The Role Of Women In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby follows the lives of Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, and Myrtle and George Wilson. These characters lives intertwine with one another through various transactions with few escaping these corrupt trades unscathed. Unfortunately, one of the pivotal purchases within the novel are those of women. The prevalence of materialistic wealth in trade for the love or attention of a specific woman within the novel ultimately leads to her exploitation. To both Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, the women they are in pursuit of are seen as more of objects or property than as human beings.

Society’s expectations of women now and in the past cause a huge controversy and conflict amongst women. The main three female characters of the novel The Great Gatsby have many conflicts with society and what is expected of them as a female in the 1920s. They are expected to be the server of man and to not be their own person, but this was a conflict with them. Although Myrtle, Daisy, and Jordan show case their conflict with society, they negotiate that conflict with their personality and their mannerisms.

The women in The Great Gatsby appear to be free-spirited, scorning norms of what the nineteenth century would have considered proper female behavior; this essay investigates just how independent they really are.

The novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a timeless story due to the issue of women’s struggle for power that happens in every generation. A recurring trend of women’s being overlooked and underappreciated appears in the novel; Women are not meant to do anything but sit and look pretty; they must not have any actual important roles that would overshadow men. The first time women are introduced in the novel, they appear as simple objects or even decorations on the couch. The issue is revisited when Nick, the protagonist’s, cousin, Daisy, introduces her daughter to him. When Tom, Daisy’s husband, brings Nick to his secret apartment to meet his mistress, Myrtle, her sister expresses the reality of men in their world. Nick, once again, conveys his opinion of women by making a snarky comment to Jordan, Daisy’s successful friend. A fourth time where the issue of power for women comes up is after Myrtle is killed in the car crash. As the novel develops, Fitzgerald creates more examples of the lack of power for women in the world of the “Roaring 20’s.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald is famous for writing both short stories and novels that exhibit male protagonists attempting to achieve the American dream, achieving the American dream, and then suffering the consequences of doing so. Four of Fitzgerald’s protagonists who experience this are Jay Gatsby, Dexter Green, George O’Kelly, and Charlie Wales. Though each man’s story is different, all four of them have relatively similar rags-to-riches experiences that focus heavily on their love for a beautiful, unattainable woman. Each man falls in love with an illusion of his ideal woman, rather than the woman herself, and obtaining her becomes the focus of his American dream. Jay Gatsby, of The Great Gatsby, falls in love with Daisy Buchanan and spends his life longing for his aggrandized idea of her, though Daisy’s real character is depicted as superficial and not especially worth waiting a lifetime for.

Gatsby’s only dream has been to reunite with Daisy, and after pleading with Nick and their mutual friend, Jordan Baker, that dream comes into fruition. However, because of Daisy’s current circumstances, their being a couple isn’t easy and very short lived. The Great Gatsby has been praised for its universal appeal, and exploring themes such as love in conjunction with controversial subjects such as domestic abuse, affairs, and even women’s rights. Multiple characters in novel express clashing views with one another about the role women play in society as well as how they should act, look, and speak through their actions and words. It’s no doubt provoked a myriad of discussions concerning feminism during the roaring twenties as well as in American society as a whole. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, it’s made abundantly clear that, in the opinion of both the author and American society at the time, a woman’s place should be at the side of a man; they should bend to his will and heed his every word while forgetting who they are and their own

The period of 1915-1935 was a time of abundant change in the United States. Women could vote. The economy was booming. Work was worth the money. Artistry flourished tremendously. The coulter of this time was greatly reflected in the literary works of many authors such as F. Scot Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

There was an immense hype about a novel, I was curious what the novel was about. I kept the book a mystery before reading it to remain excited about the book. The novel was The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, it is considered a great American novel, he addresses topics such as wealth, status, and the American dream. After reading it, it became apparent of the view that had the American dream. Through his novel he was able to express his opinion on two different types of women through Daisy and Myrtle. He personally knew and acknowledged events and misconception that they went through, but conveyed it in a more negative manner than.

