The Great Gatsby: The Role and Depiction of Women
Individuals of the feminine gender play a critical role not only in literary stories but also in the society. The Great Gatsby is an interesting yet educative piece whose depiction of women is unique. This tragic love story, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, is a social commentary on the American way of life. However, many critics have in the recent past ridiculed the manner in which the issue of gender was tackled in this story claiming that it is a male-dominated literary piece. This paper discusses the role played by female characters in this story with a major focus of Jordan, Daisy, and Myrtle while exploring what these characters represent. This analysis also entails a discussion of
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The men have control over the females and can either possess or disregard them. This novel’s main character of the feminine gender is Daisy Buchanan. This individual has solid and romantic relations with Gatsby and Tom. Myrtle Wilson is a controversial woman character in the book whom the author depicts as an unfaithful. Myrtle is married to a hardworking man whose efforts may be applauded by the audience of this novel. The author also mentions Jordan Baker, a lady who indulges into a romantic relationship with Nick. All these three women were versions of the “new woman” whose character was questioned by the conservatives.
The novel ‘Great Gatsby’ depicted the women as independent beings who had their choices and would conduct the activities that they felt like. These women changed the mannerisms in which they did their daily activities and their lifestyles. For example, the dressings and haircuts that women had adopted were unique. The attitude of these ‘new women’ towards their families also changed, for example, Myrtle is depicted as unfaithful and ungrateful (Fitzgerald). The conservatives viewed the priorities of this lady as off and her actions as
Women in the 20th century, while changing, were still unequal and below those of men. In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, he explores this and many other themes by telling the story of Jay Gatsby and his quest to rekindle past love with Daisy Buchanan, despite her being married with a child. Women throughout the novel are treated as lesser equals who contain no personal ideas or thoughts. Their purpose is to please the men in their lives. Throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows how women are less than men by being treated as possessions looking through the Feminist literary lens. This is shown through Daisy being a trophy and Myrtle as being mistreated.
Even though the 1920s is the era of women’s rights, women are still treated poorly. Even woman in the middle class are looked at with expectations. In the article it stated, “she concludes that although there were changes in women’s lives, their achievements were, limited, with ‘progress in some spheres… matched by disappointment and defeat in others’” (Hannam 64). This relates to Myrtles situation because even though she is not in the eyes of society she is expected to obey her husband and do as she is told. Myrtle does not always do as she is told around her husband, George Wilson. She is not the perfect female with him. She actually acts a little more masculine and aggressive to show she is not weak, but around her lover, Tom Buchanan, she becomes a more weak and obedient female. That would be approved by society if they were actually married. She changes how she conforms to the expectations of society depending on who she is around. She really does not control her own life like Jordan, but she also is not forced by society to do something she does not want to do like
She has chosen to throw away her whole marriage for a glamorous wealthy life in East Egg. This can be seen when she first talks about the time she ever laid eyes on Tom. She remembers vividly what he was wearing. “It was on the two little seats facing each other that are always the last ones left on the train. I was going up to New York to see my sister and spend the night. He had on a dress suit and patent leather shoes and I couldn’t keep my eyes off him…” (Fitzgerald ) This quote in the book represents the phrase, “Met her at a beauty salon, With a baby Louis Vuitton, Under her underarm, She said I can tell you rock, I can tell by your charm..” I chose this stanza of the song for a multitude of reasons. One being that it’s implying that this woman knows nothing about this man, but just by looking at him and what he is wearing she can supposedly tell that he is a good charming man. This is what Myrtle did to Tom. She saw the fancy suit and decided to commit adultery with a man because he was well dressed. Myrtle then and there decided to throw her marriage away for
The Great Gatsby, and it gives us an insight into the gender roles of past WW1 America. Throughout the novel, women are portrayed in a very negative light. The author’s presentation of women is unflattering and unsympathetic. The women are not described with depth. When given their description, Fitzgerald appeals to their voice, “ she had a voice full of money”, their looks “her face was lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes, and a bright passionate mouth”, and the way in which they behave, “ ’They’re such beautiful shirts’ she sobbed”, rather than their feelings or emotions, for example, Daisy is incapable of genuine affection, however she is aimlessly flirtatious.
The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, takes place in the summer of 1922 during a time when women were venturing out into unknown territory. Women were given the right to vote and were taking more leadership positions that men had previously dominated. However, this was also a time when women were still placed in a domestic role where men had the overriding decisions and looked down on women who showed strength in these new opportunities. After the war, Fitzgerald recognized that women had become an economic power, and he connects this with the changing status of an emancipated woman. In the process of writing, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald acknowledged, however, that the women characters in his novel were subordinate. Fitzgerald uses three major female characters: Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Myrtle Wilson to portray the new social and sexual freedoms appreciated by women (Strba 41).
