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【Abstract】Daisy Fay in the Great Gatsby， designed by the author intentionally， is such a wonderful name and full of symbolic meaning. The features of the name are not only considered to reflect the essence and personality of Daisy Fay， but also deepen the theme of the novel.
【Key Words】the Great Gatsby； Daisy Fay； the symbolic meaning
1.Introduction
In the history of American literature， which female character is as controversial as Daisy Fay？ She is a beautiful fairy， the most desirable debutante， attracting men to her fame； but she is also the dangerous Siren， the deceiving enchantress， drawing men to the ruin. She is the grail to Gatsby who is infatuated with her； but she is also the destroyer who corrupts Gatsby’s American dream. Daisy Fay is such a wonderful name， full of symbolic meaning， and designed by the author intentionally. The name not only conveys the deep meaning of the novel， but also reveals Daisy’s multi-dimensional personality and her relation to the main conflicts.
2.The symbolism of the name Daisy Fay
2.1Daisy is the name of a flower.Daisy is a kind of flower with the bright yellow center and radiating white petals. As her name is， so is she. Indeed， there is much symbolism in the name of the object of Gatsby’s romantic illusions. When Daisy is first presented in the novel， she is dressed all in white， lives in a white palace and drives white car which persists in the memory of Jay Gatsby. In Gatsby’s mind， therefore， Daisy， the girl-flower of purity and innocence， is the ideal， the “grail” that he seeks. There are episodes of her “white girlhood” in the book. Daisy Buchanan Daisy Fay is originally from a good family in Louisville， Kentucky. At eighteen years old she was “by far the most popular of all the young girls in Louisville”. At that time， Daisy’s main colour is white as the pedals of the flower. This “nice girl” who is beautiful and rich， is the incarnation of all of Gatsby’s elaborate fantasies and the symbol of his American dream. To win his dream girl， Gatsby gains his fortune through the drugs trade and crime and wants to realize his dream through money. But at the end of the story， Daisy corrupts Gatsby’s dream and cause the death of Gatsby. Therefore， Daisy is not as innocent and pure as her appearance， but is the cold and unfeeling woman without true love in heart. The ideal Daisy like the white pedals of the flower just comes from the imagination of Gatsby who spends five years to make up his illusion， but not the real Daisy who tumbled short of his dreams. Daisy’s name is also that of a flower with a yellow centre. Ironically， this colour yellow shows the true nature of Daisy who is later described by Gatsby as the “golden girl” when he hears her voice that Nick describes as sounding “full of money”. There are some other symbolic meanings contain in the name of Daisy. The word“daisy”is Old English for“day’s eye” - the sun， because the daisy closes its petals in the evening， and the first one opens at dawn to greet the day. Daisy blooms in summer， and the Westerners think it must be far away from the thunder， only can be put in the home place. These features of the flower also reflect the characteristics of the love between Daisy and Gatsby. Daisy’s love is like this kind of flower. The material and money， fame and status are the source of nourishment of love， without which her love will dry up. The period when she and Gatsby are madly in love， is in the summer when the flower daisy is in full bloom. Daisy’s love can only share the happiness with wealth， but can’t withstand the attack of thunder or lightning， eventually leading to abandon Gatsby after the hit-and-run accident. Daisy then returns to her husband Tom’s side like the domestic flower daisy， and even doesn’t send a message or flower to the funeral of Gatsby， the man who is willing to die for her.
In order to show the symbolic significance of the flower daisy， there are many words directly comparing Daisy to the image of flower in the novel. Daisy is as lovely as the June night in her flowered dress. In a conversation with Nick， Daisy surprises him by opening up again in a flower-like way. When Gatsby firstly kisses her， Daisy blossomed for him like a flower at his lips’ touch. The writer intentionally gives the flower image to the heroine Daisy. Like the flower itself， Daisy hides her corrupted soul with vestments of a frivolous flower which symbolizes beauty， purity， and the language of love. In a conclusion， Fitzgerald concentrates the complex character to the flower daisy and deepens the theme of the novel， through the inventive arrangement of the heroine’s name.
