Daisy's Gold-hatted and High-bouncing Lover

         At the beginning of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald included the epigraph, “Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her; If you can bounce high, bounce for her too, Till she cry, ‘Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover, I must have you!” The inclusion of wordage such as “gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover” indicates that someone is using the concept of material deception to attract the attention of the girl they desire. The gold hat and high bouncing discussed represent the wealth and social status that Jay Gatsby presents himself to possess.

In Chapter four, Jay Gatsby told Nick he had been “educated at Oxford” but seemed to swallow his words. This led Nick to understand why Jordan believed he was lying. Later than afternoon, Jordan told Nick that when Daisy was eighteen, she had a lieutenant in her car and they were absolutely captivated by each other.  Jordan hadn’t realized until Daisy’s reaction to his name that Gatsby was the man in the car with her. Also, Jordan recalled “.. [Daisy’s] mother had found her packing her bag one winter night to go to New York and say good-by to a soldier who was going overseas.” This clearly shows how they had a past together before Gatsby left and Daisy married Tom. Miss Baker proceeded to explain to Nick that Gatsby intentionally purchased the grandiose and elegant mansion because “Daisy would be across the bay.”

When Nick arrived home later that night, Gatbsy’s mansion had all of its lights on. Jay hoped that his bright and scintillating house would tantalize Daisy from across the water. The following afternoon, Gatsby came over to Nick’s house in “a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-colored tie...” to impress Daisy. The silver and gold in Jay’s outfit exhibit sophistication and high-class as both colors originate from precious and valuable metals. Silver is thought to simulate a soul mirror by letting us view ourselves from another’s perspective. In this case, Gatsby is doing the complete opposite. He is trying to get Daisy to view him however he presents himself. When Daisy appeared, her encounter with Gatbsy was very awkward and uncomfortable. They had not seen each other in five years and their lives were very different from when they were first together. Eventually, the three of them traveled to Gatsby’s house and Daisy spent her time looking around. In chapter five, it reads, “He [Gatsby] hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes.” Gatsby wanted Daisy to fall in love with his house and therefore, fall back in love with him. 

In Chapter six, Gatbsy’s true background immerged from the secretive depths it’s been hiding within. Jay was originally James Gatz but changed his name as a symbol of a fresh start. Gatsby came from a poor farmer family and spent some of his time working as a clam-digger, a salmon-fisher, and a janitor. After he began working for Dan Cody, Jay went from torn jerseys to blue coats, and from canvas pants to white duck trousers. When Cody died, Gatsby was supposed to inherit his money. However, Ella Kaye inherited it instead. With very little money, Gatsby had to earn one way or another. He discussed in a previous chapter how he worked a side hustle to bring in some more cash. Later that night, Gatsby was upset because he believed Daisy didn’t have a fun time. Nick assured him that she did but Gatsby pursued the idea that she wouldn’t understand. Before going inside, Jay told Nick, “‘I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before...She’ll see.’” He was determined to make Daisy fall for him again. 

Gatsby’s plan is to convince Daisy that he can treat her better than Tom does and that their past relationship is worth reviving. He knows that she has been living in high class for her entire life and the only way to properly attract her is what she’s always been accustomed to: money and attention.