Daisy, also dissatisfied with her husband's emotional absence, meets Jay (again), now a rich bachelor with a sweet ride. Both women are faced with a loveless marriage, meet a man who might make it all better, but decide against pursuance.
Louisa is emotionally stunted by the ascetic upbringing of Facts of her upper class, while Daisy is emotionally stunted by the social norms and rampant alcoholism of hers. Both have husbands—also emotionally stunted—who are dedicated to their jobs and put their wives low on their list of priorities. Both shut down in times of emotional distress; Daisy cannot deal with Jay and Tom fighting over her, and Louisa cannot deal with James's advances. Both married for social mobility rather than affection, and when given a relationship that might actually have merit, they have no idea what to do. Both end up staying with what they're used to rather than going after love: Louisa to her father and Daisy with her husband.
Likewise, James and Jay both have delusions of love but are actually drawn to these women for other reasons. James has always been charismatic, able to walk circles around any social situation. When he meets Louisa, so emotionally stunted as to be immune to his charisma, she becomes a challenge for him to conquer. Jay, on the other hand, was rejected by Daisy because of his social class. Thus, she becomes a challenge for him to become a rich man. James and Jay are attracted to the idea of these women, but not to the women themselves. They are in pursuit not of love but of an affirmation for themselves; Louisa and Daisy are merely placeholders.
Paul Salamanca
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