During the Jazz Era, almost every women was depended on men for their money. Wealth should not considered as important as respect and respect is something everyone deserves, not only men. The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald about rich people that lived in New York during the Jazz Era. The Great Gatsby is about a rich man named Jay Gatsby who tries to win his love back from someone through his power and wealth. The role of women in The Great Gatsby is important because it talks about the amount of freedom and power they have compared to men. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, women are given no respect, controlled by men, and are treated like trophies to win over.

The Great Gatsby is a historical and realistic fiction novel. This novel discusses and talks about the difference between true and attraction. The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, uses symbolism and physiognomy to describe the relationships between men and women. This novel takes place in 1922 right in the midst of the roaring 20’s, a time where women were not seen as equals but as pleasure and compliments to men. It also takes place after World War I, a war that shook people’s faith in human goodness and that people were genuine in their actions. Many people lost faith in others and questioned if there was something at the heart of people or were they just driven by greed and power. Fitzgerald makes sure to emphasize the meaning of true love

The result of this research shows that the women in The Great Gatsby are commonly full of confidence, they are free to express their opinion, modern, agressive, extravagant, matrealist and they love big parties so much. All of this attitude are appropriate with the society of New York at that time, when it was 1922. The conclusion of this research is that the society when The Great Gatsby was written really has big influence on the attitude creation of women in the novel.

INTRODUCTION Francis Scott Fitzgerald is considered one of the most important exponents of the American Modernist Movement thanks to masterpieces like The Great Gatsby and short stories like Bernice Bobs Her Hair. Ranging from novels to short stories, its work mirrors the Jazz Age, its society and values and how they underwent important changes and developments that strongly influenced the lifestyle of people. After the Great War the US experienced an economic boom that favored the expansion of mass production and consumerism. Modern technology, cars and mass media were only some of the results of the hectic spirit of renovation that was affecting the American society of the 20s: a new way of thinking was becoming more and more popular, as people felt a need for change after the disastrous effects of the First World War.

Women during the timeframe of both stories were expected to play the role of being the housewife. Just like men, women had and still have goals and dreams, but it was substantially harder for them to reach these goals. Researchers have said, during the 1920s to 1930s not many jobs were available to women (Classroom). Fitzgerald crafted a book about a man named Nick Carraway, Gatsby’s neighbor, who moved to West Egg to become a bonds salesman (Fitzgerald, 3). As the story progresses, he visits his cousin Daisy Fay Buchanan and her husband Tom Buchanan in East Egg (Fitzgerald, 5). There he meets Jordan Baker, an impressive professional golfer (Fitzgerald, 18). Towards the middle of the story, Nick goes to New York City with Tom to meet his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, who gets really drunk and makes fun of Daisy. Consequently, Tom gets furious and distorts her nose (Fitzgerald 37). Gatsby was on his way back from New York, when Myrtle “rushed out into the dusk, waving her hands and shouting” (Fitzgerald 137). As a result, she unfortunately gets hit by Daisy who was driving Gatsby’s Coupe. Unlike Steinbeck’s book, Of Mice and Men is about two gentlemen, who are considered traveling companions, that are going to work on a ranch because they needed more money to pursue their dream. In the beginning of the book, George illustrates the story of how Lennie kills the mice that Aunt Clara gave him. Along with the story of when he wanted to touch the lady’s dress. On their way to the

During the 1920’s, Many rights were given and amendments were established to women. Most women were turned down because they did not have the same archetype as men. They were seen as ornaments and treated like inhumane articles to the world. Women were to be served as housemaids: cleaning the house, cooking for the family, and helping their husbands in the garden and on the farm. This generation of women came together to stand up for the freedom they deserve. There was a small selection of wealthy women that got whatever they wanted. In The Great Gatsby, a wealthy main character, Daisy Buchanan, finds a way to get what she wants. She had a reclined lifestyle in the novel. She was very wealthy and lived in a town with “Old Money”. This money will last for the next upcoming generations. She had a friend named

Over time, the views that society has of women has changed. Women are now viewed as having a different purpose in life compared to during the 1900's, they are able to work and do tasks other than being a homemaker. Women have more choices now than they did in the 1900's. The women in My Ántonia and the women in The Great Gatsby have minimal choices about what they do in life.