2.2The meaning of maiden name Fay.Fay is the maiden name of Daisy， which the author chooses on purpose. Fay is derived from Middle English faie meaning “fairy”. The word is， however， rarely used， although it is well known as part of the name of the legendary sorceress Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century. Fitzgerald intentionally describes Daisy as a fairy or sprite according to the myth and legend， to be specific， like the image of Siren. In Greek mythology， the Sirens were dangerous yet beautiful creatures， portrayed as femme fatales who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. There are many similarities share between Siren and Daisy. Daisy is kind of a modern Siren. Firstly， Daisy has a beautiful voice. In the novel， through Nick observation the author spends a lot of ink to depict Daisy’s voice from a spectator’s point of view. “It was the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again.” Daisy’s voice， which is low and thrilling， glowing and singing， brings our mind to Siren. The voice is the irresistibly seductive to Gatsby and a wild tonic in their romance. Gatsby is so enchanted by Daisy’s voice that he can’t help follow the sound of exhilarating ripple of her voice for a moment， up and down， with his ear alone before any words came through. Secondly， it is Daisy who leads to the death of Gatsby， as Siren seduces the sailors to drown themselves. When Gatsby stretches his arms out across the water to the green light which is the symbol of Daisy， the readers can’t help think about the island-dwelling Siren. To Gatsby， Daisy’s enchanting voice tells of wealth， social status， family， true happiness and of course Daisy’s love---everything that Gatsby wants. There’s a “singing compulsion，” an “arrangement of notes” in Daisy’s voice which is full of promises， hints that wonderful things are on the horizon and makes Gatsby wild and like a moth to pursuit his imaginary Daisy. At the end of the story， the death of Gatsby with the laden mattress moving irregularly in the swimming pool， that symbolizes the drowning sailor seduced by Siren， is in the reduction of creation of Daisy’s Siren-like image. Daisy is performing her maiden name Fay. In addition to the meaning “fairy”， Fay in some cases may be used as a short form of “faith”. This kind of meaning is very ironic in the novel， because Daisy has no faith. That Daisy would betray Gatsby is suggested by her maiden name， Fay. On one hand， Daisy doesn’t believe in true love and the only thing that matters to Daisy is the material. That’s why her emotions swing between Gatsby and her husband Tom. On the other hand， Daisy has no ethical standards， and she is not even a Christian according to author’s writing. Daisy and Gatsby develop an extramarital affair， not because of love， but because of her loneliness， emptiness， and her husband’s infidelity. When she runs into the mistress of her husband and causes her death， Daisy betrays Gatsby， conspires maliciously with her husband and imputes the accident to Gatsby. The author use irony in Daisy’s maiden name to describe the existence of infidelity， betrayal and the moral decay in her character. Furthermore， Fay not only indicates that the fatal and tragic turn of events for Gatsby， but also predicts the corruption and disillusion of American dream of the young generation at the twenties in America.
3.Conclusion
The name of Daisy Fay given by the Fitzgerald intentionally plays a symbolic role in the novel and indicates the character and the character’s destiny. Daisy Fay appears to be sweet， innocent， and intelligent. Ironically， while underneath her “white dress” lays a corrupted inner self whose colour is yellow as the flower’s center. Her interior of gold symbolizes her corruption by the money， while her maiden name suggests that she is as evil and cruel as Siren. Daisy Fay and her voice are so seductive that Gatsby is willing to be made a scapegoat and die for her. Fay also heralds Daisy’s betrayal to Gatsby’s love and foreshadows the disaster that Gatsby’s entire dream becomes in the end of story. In a word， Daisy Fay fades from Gatsby， corrupted and wilted like a flower daisy.
References：
[1]F. Scott Fitzgerald， The Great Gatsby [M].北京：中国对外翻译出版公司，1993.
[2]Houston， Neal B.， and Lotie R. Crim.“The Catalogue of Names in The Great Gatsby.”Journal of Liberal Arts 21.1 （1996）： 77-92.
[3]高玉华， 李慎廉，等.英语姓名词典[M].北京：外语教学与研究出版社，2002.
[4]Stanley Cooperman.王晓梅译.F. Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby[M].北京：外语教学与研究出版社，1996.
[5]苗永敏.不仅仅是符号——论《了不起的盖茨比》中的命名艺术[J].译林，2005（1）：208-211.
