The Great Gatsby, often considered F. Scott Fitzgerald's most impressive as well as most notable piece of literature, is laden with characters whose motives are hidden and whose flaws are exposed. As a general rule, Fitzgerald involves all of his characters in controversy, which leads to the individual himself baring his imperfections without too much additional narrative explanation, an excellent and defining characteristic of his writing. As the book travels through the world of the wealthy during what was a time of recovery and luxury in this particular area, it explores an interesting concept that is apparent in much of modern literature- money does not equal morality. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald does a stunning job of combining many characters that are complete and total opposites but still interact with the same sort of mysterious nature and passion for life itself. Daisy Buchanan is one of these characters. Daisy is an immature, puerile woman who has a problem with conflict and arguments, but still finds herself purposely involved in them for some unknown reason. .
Seemingly innocuous, Daisy is the main reason the conflict in this novel even occurs. Being only twenty-three, rich, and beautiful, she has not defined the ambiguous line that draws the mark between unacceptable and acceptable behavior. She thinks that pretending that controversy does not exist readily remedies the problems in her life. However, question about Daisy remains- it is unknown whether her behavior was influenced by society, or whether society was influenced by her behavior. Florence Nightingale once said, "Why have women passion, intellect, moral activity--these three--and a place in society where no one of the three can be exercised?" It is very possible that Daisy really inherently had all three of these qualities that eluded so many women of her time. However, her upbringing and the way she was taught to live somewhat erased or hid these traits.
