Plaza hotel incident

• Topic sentence

  Gatby faces the first explicit signs of rejection during the uproar at the plaza hotel. This is a defining moment where gatsbys complex facade slips away, and we see him trying to control the situation in any way he can.
• Context

  In an effort to agitate Tom Buchanan and steer the odds in his own favour, Gatsby takes matters into his own hands and makes numerous bold proclamations.
• Quote

  Gatsby exclaims " Your wife doesn't love you ... she never loved you. She loves me"
• Analysis 1

  This connotes that Gatsby truly believes that Tom was merely a place holder until gatsby was able to come up with enough money and status for Daisy to be with him again.
• Analysis 2

  The lovesick protagonist is unable to accept that Daisy moved on in the time they were apart, and ultimately, he can't come to terms with the fact that Daisy ever loved another man.
• Evaluation


  In the high pressure moment, we see him explicitly trying to gaslight Daisy into denying that she ever loved Tom by saying to her "you never loved him" to which she reluctantly replies "I never loved him". Daisy follows whatever the men in the room guide her to say, which highlights the sheer lack of independence and self sufficiency women had in this era.
• Link to wider text

  Furthermore, Daisy continuously turns a blind eye to the fact her hypocritical husband is having an affair, effectively maintaining the role of being a "beautiful little fool". Both Daisy and Gatsby would rather ignore the issues un their relationship than face rejection from a person in power.