Student Question

What metaphor does Nick use for Daisy and Jordan in The Great Gatsby, and what does it imply?

Quick answer:

Nick uses the metaphor of floating objects to describe Daisy and Jordan in The Great Gatsby, implying they are ethereal and carefree. This imagery suggests they are above Nick in social and economic status, appearing almost angelic or bird-like. Their white dresses further symbolize innocence and purity, enhancing their otherworldly and idolized depiction.

Expert Answers

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In the first chapter of The Great Gatsby, Nick compares Daisy and Jordan to floating objects. We could interpret them as appearing like angels or birds. Nick describes them as,

"...buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon. They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house."

Daisy and Jordan are both ethereal, in many ways, from Nick's point of view. They are both incredibly wealthy and want for nothing. The fact that they appear as though they are floating or flying also implies they are above Nick in some way, perhaps higher in social and economic status than him. Both women are also very carefree, which is illustrated by their floating appearance, as well as the fact that they are doing nothing but lounging about on a couch.

Later on, in chapter seven, Nick describes the women in a similar scene to that of chapter one:

"Daisy and Jordan lay upon an enormous couch, like silver idols weighing down their own white dresses against the singing breeze of the fans."

The two women then tell Nick that they are unable to move. Once again, they appear very ethereal; they are compared to "idols," people to be worshipped. The women are in white in both of these scenes, and white is a color that symbolizes innocence and purity, so there is that implication as well. In his descriptions of the two women, Fitzgerald implies that they are somehow otherworldly.

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