作者简介：刘欢（1980-），女，河北人，公安海警学院语言教研讲师，硕士，主要从事英语语言文学研究。
【Key Words】the Great Gatsby； Daisy Fay； the symbolic meaning
1.Introduction
In the history of American literature， which female character is as controversial as Daisy Fay？ She is a beautiful fairy， the most desirable debutante， attracting men to her fame； but she is also the dangerous Siren， the deceiving enchantress， drawing men to the ruin. She is the grail to Gatsby who is infatuated with her； but she is also the destroyer who corrupts Gatsby’s American dream. Daisy Fay is such a wonderful name， full of symbolic meaning， and designed by the author intentionally. The name not only conveys the deep meaning of the novel， but also reveals Daisy’s multi-dimensional personality and her relation to the main conflicts.
2.The symbolism of the name Daisy Fay
2.1Daisy is the name of a flower.Daisy is a kind of flower with the bright yellow center and radiating white petals. As her name is， so is she. Indeed， there is much symbolism in the name of the object of Gatsby’s romantic illusions. When Daisy is first presented in the novel， she is dressed all in white， lives in a white palace and drives white car which persists in the memory of Jay Gatsby. In Gatsby’s mind， therefore， Daisy， the girl-flower of purity and innocence， is the ideal， the “grail” that he seeks. There are episodes of her “white girlhood” in the book. Daisy Buchanan Daisy Fay is originally from a good family in Louisville， Kentucky. At eighteen years old she was “by far the most popular of all the young girls in Louisville”. At that time， Daisy’s main colour is white as the pedals of the flower. This “nice girl” who is beautiful and rich， is the incarnation of all of Gatsby’s elaborate fantasies and the symbol of his American dream. To win his dream girl， Gatsby gains his fortune through the drugs trade and crime and wants to realize his dream through money. But at the end of the story， Daisy corrupts Gatsby’s dream and cause the death of Gatsby. Therefore， Daisy is not as innocent and pure as her appearance， but is the cold and unfeeling woman without true love in heart. The ideal Daisy like the white pedals of the flower just comes from the imagination of Gatsby who spends five years to make up his illusion， but not the real Daisy who tumbled short of his dreams. Daisy’s name is also that of a flower with a yellow centre. Ironically， this colour yellow shows the true nature of Daisy who is later described by Gatsby as the “golden girl” when he hears her voice that Nick describes as sounding “full of money”. There are some other symbolic meanings contain in the name of Daisy. The word“daisy”is Old English for“day’s eye” - the sun， because the daisy closes its petals in the evening， and the first one opens at dawn to greet the day. Daisy blooms in summer， and the Westerners think it must be far away from the thunder， only can be put in the home place. These features of the flower also reflect the characteristics of the love between Daisy and Gatsby. Daisy’s love is like this kind of flower. The material and money， fame and status are the source of nourishment of love， without which her love will dry up. The period when she and Gatsby are madly in love， is in the summer when the flower daisy is in full bloom. Daisy’s love can only share the happiness with wealth， but can’t withstand the attack of thunder or lightning， eventually leading to abandon Gatsby after the hit-and-run accident. Daisy then returns to her husband Tom’s side like the domestic flower daisy， and even doesn’t send a message or flower to the funeral of Gatsby， the man who is willing to die for her.
In order to show the symbolic significance of the flower daisy， there are many words directly comparing Daisy to the image of flower in the novel. Daisy is as lovely as the June night in her flowered dress. In a conversation with Nick， Daisy surprises him by opening up again in a flower-like way. When Gatsby firstly kisses her， Daisy blossomed for him like a flower at his lips’ touch. The writer intentionally gives the flower image to the heroine Daisy. Like the flower itself， Daisy hides her corrupted soul with vestments of a frivolous flower which symbolizes beauty， purity， and the language of love. In a conclusion， Fitzgerald concentrates the complex character to the flower daisy and deepens the theme of the novel， through the inventive arrangement of the heroine’s name.
