Parallel love relationships

Daisy/Jordan

Gatsby and Daisy can be said to parallel Nick and Jordan, a comparison which is highlighted in Chapter 7 as Daisy, having kissed Gatsby, says to Jordan, ‘You kiss Nick too.’ Where Gatsby and Daisy are presented as fulfilling an idealistic past dream, Nick and Jordan are more realistic, more pragmatic and less ‘in love’. Also, Nick and Jordan almost parallel each other, as each acts to facilitate the relationship of Gatsby and Daisy and each is, to some extent, an outsider or an observer.

Daisy/Tom

Tom and Daisy are both having affairs, creating two pairs of relationships alongside their own, which invites comparison between that of Gatsby and Daisy and that of Tom and Myrtle. Tom and Myrtle are more overtly physical and materialistic, while Daisy and Gatsby appear to be more romantic. There are further parallels, then, between Catherine, Myrtle’s sister, and Jordan, as each is an independent female closely connected with an unhappily married female. More similarities can be seen between Gatsby and Myrtle as each is ambitious to gain wealth and power, crossing class boundaries in so doing. Gatsby appears to be more successful in this than Myrtle, but they both die as a result of their relationships with Daisy and Tom respectively.

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