinks of Daisy he is reminded of a supernatural being because his expectations of her have been set so high that they are unreachable. “His mind would never romp again like the mind of God” (110). This is saying that once he experienced the real Daisy and gotten a sense of her legitimate being, he will no longer be able to imagine her as he has been. His thoughts and hopes will be brought back to reality and he will no longer perceive her as a perfect creation, a “Godly” or spiritual being, but rather just a terrific, normal woman. These feelings for Daisy cause Gatsby to chase after her relentlessly. Gatsby’s feelings and
sensations skyrocket when he is around Daisy. His whole body, mentally and physically is preparing itself for her touch. He is excited just by the mere thought of it. Gatsby believed that once he “climbed the ladder” alone he would be able to experience an incomparable sensation. With Daisy, Gatsby feels new again, re-born, fresh. Gatsby reaches a climactic feeling, waiting for the moment to kiss Daisy. “His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy’s white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God.” Daisy is a virgin, this is a new experience for her and Gatsby knows that. He sees her as pure, untouched, clean and beautiful. Daisy is described very naturally. She is related to the moonlight, the trees and even a flower. Just as Daisy is a very natural being, Gatsby’s death is also described as a very natural occurrence. The restricted love that Gatsby has for Daisy would ultimately lead to his death. Kissing Daisy feels like the kiss of life to Gatsby, but it is truly a kiss of death. “Her perishable breath” (110) is intriguing to Gatsby and he so longs for it. Gatsby seems to second-guess his decisions for a split second when he “waited, listened for a moment longer,” but then he kissed her, sealing his fate. His love for Daisy is dangerous because she is with Tom and by proving his love to her, he proved it to himself as well which leads him to take the blame for the death of Myrtle. Gatsby takes the “white face” of Daisy and this action seals not only his fate but Daisy’s as well, seeing as this consummation of their love causes Daisy to feel guilt to it mixes up her feelings. I believe that this, in part, led to her fleeing from Tom and ultimately the murder of Myrtle. This is something that will be hard for Daisy to live with on her conscience and will forever change her life and the choices she makes.
Gatsby was attracted to Daisy from the start because of “Godly” sense that could relate to money, his ultimate goal, and how he relates Daisy to it in his head. This sense of longing caused Gatsby to throw himself at Daisy and to not be satisfied until he got her. His decision to continue to seek Daisy even after he learns of Tom causes deathly reactions. The kiss is the crucial turning point in the series of events in the book; everything takes a sharp turn following it. It is so important that it is in a sentence alone. The transition is quick, from Daisy’s white skin to the blossoming into a flower. The kiss of life and the actions of Gatsby and Daisy that are generally taken to create life, ultimately lead to the destruction of a life, or many lives.