The Presentation of Women in ‘The Great Gatsby’, and in Cormac McCarthy’s ‘No Country for Old Men’

The 1950s was a time of constant advancements, which included shifts in ideals as well as the foundation of new societal norms. The ideologies involving this time were mainly focused on the extension of rights of different groups of people, particularly women. In Richard Yates’s Revolutionary Road, the role of a woman is highlighted with one of the main characters, April Wheeler, who moves into the suburbs with her husband and children soon after their birth. The move has shown a large impact on the behaviors of the couple, and especially on April who holds a different mindset than the rest of the women at this time. Compared to other women in the 1950s, April Wheeler’s unique lifestyle allows for her to be seen as divergent mainly due to her tendencies to stray away from societal norms of both women and wives at this time.

A new society was born by the early 1920’s. This society lead the way for today’s women. When the fighters (men) came back from war, they were surprised to see the needy women replaced by the new competitive, beautiful and daring women. These new made ladies would not go down without a fight. They no longer wanted to be housewives (McCarthy). This

The setting of both stories reinforces the notion of women's dependence on men. The late 1800's were a turbulent time for women's roles. The turn of the century

Daisy is responsible for Myrtle's death because she was still nervous from the incident that happened in New York between Tom and Gatsby. She was so nervous that she wasn’t in the best shape to be driving and was driving fast when myrtle ran into the street that she couldn’t stop. Daisy is responsible for Gatsby’s death because she was driving Gatsby’s car when she ran over Myrtle and didn’t stop. People automatically think the owner of the car was driving so then George goes looking for the owner of the yellow car and finds out it’s Gatsby's. George then goes to Gatsby's house and shoots him by his pool killing him on the spot.

The nineteenth century is popularly known for its traditional view of gender roles, especially regarding women. The term “True Woman” refers to what society at that time thought to be the ideal woman, carrying qualities of “modesty, submissiveness, physical weakness, limited education, and complete devotion to husband and home” (White, 2009, p. 1). Women were restrained in terms of sexuality, dress, language, and economic decisions. In Amy Gilman Srebnick’s The Mysterious Death of Mary Rogers, Mary rebels against these standards by being a single women that is also sexually active, however, her actions are what seemingly lead to her demise. Similarly, Fanny Fern’s Ruth Hall also goes against gender norms. In her case, she earns her own economic independence through her writing and lives a more unconventional life as a mother, but faces repercussions from her family. Through the novels Ruth Hall and The Mysterious Death of Mary Rogers, the main female characters revolt against being “True Women” through their daily actions and behaviors, however they’re each punished with consequences for trying to deviate from society’s path.

Her careless activities initiated the death of Myrtle, when she struck her with Gatsby’s yellow car and failed to stop to take responsibility. She even sped up with little remorse. Daisy should have taken liability for her actions but instead she chose be coheres by Tom’s deceitful lie of putting Gatsby at the wheel. Daisy’s denial to take responsibility for the death of Myrtle and placing Gatsby in her position led George Wilson to become furious, driving him in such a mental state which ultimately leads to the murder of Jay Gatsby. Daisy and Tom’s influence on George were acts of cowardly

Suburban life in the 1950s was ideal, but not ideal for the women. Women were continuously looked at as the typical suburban housewife. In Richard Yates’ novel, Revolutionary Road, we are given the chance to see the dynamics of the Wheeler family and of those around them. Through the use of theme, tone and major symbolism in the novel, we are shown the perspective of gender roles in the 1950s. The author shows the reader the struggles of strict gender roles and how the protagonist of the story will do just about anything to escape from it.

