How are Nick, Tom, Jordan and Daisy presented in Chapter 1 of the Great Gatsby?

Getting Started

• "effeminate swank", "cruel body": all of the descriptions of Tom's physical appearance portrays him as a highly masculine character, idea of aggression hiding behind his appearance
• "Have you read the Rise of the Coloured Empires by this man Goddard?", "Nordics...produced all the things that go into civilization": there is obvious privilege and a racist attitude, presence of a clear and deluded lie, uncritically repeats the things he has read, there is an element of insecurity, even because of his high moral status he feels threatened that his secure position could be taken away
• "violently", "suddenly", "abruptly": the way Tom speaks suggests rising anger and an increase in dramatic conflict, he also appears to be a dangerous character, it is difficult to ever view Tom in a sympathetic light due to these strong physical descriptions
• "as though he were moving a checker to another square": control and dominance particular towards Nick through his physical movements, asserting his masculinity
• "the knuckle was black and blue": the ambiguity and hinting of whether Daisy is abused creates a strong dislike towards Tom

• "strolled back into the library, as if to a vigil besides a perfectly tangible body": this description of Tom and Jordan portrays them as equal yet there is a solemn atmosphere with the references to death contrasts to the lack of/illusion of equality for women
• "throwing her body backwards at the shoulders like a young cadet": this accepts the Flapper Era and the changing presentation of women however this position is unnatural and uncomfortable, with the emphasis on the physical body there is a suggestion of traditional gender roles
• "nodded...imperceptibly": shows that Jordan is in control/dominant/has status, perhaps vain when greeting Nick
• "their dresses were rippling and fluttering": this could be a suggestion that they are part of the Lost Generation, unsatisfied and unhappy, always seeking for happiness and not remaining still
• "as if she were balancing something on it which was quite likely to fall": this accepts traditional feminine descriptions of delicate, graceful and balletic
• "both in white": strong symbolism indicates purity, modesty and an element of maturity
• "buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon": tied down by something, defying natural laws with a lack of gravity, innocence or a childlike nature
• "sitting down...as if she were getting into bed": there are various interpretations, lazy, graceful, childlike, sexual
• "unobtrusively and with a bantering inconsequence that was never quite chatter": what Jordan says has worthy, intellectual value, but there is an emphasis on domestication that what she comments shouldn't interrupt male opinions
• "eyes in the absence of all desire": lack of happiness from the American Dream, not satisfied, not focused, pure, blank
• "exhibition of complete self-sufficiency": independent, powerful

• "'Do they miss me?' she cried ecstatically": seeking constant emotional validation, attachment to her herself, possible narcissistic views
• "'Look I hurt it!'": childish manner, basic language used along with an exclamation mark or a bemused fascination, Daisy can be seen as restless/part of the Lost Generation, this pain has some immediate emotional response
• "her face was sad and lovely": suggests a facade, and a deception, her sadness being masked by a jovial appearance
• "'I'm p-paralysed with happiness'": speech reflects mental instability, comparison between the first time we hear her speak and the descriptions that Nick gives the reader
• "uncivilised": Nick describes Daisy as making him feel this way suggesting an emphasis on class and the diminishing of Nick's status/societal class, Daisy's magnetic voice is described before her appearance
• "I hope she'll be a fool...a beautiful little fool": pessimistic about her position in the world, despondent, prescribed role