Question

Which ending to you predict is most likely to come true?


Daisy leaves Tom for Gatsby.


Daisy stays with Tom.


Tom leaves Daisy for Myrtle.


Nobody survives.

Answer 1

Most likely: Daisy stays with Tom.

Why:
- Textual/canonical evidence: Fitzgerald’s narrator explicitly shows Daisy and Tom retreating into their wealth after Gatsby’s death — “they were careless people… and left no addresses.” The novel ends with Gatsby dead and Daisy remaining part of the established social order.
- Character motivations: Daisy values security, social position, and comfort; she’s indecisive and self-preserving. Gatsby’s dream depends on an idealized past that Daisy isn’t able (or willing) to embody.
- Thematic logic: The book’s critique of class and the American Dream points toward the restoration of the status quo rather than a romantic, risky overturning of social barriers.
- Likelihood estimates (rough, intuitive): Daisy stays with Tom ~70–80%; Daisy leaves for Gatsby ~10–15%; Tom leaves Daisy for Myrtle ~5–10%; Nobody survives ~<5%.

So both the novel’s plot and its themes point strongly to Daisy staying with Tom as the most probable outcome.