#5 Body Paragraphs

For the first example, Jay Gatsby represents Penelope, who is the Goddess of faithfulness. Gatsby demonstrates this by being determined to stay faithful to Daisy while he is away at war. Gatsby is so devoted to Daisy that he did not try to meet any other women while he was away, even though Daisy was out dating dozens of other men. Also, even after Daisy says she loves her husband, Gatsby still waits outside of her house all night to make sure she is safe from him. Gatsby is still hopeful that Daisy will need him in the middle of the night, and although she never comes outside, he stays there until the next morning. Gatsby continually proves his love for Daisy through the actions that he takes in order to remain fully committed and faithful to her.


Second, Tom represents Achilles, who is, in essence, the God of war. This means that Tom likes to feel superior to everyone around him, and he does not like it when another person has any advantage over him. At one of his parties, Gatsby introduces Tom as a polo player, which is offensive towards Tom. Being a polo player during this time was considered "a blow" towards Tom because most of the men at Gatsby's parties did not have to work to acquire wealth, they inherited it from fellow family members. Next, Daisy disrespects Tom by having an affair with Gatsby. Daisy having an affair with Gatsby puts Tom in a position where he is not considered as important to her as Gatsby is. Furthermore, Daisy thinks that Gatsby is wealthier than Tom, which put Gatsby at a financial advantage over Tom. In addition, Myrtle Wilson makes Tom feel patronized when she talks back to him at their shared apartment. Tom is used to having an advantage over the women in his life and it caught him off-guard when Myrtle mocked him.

Finally, Daisy represents Venus, who is the Goddess of Love and Beauty. Daisy is a very beautiful woman, and she coerces Gatsby into falling in love with her. The text states that Daisy was going on many dates with many different men. This proves that Daisy was very appealing to men and she was considered a prized possession. In addition, Tom is also allured by Daisy's beauty and charm because he fights for her love even after he finds out she has been having an affair with Gatsby. In this period of time, most men would have gotten a divorce after finding out about their wives affair, but instead Tom fights even harder for Daisy until he has her back. These examples show how Daisy lures men into falling for her and how truly superficial she is.