My thesis on why Zoaisy is a literary MASTERPIECE
Daisy is usually shown through the lens of Jakeâidolised, glorified, and sanctified. Sheâs an âangelâ, something pure and unsullied by the dirt of a dog-eat-dog world. Always good, always kind, always perfect.
Itâs only when she talks to Sean that we can see her through a less skewered lens, but still a lens, one of a good persons. When Daisy talks to Sean, she sheds the false skin of perfection. She opens up about feelings that are âselfishâ not âgoodâ, but at her core she still has to be good, and is.
Daisy has to constantly present herself as somebody perfect and, again, good. Maybe to the point that everybody expects it from her subconsciously. Which is also interesting when you think of it in relation to the patriarchy; Daisy is a young woman who is, at the bulk of it, dehumanised and objectified into something to worship (at least by Jake).
ANYWAYS. All this is to say, she is repressed. Daisy is drowning in extra-curriculars, schoolwork, responsibilities and expectations. She is repressed, but she desires freedomâone which unfortunately, feels unattainable.
Now cue Zoey: Sheâs all the things Daisy isnâtâall the things she canât afford to be. Sheâs brazen, mean, outspoken, bratty; Zoey doesnât accommodate others, she makes them accommodate her.
Sheâs your typical high school bully-slash-popular-girl. She goes shopping all the time with her friends, sheâs outwardly self-obsessed. She gives off the air of someone whoâs lived as if the world revolves around herâand I think itâs something she got attached to. Zoey needs things to revolve around her. Attention, popularity, unwavering loyalty.
Fundamentally, they operate completely differently. It seems unlikely that theyâd even interact with each otherâtheyâre on totally different sides of the spectrum. But I think it would actually make sense if they did. Why.???
Because Zoey represents the teenage life Daisy has always been missing. Sheâs brazen, and mean, and outspoken, where Daisy is kind and diplomatic. Zoey doesnât give a fuck about accommodating others. Daisyâs whole life has been spent doing just that.
We know for a fact though, that she craves freedom, and we have also seen her perform an act of rebellion (aka letting Jake use the speakers). Even if it seems trivial, it symbolises the beginnings of a change within Daisyâone where she puts her personal values and wants before expectation and duty.
Zoey is not a good person. She does not try to be a good person. Sheâs, to put it frankly, a little shit, and it seems like she could not care less. Of all the things she expects from people around her, none of them relate to being good. Were they to interact, while Zoey likely assumes Daisy is a goody-two-shoes, she doesnât care if Daisy isnât.
Iâve talked a bit about why Daisy would befriend Zoey, but what about Zoey? Why would she acquaint herself with somebody like Daisy? I think this is a muuuuch harder question, purely because we know so little about Zoey. But what I do know is: her favourite colour is white.
The obvious: Daisyâs hair is white. Thatâs like, FATE. But I also want to look at it more symbolically. White represents innocence, purity and goodness in western culture. Zoey is neither innocent, pure or good. You could say those descriptors are anotonyms to her character, and yet white is her favourite colour! The way I look at it, is deep down, Zoey feels a draw (and perhaps a desiređŤ˘) for innocence, something sheâs already lost.
(I donât think anyone reading this would know what Thousand Autumns is, but if you do, think of her as VAGUELY reminiscent of Yan Wushiâs personality).
Daisy has innocence, âpurityâ, goodness, and I think that would at least instil a curiosity in Zoey. How the curiosity manifests depends on Zoeys relationship with innocence/purity. Personally, I think she both seeks it in herself, and wants to see how long it lasts in Daisy. Maybe she likes the idea of purity as in idealised concept in her head, but thinks itâs impossible in reality. Why is Daisy so nice? Can I make her cruel? How come people treat her as some perfect angel? Is it real, or an act?
And the answer is the latter. Duh. Something zoey probably knows, because like I said, I donât think she believes anyone can actually be some pure angel. I bet whenever she heard Jake droning about how wonderful Daisy was, she called bullshit. An annoying goody-two-shoes bitch though? Sure. It might seem silly to look so deep into a colour, and I likely wouldnât if it was, idk, blue, but white in particular has very strong connotations. Itâs the colour of peopleâs wedding dresses for a reason, LOL.
So contrary to common belief, I DO think there is a reason for them to interact. And the reasons lay in their most intimate and personal beliefs/desires. I may perchance make a part two so I can talk about what their relationship would be like, buuuut it would be very theoretical SO ILL SEE
