Thursday, June 19, 2008

Daisy's child

What was Gatsby's reaction to Daisy's child? Why?

11 comments:

Young Eui Hong said...

Gatsby was definitely disappointed and shocked because he knew that the child's father was not Gatsby. Since Gatsby loved Daisy, he would have wanted to be the father. Also, when Daisy faces her child towards Gatsby and asks her daughter if she likes her mother's friends and the little girl asks where her father is, it must have hurt Gatsby. Daisy and Gatsby already have a relationship but the truth is that they will never be a family. Daisy is stable in life but Gatsby is lonely and he cannot be, or spend his life with the one he truly loves. So, Gatsby's reaction to the baby is understandable.

Daniel said...

I agree that Gatsby was in shock because he was not Daisy's child's father. I also belive that Gatsby was in denial of the baby's exsistence in the first place. I think that he had wanted to belive that Daisy never loved Tom and that she only loved him. Gatsby had thought that Daisy had only married Tom because she couldn't wait for him, and the exsistence of a child meant that she was more in love with Tom than Gatsby had first thought. The baby's reaction toward Gatsby might have been a dispointment to him, but the shock of the baby's actual existence was greater.

kristeena said...

I agree with Min Jae and Young about the baby being a shock to Gatsby. Though what I also believe is that even after Gatsby saw the girl he remained in denial. I think this because it describes the girl as looking mostly like her mother, Daisy. This made me get the feeling that to Gatsby the daughter was Daisy's but he denies the fact that Tom is the father.

Unknown said...

"Afterward he kept looking at the child in surprise. I don't think he had ever really believed it it's existence before."

When he found out about the child, he was extremely upset; his ideal dream life he held onto by observing the green light across the lake was completely razed by this point. Daisy had a family, she does/did love Tom, at least at one point. The child really snapped him into reality.

Da-Re Kim said...

I agree with many of my classmates. Gatsby was surely not happy to see Daisy's child. Although, he was even more disappointed because the child was not Gatsby's. I really thought it was a huge symbol when the child did not even see Gatsby and asked for her father. I think it showed that no matter how much Gatsby tries, he wont ever be at the same level as Daisy. Also, that they could never be a family.

Janique said...

I believe Gatsby was astonished when seeing Daisy's child, but I also think that he was trying to accept it. I don't completley agree with what Kristeena said about him being in denial. In my opinion Gatsby would have accepted anything just to be with Daisy even if it meant that he had to accept the little girl. Gatsby probably didn't want to believe that the child belonged to Tom but he probably knew that one day he would have to accept it. The child was a part of Daisy's life and was going to have to be a part of Gatsby's if Gatsby wanted to be with Daisy.

Unknown said...

When Gatsby first saw Daisy's child he was stunned. Gatsby was surprised and astonished. Gatsby didn’t really seem to have believed in the existence of Daisy’s child because he wanted to accept everything about Daisy to get her back. Gatsby didn’t seem to care that Daisy had married Tom. He was miserable when he heard the news that Daisy was married, but this fact didn’t restrain him or stall him from wanted to attain Daisy’s love again. This shows the reason why Gatsby didn’t seem to believe about Daisy’s child.

Maria S. said...

Seeing Daisy’s child made the whole situation too real for Gatsby. I agree with Danny that Gatsby was in denial but he was in denial of Daisy’s marriage with Tom. When Gatsby saw their daughter he realized that it meant they were a family, Daisy’s family wasn’t his. Plus if Daisy did leave Tom for Gatsby and brought her daughter along, she would be bringing a part of her life with Tom into her life with Gatsby. I believe that in this moment part of Gatsby told him that things with Daisy would be impossible and that terrified him.

JinA said...

I do agree with Young in that Gatsby was surprised when he saw Daisy's daughter. I think that Gatsby never thought of the idea that Daisy had a child with Tom. However, I don't think he was upset that the child's father was Tom and not him, but that the existence of the child was a huge obstacle for his dream with Daisy. Daisy already had a family, and breaking up a family was not in Gatsby's plan.

Norberto said...

The kid got Gatsby’s attention very quickly. As he saw that the kid wasn’t his, he might have felt disillusioned and probably betrayed. He neglected Daisy’s love to Tom, but when he saw the baby it was different for him now. The baby was a sign of Daisy’s commitment of staying with Tom, and that she was taking the relationship more serious than Gatsby truly believed. Thus leading that Gatsby will never catch up to the life style that Tom has given her.

Unknown said...

I would have to agree with Janique that Gatsby was truly astonished when he saw Daisy’s child but he did try to accept it for her. Gatsby’s love to Daisy went to such a point that he would do anything for her. I also have to agree with Da Re that the child ignoring Gatsby and looking for her father foreshadows what is to happen later on in the book. It foreshadows how Daisy would choose and stay with Tom although Gatsby is in her reach.