When her daughter is born, Daisy is initially unhappy. The text strongly suggests that Daisy had been hoping for a boy. Eventually, when she comes to terms with Pammy's birth, Daisy hopes that her daughter will grow up to be a "beautiful little fool."
Daisy's hopes for her daughter illustrate her views about femininity and motherhood. In the story, Daisy sees Pammy as a reflection of her; yet, beyond seeing that Pammy is well-dressed and coiffed, she has little interest in her daughter. When Nick asks her about Pammy, Daisy answers with little enthusiasm: "I suppose she talks, and—eats, and everything." To Daisy, Pammy is an afterthought, nothing more than the product of her suffocating and sterile relationship with Tom, her husband. Pammy is no more in Daisy's thoughts than Tom is.
The text strongly suggests that Daisy used her beauty to snag a wealthy husband. This is presumably the main reason that Daisy wants Pammy to grow up to be a "beautiful little fool." Daisy really believes that this is the only way her daughter will have a good life; she doesn't realize that an intelligent woman can be very attractive to a man. Daisy apparently believes that a woman can either be beautiful or intelligent, but not both.
Because she doesn't realize how her self-indulgence and superficiality affects men, Daisy fails to see her part in her own unhappiness. She makes Nick feel vaguely uncomfortable, and he thinks her an insincere character; however, Daisy is oblivious to the impression she creates. Unfortunately for Pammy, her legacy from Daisy will be a difficult one to overcome.
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