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How Does Fitzgerald Present The Women In The Great Gatsby

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Women Achieving the Dream In his 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, chronicles a story of complicated relationships between a group of men and women as they go about their lives in New York during the “roaring 20s”. Narrated by character Nick Carraway, the story exposes and upholds gender based stereotypes as the characters attempt to achieve their American dream. Daisy, Nick’s cousin, is married to Tom Buchanan, but quickly learns that Gatsby, a past lover, has returned from war and now lives close to her. As Daisy and Gatsby strengthen their relationship, Tom continues his affair with a woman named Myrtle Wilson. In addition, Nick and Daisy’s friend, Jordan Baker, strike up a relationship. In the novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald not only exposes sexist values of the time, but continually endorses them, through portraying the women as young and foolish and presenting them as unable to achieve the American dream without the help of a man or through dishonesty. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald presents the reader with shallow and unlikable female characters; one of which is Daisy Buchanan. When we first meet Daisy, Nick tells us that “her face was sad and lovely” and that “there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget” (9). Nick is describing to us the manner in which Daisy goes about life. She is cheerful and naive, and yet, a part of her is always unhappy. Fitzgerald portrays her as a young girl having fun in a

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