When Gatsby declares that Daisy "never loved" Tom and asks Daisy to tell Tom this, Daisy answers indirectly and then later says "I never loved him," but with "perceptible reluctance." Why does Daisy answer indirectly and then state this reluctantly? Why does Gatsby need her to say this? Explain.

Daisy at first answered indirectly and then admitted with reluctance which shows her indecisive nature and the dilemma she was put in between Jay and Tom. Also, she had loved both men and didn't seem to want to lose either one.

Jay Gatsby's need to hear the words from Daisy's mouth shows his need of validation and support from the very person he was referring to, who was 'supposedly' with him.

Explanation:

In Chapter 7 of the text "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald shows the scene where Tom, Daisy, Jay, Nick and Jordan were in the room above the ballroom. This scene reveals the conflict between the couple, Jay's wants f reassurance and Daisy's confusing nature.

When Jay asked Daisy to tell her husband Tom that she never really loved him, she indirectly said it, "Why,—how could I love him—possibly?" and then with "perceptible reluctance" said "I never loved him". This reluctance on daisy's part shows the inconclusive nature of her choice, her inability to make up her mind and her indecisiveness in what she wants.

On the other hand, Gatsby kept on stating the fact that she doesn't love Tom and telling her to say it out loud shows his need of assurance and validation from Daisy. Even he seemed to know of Daisy's dilemma in choosing her side, and also it shows his need to be wanted and loved by the very girl who had left him.

aachen aachen · Answer 2 · 2021-12-10T18:49:19+01:00

Answer:

Daisy's reluctance to unambiguously declare that she never loved Tom is indicative of her fickle and shallow nature. She has her own vested interests in keeping liaisons with both men.

Gatsby is desperate for Daisy to verbalize those words to finally obtain the validation he has been seeking all his life from the person he values the most.

Explanation:

Daisy is quite a selfish person. Even though she has been aware of Tom's affairs, she is willing to put up with them as long as he can assure her the financial security
By being ambiguous about her feelings and devotion, she is again choosing security over love.
Moreover, while she is pleased to get Gatsby's affection and attention like before, she has considerations other than love in her mind and even her efforts at seducing Gatsby are intended to get back at Tom.
So, Daisy's reluctance to make the admission without equivocation means she does not want to leave Tom for Gatsby because of her own selfish reasons.

The point in The Great Gatsby where Tom and Gatsby are having an altercation over Daisy only shows how Gatsby is stuck in a fantasy world and finds it difficult to look beyond the ideal version of Daisy that he has created in his mind.
He is fatally idealistic and wants Daisy to profess her absolute devotion for him so as to give life to the idea of Daisy that he has nursed and preserved throughout his life.
So, Gatsby wants her to say this in order to validate his blind pursuit of the only thing that has mattered in his life.

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