This week we take another break from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and dive into the character of characters themselves. How does society affect character?
Let's focus on a great book, pun fully intended. The Great Gatsby. Daisy Buchanan was born into a wealthy family. She grew up wealthy, she married wealthy. However, she fell in love with Gatsby, a poor man. Gatsby was only pretending to be wealthy, and it may have been this deception that attracted Daisy in the first place. Nevertheless, Daisy was distraught upon finding out her love was penniless. To keep up with society's standards, she married Tom, one of the wealthiest men at that time.
Then things changed when suddenly Gatsby reappears an extremely rich man. Daisy is drawn towards her love and his money. However, Gatsby is "new money" and is actually quite risky. He deals in mysterious, backhand ways unlike Tom who is "old money", meaning that his money was fairly earned through many generations. When push comes to shove, Daisy chooses to remain with her original financial source. She basically condemns Gatsby the punishment for her crime and moves away, leaving everything behind. Everything except her money and social standing, things society deemed more important than true love and faith.
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