2.2The meaning of maiden name Fay.Fay is the maiden name of Daisy， which the author chooses on purpose. Fay is derived from Middle English faie meaning “fairy”. The word is， however， rarely used， although it is well known as part of the name of the legendary sorceress Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century. Fitzgerald intentionally describes Daisy as a fairy or sprite according to the myth and legend， to be specific， like the image of Siren. In Greek mythology， the Sirens were dangerous yet beautiful creatures， portrayed as femme fatales who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. There are many similarities share between Siren and Daisy. Daisy is kind of a modern Siren. Firstly， Daisy has a beautiful voice. In the novel， through Nick observation the author spends a lot of ink to depict Daisy’s voice from a spectator’s point of view. “It was the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again.” Daisy’s voice， which is low and thrilling， glowing and singing， brings our mind to Siren. The voice is the irresistibly seductive to Gatsby and a wild tonic in their romance. Gatsby is so enchanted by Daisy’s voice that he can’t help follow the sound of exhilarating ripple of her voice for a moment， up and down， with his ear alone before any words came through. Secondly， it is Daisy who leads to the death of Gatsby， as Siren seduces the sailors to drown themselves. When Gatsby stretches his arms out across the water to the green light which is the symbol of Daisy， the readers can’t help think about the island-dwelling Siren. To Gatsby， Daisy’s enchanting voice tells of wealth， social status， family， true happiness and of course Daisy’s love---everything that Gatsby wants. There’s a “singing compulsion，” an “arrangement of notes” in Daisy’s voice which is full of promises， hints that wonderful things are on the horizon and makes Gatsby wild and like a moth to pursuit his imaginary Daisy. At the end of the story， the death of Gatsby with the laden mattress moving irregularly in the swimming pool， that symbolizes the drowning sailor seduced by Siren， is in the reduction of creation of Daisy’s Siren-like image. Daisy is performing her maiden name Fay. In addition to the meaning “fairy”， Fay in some cases may be used as a short form of “faith”. This kind of meaning is very ironic in the novel， because Daisy has no faith. That Daisy would betray Gatsby is suggested by her maiden name， Fay. On one hand， Daisy doesn’t believe in true love and the only thing that matters to Daisy is the material. That’s why her emotions swing between Gatsby and her husband Tom. On the other hand， Daisy has no ethical standards， and she is not even a Christian according to author’s writing. Daisy and Gatsby develop an extramarital affair， not because of love， but because of her loneliness， emptiness， and her husband’s infidelity. When she runs into the mistress of her husband and causes her death， Daisy betrays Gatsby， conspires maliciously with her husband and imputes the accident to Gatsby. The author use irony in Daisy’s maiden name to describe the existence of infidelity， betrayal and the moral decay in her character. Furthermore， Fay not only indicates that the fatal and tragic turn of events for Gatsby， but also predicts the corruption and disillusion of American dream of the young generation at the twenties in America.
3.Conclusion
The name of Daisy Fay given by the Fitzgerald intentionally plays a symbolic role in the novel and indicates the character and the character’s destiny. Daisy Fay appears to be sweet， innocent， and intelligent. Ironically， while underneath her “white dress” lays a corrupted inner self whose colour is yellow as the flower’s center. Her interior of gold symbolizes her corruption by the money， while her maiden name suggests that she is as evil and cruel as Siren. Daisy Fay and her voice are so seductive that Gatsby is willing to be made a scapegoat and die for her. Fay also heralds Daisy’s betrayal to Gatsby’s love and foreshadows the disaster that Gatsby’s entire dream becomes in the end of story. In a word， Daisy Fay fades from Gatsby， corrupted and wilted like a flower daisy.
References：
[1]F. Scott Fitzgerald， The Great Gatsby [M].北京：中国对外翻译出版公司，1993.
[2]Houston， Neal B.， and Lotie R. Crim.“The Catalogue of Names in The Great Gatsby.”Journal of Liberal Arts 21.1 （1996）： 77-92.
[3]高玉华， 李慎廉，等.英语姓名词典[M].北京：外语教学与研究出版社，2002.
[4]Stanley Cooperman.王晓梅译.F. Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby[M].北京：外语教学与研究出版社，1996.
[5]苗永敏.不仅仅是符号——论《了不起的盖茨比》中的命名艺术[J].译林，2005（1）：208-211.
作者简介：刘欢（1980-），女，河北人，公安海警学院语言教研讲师，硕士，主要从事英语语言文学研究。