This novel’s misogynistic perspective divulges the social-turmoil America experienced after World War II. During this period, a multitude of male American population enlisted to join the war consequently, women took on stereotypical ‘male jobs’. When the war ended, veterans returned home and expected women to return to their traditional duties, an expectation they challenged. As a result, this period witnessed a power-imbalance between the pre-existing patriarchal mindset and matriarchy rule which gave birth to the second wave feminism. Kesey exemplifies this by portraying dominating female characters as castrators and overpowering figures who emasculate and damage men, notably in Mrs Bibbit’s over-protecting and condescending power which manages

On the surface, women occupy a dominant role in the domestic politics of the novel. Robbie testifies to several ways in which this is true. First,

Women of the 1920’s compared to women today are seen as very passive and were usually domestic wives whose main responsibility was to take care of the house and children. But throughout this decade, women were starting to slowly modernize and become more independent. In The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, Lady Brett Ashley is somewhat portrayed as “the admirable new woman” of the 1920’s-the woman who openly flaunts accepted conventions of the passive, dependent female role in society and emerges as a positive, inspiring, and risk-taking figure in Paris, Pamplona, and Madrid among the male expatriate artists. In the novel, we see Brett as a modern and somewhat inspiring woman through characterization and the analysis of specific moments

Similar to the outward portrayal of the sexes in “A New Leaf,” there is a distinct line drawn between the social roles of men and women in the work. Women are not asked to do much of anything in the social construct, left alone to beautify themselves in search of the perfect man for them. Aside from that, they are entrusted to the care of children for the family. “When he was sad, Julia made him her baby, caring for him and holding his handsome head against her breast.” [Fitzgerald 394] Men, in this work, are pictured to be providers, keepers of order, and leaders, mostly in order to impress a well endowed lady. The social structure in “A New Leaf” revolves around relationships and sex more than anything else.

Egnal’s essay provides great information about how the Women’s Rights Movement reshaped the consciousness of authors and their literary works. The essay uses examples from historical novels like “The Scarlet Letter” written in 1850 as one of the first novels to portray an outspoken women protagonist. The essay also examines feminism from a political standpoint and how novels throughout the 19th and 20th century have been shaped by the Women’s Rights Movement. This essay argues how the women’s movement transformed how domesticity is portrayed. As a whole, the essay’s examination of the women’s movement and its impact on literature will help me to make the correlation between the female character’s actions in the book compared to the modernist view of feminism displayed on

Some authors may not even realize how equality can easily be thrown off and as a result have a negative effect on books and readers who notice it. We as readers of, tend to not completely grasp the presence of the anti-feminist society. Feminism, or equality of the sexes, can be seen in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s text as he portrays women as innocent, powerless, and non influential indivuals. Not only does feminism play a role in the painted society of “Young Goodman Brown,” but also in countless societies today. The exact meanings of the characters actions, are not completely understood unless the main focus is kept on this specific lense, feminism. It can help to make the logical assumption that this is in fact an anti-feminist text by understanding the different scenes and how they are associated with feminism. It is recognizable that most women are lead by what men choose based upon Faith being viewed as an object, the anti-feminist idea dealing with only men killing off family members and elder men using power over innocent women, and the other women characters representing significant figures in religious society but characterizing them as unimportant and even evil in the short story.

Generally, female characters in literature are often portrayed as socially suppressed and inferior to their male counterparts. Due to the oppressive time period in which most classic novels were produced, female inferiority is commonly accepted while the concept of social equality is usually rejected in fear of the potential loss of masculine power. As a result of lacking a prominent voice in society, some female characters begin to face an identity crisis, which eventually escalates into their endurance of social isolation. Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Annie Proulx explore the consequences of feminine oppression through the development of their female characters, John’s wife and Ottaline, in The Yellow Wallpaper and The Bunchgrass Edge of the World respectively. Due to her husband’s unreasonable regulations regarding her alleged sickness, John’s wife’s freedom of expression is strongly limited. Despite her initial faith in her husband, the progression of John’s wife’s stay at the colonial mansion during their supposed vacation ultimately evokes John’s wife to question the intent of her husband’s actions. Similarly, Ottaline’s position as a young female character in a patriarchal ranch also socially limits her ability to dictate her own life. While her younger siblings abandon the restrictions of the family ranch, Ottaline remains on the property and serves as a disgrace to her parents. As a result of societal pressure, John’s wife and Ottaline gravitate towards the yellow

Then, Gatsby tells Nick that it was Daisy who was driving his car and hit Myrtle, but Gatsby intends to take the blame. George Wilson, Myrtle’s husband, somehow jumps to the conclusion that whoever killed his wife was her lover. After discovering the owner of the car involved in the deadly accident, he sets out to get his revenge.