The Beautiful Little Fool: Pammy Buchanan and "The Great Gatsby" Caroline Skinner 11th Grade

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a 1920s novel about the romantic and tragic society of Long Island’s elite, set in an era when the morals are loosening as fast as the womens’ skirts are tightening. Tom and Daisy Buchanan are a couple plagued by desire for people they can’t have, causing both of them to stray outside of their marriage. Their daughter, Pammy Buchanan, is the victim of her parents’ reckless affairs and self-involved tendencies. In a society where wealth and status trump their immoral actions, Pammy is most detrimentally affected by her parents’ careless infidelity. Throughout the novel, both of the Buchanans turn a blind eye to each other’s affairs, not willing to jeopardize their pristine reputation or the social status the marriage gives them. However, no matter how deceitful their facade may appear to the outside world, Pammy is perpetually involved in this dysfunctional family.

Daisy projects her insecurities and values onto the young Pammy. Daisy is a careless individual, and many of her decisions are based on materialistic values rather than integrity. Daisy’s carelessness causes the death of Myrtle Wilson, and indirectly contributes to Gatsby’s murder. In addition to this, Daisy’s life is built...