The night before her wedding to Tom Buchanan, Daisy receives a letter from Jay Gatsby, with whom she had a brief and passionate affair. The contents of the letter are unknown, but it causes Daisy to get drunk and attempt to call off the wedding. She sobs uncontrollably and tries to return the expensive pearls that Tom gave her, saying that she has changed her mind about the marriage. Her friend Jordan Baker intervenes, throwing Daisy into an ice-cold bath to sober her up, and the next morning, she goes through with the wedding.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Daisy's state of mind | Uncertain, conflicted, despondent |
Daisy's actions | Gets drunk, cries, attempts to return pearls, almost calls off the wedding |
Cause | Receives a mysterious letter, possibly from Gatsby |
Resolution | Thrown in a bath to sober up, goes through with the wedding |
What You'll Learn
Daisy gets drunk
In *The Great Gatsby*, Daisy gets drunk the night before her wedding to Tom Buchanan. This is the first time she has ever had a drink. She is found by Jordan Baker, holding a letter in one hand and a bottle of Sauterne in the other. She is distraught and crying, and it is clear that she is having second thoughts about marrying Tom.
Daisy is in a state of panic and distress. She has thrown her expensive pearls, a gift from Tom, into the wastebasket, and now retrieves them to fling them away, telling Jordan to give them to whoever they belong to downstairs. Jordan and Daisy's mother's maid get her into a cold bath to sober her up, but she clings to the letter, refusing to let it go. Eventually, it begins to fall apart, and she is persuaded to leave it behind. The letter is from Jay Gatsby, with whom she had a romantic relationship before he left for the war. It is assumed that the letter is a love letter, and that it is this that has caused her to get drunk and reconsider her marriage.
Daisy's behaviour indicates that she is marrying Tom for the wrong reasons. She is obviously still in love with Gatsby, and it is likely that she feels pressured to marry someone with money. Despite her feelings, she goes through with the wedding the next day.
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She receives a letter from Gatsby
The night before her wedding to Tom Buchanan, Daisy receives a letter from Jay Gatsby. The contents of the letter are unknown, but it causes her to get drunk and attempt to call off the wedding. Jordan Baker, Daisy's best friend, intervenes by throwing her in an ice-cold bath to sober her up and forcing her into her wedding dress.
Daisy's reaction to the letter suggests that she still has strong feelings for Gatsby and is not fully committed to marrying Tom. She gets so drunk that she has to be forced into a bath to sober up, and even then, she clings to the letter as if her life depends on it. When the letter finally disintegrates, she acts as if nothing happened and goes through with the wedding the next day.
The letter is significant because it reveals Daisy's inner conflict and hesitation about marrying Tom. It also highlights her deep connection with Gatsby, with whom she had a brief and passionate affair before he left for the war. The letter is a turning point in the novel, leading to the reunion between Gatsby and Daisy and setting in motion the tragic events that follow.
Although the contents of the letter are never revealed, it presumably contains a declaration of Gatsby's love for Daisy and a plea for her to wait for him or not marry Tom. The letter causes Daisy to question her impending marriage and briefly consider running away with Gatsby. However, she ultimately decides to go ahead with the wedding, perhaps due to societal pressure or the expectation that Gatsby, as a "normal poor boy," cannot provide for her in the same way that Tom can.
The letter from Gatsby is a pivotal moment in the story, revealing the complex dynamics between the characters and setting in motion the tragic chain of events that follow.
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She cries uncontrollably
On the night before her wedding to Tom Buchanan, Daisy receives a letter from Gatsby. The contents of the letter are unknown, but it causes her to become extremely upset. She gets roaring drunk and cries uncontrollably. She throws her expensive pearls, a gift from Tom, into the trash. She is so despondent that her wedding almost gets called off. She has to be put in a bath to sober her up, and then forced into her wedding dress.
Daisy's reaction to the letter is a result of her lingering feelings for Gatsby. She is unhappy in her marriage to Tom, and her unsettlement bursts out the night before her wedding. She is so upset that she refuses to let go of Gatsby's letter, even when she gets into the tub. It is only when the letter starts to break into pieces that she allows Jordan to place it in a soap bowl.
Daisy's behaviour on the night before her wedding reveals her inner turmoil and conflict. She is torn between her feelings for Gatsby and her desire for the wealthy, extravagant lifestyle that Tom can provide. Her reaction to the letter also shows how easily she is swayed by material possessions. Despite her unhappiness, she ultimately chooses to marry Tom.
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She tries to return her pearls to Tom
The night before her wedding to Tom Buchanan, Daisy receives a letter from Jay Gatsby. The letter causes her to get roaring drunk, and she throws her expensive pearls, a gift from Tom, into the trash. She also tries to call off the wedding. Jordan Baker and Daisy's mother's maid put her into a cold bath, and she takes the letter with her. Only when it starts to break into pieces does she let Jordan put it in a soap bowl. Jordan and the maid then redress Daisy, using spirits of ammonia and ice on her forehead to revive her.
Thirty minutes later, the pearls are back around her neck, and the incident is over. The next morning, Daisy seems fine, and she goes on to marry Tom.
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She almost calls off the wedding
The night before her wedding to Tom Buchanan, Daisy receives a letter from Jay Gatsby, with whom she had a passionate affair prior to his deployment in the military. The contents of the letter are unknown, but it causes Daisy to get roaring drunk and creates enough uncertainty and inner conflict that she almost calls off the wedding. She sobs uncontrollably and tries to give back the expensive pearls that Tom had given her as a gift, telling her friend Jordan Baker to "take 'em downstairs and give 'em back to whoever they belong to. Tell 'em all Daisy's changed her mind." Jordan assumes the letter is from Gatsby, given his history with Daisy, and the fact that he had asked her to arrange a reunion with Daisy.
Daisy's reaction to the letter suggests that she still has immense feelings for Gatsby and that she is not enthusiastic about marrying Tom. She is so despondent that Jordan has to throw her in a bath to sober her up and force her into her wedding dress. However, the next morning, she goes through with the wedding.
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Frequently asked questions
Daisy got drunk and tried to call off the wedding. She had to be forced into a bath to sober her up and then into her wedding dress.
Daisy received a mysterious letter, assumed to be from Gatsby, that made her act this way.
We don't know what was in the letter, but we know that Daisy and Gatsby were in love before he left for the war, and that she married Tom while he was away.
The letter made Daisy more willing to throw herself into an affair with Gatsby, and it made Jordan more willing to help them meet.