Red Flags In The Green Light: Daisy's Monologue on Motherhood

Who wouldn't want their daughter to be a "beautiful little fool"? The Great Gatsby's Daisy Buchanan, Zelda Fitzgerald, and current radio ready to comment...

Article Edited: December 22nd, 2022

"A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind and never to allow passion or a transitory desire to disturb his tranquility." - Mary Shelley

Rightful Owners of Original Quotes:

When reading "The Great Gatsby", I was very excited to get to some of the more well-known segments of the novel. These notable moments range from Jay Gatsby's frequent "old sport" quips to the champagne bottles popping freely... in a novel set during America's prohibition period, the overindulgence comes in with a roar (wink wink).

The connection I wasn't anticipating leaving such a mark on me was Daisy Buchanan's small speech about her own child, a daughter named Pamela. It happens early on in the novel, occurring in the very first chapter. She is notably sad to have had a daughter, especially in a time which women weren't (and are still not) seen as equivalent to a man. A son might have been easier for Daisy to raise, less loopholes to teach them in order to thrive in the society they were born into.

Let's look at the exact quote pulled from Fitzgerald (which one?):

"I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." - Daisy Buchanan

This initial sentiment shapes how the reader sees Daisy. The worst assumption to take from her words is thinking she is a bad mother.

She isn't a bad mother, she is a mother in a bad situation.

Especially for the time period (1922), it was only 4 years following the "Great War", later to be known as WWI. In the emerging spotlight on America as a prominent holder of power in the world stage. Therefore, the spectating eyes (not of Dr. TJ Eckleburg...) were centred on who they believed ran this revival... the men of the Nation.

If we look at her words beyond the page, it's easy to believe that a real-life woman could have uttered the same words... and someone actually did.

Who was this woman? The wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald:

A Brief History on Zelda Fitzgerald

+ "Flapper Feminism":

The supposed sidekick to her husband's "genius"... though many actually believe he plagiarized some of his most infamous pieces from her mind instead.

Apparently, in a delirious state after the birth of her daughter, she exclaimed,

"I hope she's beautiful and silly, a beautiful little fool" ... hmm... sound familiar?

It's so interesting to me that the most influential words out of F. Scott Fitzgerald that stuck to me weren't actually HIS words. They were HERS.

When we have the knowledge that these words were spoken by a non-fictional woman of the time, their relevance and truth hold even more merit. In the eyes of Zelda Fitzgerald, these were the reflection of a reality. They echo the time in which she spoke these words, the country was still left reeling after WWI.

Judith Mackrell wrote in The Guardian regarding the climate following the war.

"ideas of duty, sacrifice and the greater good had been debunked by the recent war; for this generation, morality resided in being true to one’s self, not to a cause." - Judith Mackrell

This led to the idea of the Roaring 1920s view on the "flapper" which Zelda embodied (and was coined as the "first flapper" by her husband) during the resurgence of the American spirit (both alcoholic & emotional). Their version of flapper-feminism stemmed from the idea of letting go and often turning to controversial fashions in order to express oneself on the party scene.

In the eyes of older feminists at the time, this was frowned upon. Mackrell wrote further,

"With her short skirts and cigarettes, her cocktails, sexiness and sass, she was not only offensive to the men at the Times, but also a concern to older feminists, who saw in her pleasure-seeking, taboo-breaking ways a younger generation’s disregard of all for which the suffragettes had fought." - Judith Mackrell

Daisy Buchanan was a flapper in the novel, leading one to question (F. Scott) Fitzgerald's intention behind this character. In Fitzgerald's eyes, perhaps he wanted Daisy to appear similarly foolish when aligned with the "flapper feminists" of her time period.

Apparently, this is a common belief when readers encounter Daisy. I wasn't aware of this distaste for her. To my memory, I think that I really liked Daisy along the way. Of course, she had her moments of unbalanced emotion but I don't remember blaming her for it. She is a woman left seemingly happy but is tortured beneath her sunny persona.

A Distaste Towards Daisy:

Katie Baker (The Daily Beast) offered up a question to supplement the inquiry of this distaste for Daisy...

"What is it about Daisy that stirs up such strong and extreme opinions about her essential nature? Maybe it’s that we, like Nick Carraway, can’t quite grasp what makes Daisy tick." - Katie Baker

As a reader, I don't think that illusiveness alone is a valid reason to dislike a character. Daisy might have been flip-floppy between her emotions, but the novel is also on the same train of an emotional rollercoaster. If we want to dive deeper into this analysis, I want to ask you... why aren't we saying the same things about Daisy's husband?

Tom Buchanan is my definition of "tick", his unstable happiness giving way to frequent outbursts breeds the same environment for all surrounding him. It isn't out-of-the-question that he also increases this power over his own wife. His behaviour is a spiraling force, I assumed that Daisy was just pulled into this along the way.

Modern Music For Daisy's Lament

The lament of Daisy Buchanan is not ignored in media though, like how her story is mirrored in (I can hear my parents sighing dramatically already...) the recent album evermore by (Dr.)Taylor Swift. Say what you will about her reputation (wink wink), but that woman can write a lyric. In the song entitled "happiness", the quote is echoed along with reference to the ever-present "green light" leading way through the plot's progression.

Let's start with the reference to Tom Buchanan:

"Tell me, when did your winning smile begin to look like a smirk? When did all our lessons start to look like weapons pointed at my deepest hurt?"

His charm and charisma are mentioned throughout the novel, an ode to the quick reasons Daisy might have chosen him. Nevertheless, the hurt that followed cannot be covered with that same charm. As stated, the winning smile can shift in seconds.

Now, the reference to Daisy's new chance with Jay Gatsby:

"All you want from me now is the green light of forgiveness. You haven't met the new me yet & I think she'll give you that"

Okay, this one is my favourite line in the song. If anything, I think this sentiment proves that Daisy has changed more because of Tom's influence, which is genuinely why I think so many readers share a dislike for her. Gatsby only wants a reciprocated love which he demonstrates for her with the "green light" streaming across the bay. Swift states that "you haven't met the new me yet" indicating this change of Daisy's "old self".

Now, the most transparent reference to the novel,

"I hope she'll be a beautiful fool, who takes my spot next to you."

This one is an easy view into how the song reflects the same storyline as Daisy, with the infamous line reused in the song. Instead, the focus is now placed on a "other woman" idea rather than being directed to her daughter. It's an interesting lens to take, even if it's unknowingly done. Perhaps it's another trademarked T-Swift Easter Egg... funny, since the setting for The Great Gatsby is in "West Egg"!

click below to hear a clip of the track (listen fully on spotify!):

Now, is it a battle between F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda, AND Taylor Swift for owning rights to the line? Ha-ha, not exactly.

Any Last Words, Alias?

Regardless of who owns this line, the quote's significance goes much farther than just being some quick anecdotal sign-of-the-times statement.

If Zelda truly spoke this first, and I believe that she did, her words tie miles more inherent value into it's existence. A real woman felt these things, spoke them, and was potentially plagiarized for it. It completely frames the (greatly controversial) character of Daisy Buchanan while pulling in the gendered environment encompassing the novel.

The fight for a woman to be recognized equal in all areas of society (and all areas of the globe) has not ceased, allowing the words to remain relevant from the words of 1922 to the radios of 2021.

Want to watch the original clip from the film?

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Yours in Academia,

Alias Indiana, The Book Built Blog.