Throughout history, authors would often write their novels to reflect the world they live in, using their characters and settings to embody their reality, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is no exception. As an author living in the ‘Roaring Twenties’, he lived in a society that was changing quickly, particularly in the aspect of social roles. This characteristic can be found represented in the secondary character of Jordan Baker, as she represents a new emerging woman, and F. Scott Fitzgerald uses this characterization to reflect the changing ways of life in America. It is clear to see that Jordan Baker is significantly different from the other female characters within The Great Gatsby. She stands out compared to her equal, Daisy
Myrtles characterization is more engineered towards her physical appearance and demeanor. She can be quickly identified as fake, unsightly and corrupt by a majority of characters. Her death represents the end of all the female aspects of her and this can be seen in the description of her corpse “Her left breast was swinging loose like a flap,and there was no need to listen for the heart beneath. The mouth was ripped at the corners, as though she she had choked a little giving up tremendous vitality he had stored up for so long.” (Fitzgerald 137). Her death signifies that the dignity of women suffers at the hands of men. Moreover, Fitzgerald uses this description of Myrtle’s death to bring to light what he believes how a woman should behave which is the complete opposite of the behavior of all the prominent female characters throughout the novel. likewise Fitzgerald also may be referring to his own wife, Zelda, when describing the actions of both Daisy, Myrtle, and
The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This novel features Jay Gatsby, George Wilson, Nick Carraway, Jordan Baker and Tom Buchanan along with many others to show the hopes, the struggles and the romance the characters went through each and every day. Due to the mixing of the two social classes: the rich and the poor, we learn about the causes and effects of what they face. In the book, two major characters that greatly influenced this story were Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson. Both of them had difficulties in the way they acted, felt, and where they belonged to. They also have some relatable characteristics that are alike
In the novel Daisy Buchanan is one example of the woman that was criticized in the novel by her actions,decisions and values that wasn’t traditional and
She finds these desires in her affair with Tom and “tries to transcend her working-class roots by mimicking [the upper class’s] nonchalant sophistication and superior manners.” However, Myrtle lacks the social understanding of an upper class women, and believes that simply dressing fancy will increase her stance in society. This is not the case and she ends up “doomed to a life of disillusionment.” Steinbrink, Jeffrey. "
The Great Gatsby has many different characters who all have very different traits and personalities. Myrtle’s character is very snobby, not too bright, and seems to get into abusive relationships, likely because of the attraction she has to dominant men. Myrtle is married to a man named George Wilson and is also Tom Buchanan’s mistress. She lives in a place called “Valley of Ashes” and belongs to the lower class, even though she acts as if she is better than them and is not one of them herself. Myrtle is also known as being a fool because of all the things she falls for and believes.
The Great Gatsby was written in 1925 to depict the American Dream. During this time, there was an ideal lifestyle for men and women. Ideally, women were meant to be housewives and men were meant to be the providers. Characters such as Daisy, Myrtle , and Jordan all represent different lifestyles and ways of obtaining the American dream. Daisy Buchanan, who uses her beauty to get what she wants. Myrtle Wilson is the mistress of Tom Buchanan, who is at rich man and she is poor ,but she was still able to use his money. Jordan Baker represents the “new woman” who does not live dependent upon a man and begins to dress in a different style.
Though the Great Gatsby is a male dominated book, there are a few women who have great influences. Daisy Buchannan is the main female character, having romantic relations with both Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Myrtle Wilson is a woman who is married to a hardworking man, but she remained unfaithful throughout the length of the novel. Lastly, Jordan Baker is probably the least mentioned woman but had an equally important role as the others. Fitzgerald used the development of the three women to further the plot and theme of the book and show the treatment and role of women in that society at that time.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, illustrates most women in his novels in a incredibly negative light. He portrays them as dependent upon men, selfish, and completely amoral. Jay Gatsby is in love with the wealthy Mrs. Daisy Buchannan and tries to win her love by proving that he is wealthy. However, no matter how wealthy he becomes, or how many gigantic parties he throws, he is still never good enough for Daisy. The story ends in tragedy as Gatsby is killed and dies utterly alone. Fitzgerald's characterization of Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan in The Great Gatsby demonstrates women who are objectified by men and treated as their trophies, while also
In cases of social injustice, there are the oppressors and there are the oppressed. Such is the case in the world of The Great Gatsby, where gender norms shape the dynamic of all romantic relationships.Fitzgerald’s novel reflects pervasive gender norms that are still in place today. One of these constructs is the role of women versus men in marriage. Husbands are supposed to be violent and commanding, and their wives are supposed to be quiet and happy. Male characters see opportunity in this construct -- they use it to their advantage or as a way to establish power and reputation. Characters like Gatsby and Tom want relationships with women that reflect their relationship with money and success. When Myrtle tries to manipulate her affair