How is Daisy Buchanan from "The Great Gatsby" a controversial character?

Question

I have to gather a list of some controversial characters in English Literature. As a result, I came up with a small list. A few characters were suggested by my friends, but one I found a bit confusing.How is Daisy Buchanan from *The Great Gatsby* a controversial character? Can anyone help me by identifying some controversial aspects of the character?

Answer 1

It would help to look at whatever criteria your teacher gave you for controversiality so that you could focus your search. That said, I think most controversial stuff is controversial because people passionately disagree on whether it's (to paint with a super broad brush) good or bad.

So, is Daisy good or bad? Or put another way, can you see why people might disagree about that? Is she manipulated or manipulative? Victimized or callous? Kind or cruel? Strong or weak? Whatever your particular answers to those questions, look at what in the book makes you think so--is there another way to interpret those passages?

Maybe a good place to start is: how responsible is she for Jay's death?

Answer 2

Well, Gatsby absolutely worships her, but she's rather a jerk. She teases Gatsby, making him think she's interested in him and then changing her mind regularly, all while she's married to another man. She also gets drunk and kills someone while driving and doesn't own up to it.