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The portrayal of women in literature
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Throughout Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” the role of women can be examined to demonstrate anti-feminism. Initially, Daisy is viewed as an innocent, loving character, but once her true motives are revealed, it is clear that she is very corrupt, desiring only money and power. This is used to show the stereotypical female who lives under the man for his possessions, and lacks the self-respect to stand against the opposite gender. She is not the only female to act like this, there are many, but her case is the most important because it directly influences all of the main characters. Gatsby is also portrayed as a stereotype: the boy who wants his true love and will do anything and everything to get her, even be accused of murder. Once each character …show more content…
In a lot of works, especially those of the early 20th century, women can be shown as mere stereotypes, and also lacking the values of a whole character, in other words, they are incomplete. In Gatsby, the reader is introduced to Daisy rather early in the novel. She is presented to Nick as a beautiful young woman, who has been chased after her entire life by an endless number of men. Daisy was viewed as very seductive and desirable, but the way it was written allowed her to have a sort of childlike innocence. “There was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found it difficult to forget,” (14). Not only did she possess very beautiful physical qualities, but just the way she talked and cared for people gave the impression that she was far from the stereotypical female. Daisy seemed very independent; she would not settle for just anyone. Issues Daisy had with Tom are shown, but the reason she is staying with him first seems to be because of her child or simply because she cares too much; this still doesn’t create the anti-feminist environment seen as a whole. If feminism was examined after chapter one, the book would seem very pro feminism. Both Daisy and Jordan were very different from other ordinary females of this time era, but as the novel completed itself, the true twisted, and selfish intentions of Daisy are brought out through her interactions with …show more content…
Gatsby spent his entire life working up from poverty and finding ways to gain wealth. Through becoming an officer, he meets Daisy, but cannot have her until he can provide for her. This causes him to leave her in order to become wealthy, but as he does this, Daisy marries Tom, not for love, but for money. Even when Gatsby returns, Daisy still has trouble leaving Tom and telling him how she really feels. Perhaps this is because it is so sudden, which also shows how the male characters easily persuade female characters. Daisy had been with Tom for years and now Gatsby shows up, even eats lunch with Tom which is ironic, but expects Daisy to just walk away as if it’s not a big deal. “Tom was feeling the hot whips of panic. His wife and his mistress, until an hour ago secure and inviolate, were slipping precipitately from his control,” (131). This is when Tom begins to realize that he’s losing Daisy, but the important aspect of this situation is what Daisy is trying to get out of this and how the men can easily affect the women. After Daisy allows Jay to get blamed for the murder, and destroy his name for her, it shows how she had never cared about anyone but herself. She might have enjoyed spending time with Gatsby, but if he didn’t have the money that he did, she wouldn’t have even looked at him. Once Gatsby has this power, he is able to pressure Daisy into leaving her
Set in the Roaring ‘20s, The Great Gatsby focuses mainly on the lives of men as Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. However, it also clearly outlines the lives of several women : Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker. On the surface, the lives of these women couldn’t be more different. Daisy, a rich debutante, is torn between her husband, Tom, or her first love, Jay Gatsby. Lower on the social ladder is Myrtle, who is having an affair with Tom, hoping to rise above her station in life. Jordan, on the other hand, is unmarried and a successful golfer, who travels the country participating in tournaments. While these women may have seemed independent, they’re still subject to the will of society which sees them as inferior and objects to be controlled by men.
“I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 20). This quote is as true now as it was when Daisy Buchanan said it about her daughter in The Great Gatsby. Women grow up in a box of expectations. They are told to act a certain way and do certain things. Daisy knew that this was the world that her daughter was going to be growing up in, and that if she grew up to be a fool then she would fit into the world very nicely. If she grew up and became someone who noticed inequality, or who wanted independence, she would struggle in the world. While woman are no longer put in such a black and white box, there are still many expectations and limitations that woman have to face in their
The great Gatsby gives us an accurate insight into the 1920s zeitgeist regarding the role of women in society. America was in a state of an economic boom and rapid change. Society had become less conservative after world war one. The role of women was revolutionary during this time and although women had a lot more freedom now; they were still confined to their sexist role within society; Men were still seen as the dominant gender. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates the extremities of gender and social class, and the lack of independence this brought upon women. This essay will discuss the three major female characters and the ideas that Fitzgerald confronts of female stereotypes of the 1920s.
“Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men” (Joseph Conrad). In the Novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the wife of George Wilson, Myrtle, has been cheating with the married man Tom Buchanan. From time to time they escape to an apartment Tom owns, behind each of their spouses backs. As time goes on Daisy, Tom’s wife, obtains the knowledge from Jordan that her previous lover is just across the bay and waiting to see her again. Daisy begins going behind Tom’s back with Jay Gatsby, tangling the characters in a mess of relationships. Throughout the book, women take important roles and change the story, even ultimately leading to Gatsby’s death.
Daisy Buchanan is the most significant female character in The Great Gatsby. F Scott Fitzgerald writes her as the most significant female because she is most like his wife, Zelda (Donaldson). Daisy is Gatsby’s motivation for wealth and why he wants to accomplish so much. He has longed for her because she has always been unattainable. Fitzgerald, like Gatsby was often rejected by women in a class higher than him (Donaldson). Zelda was Fitzgerald’s motivation for writing The Great Gatsby and many other works (Donaldson). It was a way for him to express his frustration and love for his wife. Zelda was the main female role in Fitzgerald’s life, much like Daisy is for Gatsby. Fitzgerald writes his relationship in order to cope with what is happening
She stayed home and did not go out much to be independent. In Tiffany Swenson’s Feminist Opposition: The Great Gatsby, she talks of Daisy’s perfect submissiveness, making her appear to be a wife anyone would want. “However, when Gatsby challenges Daisy to break free, ruin her life and submit to Gatsby instead, she returns to submission with Tom. Both choices given to Daisy are ones that require her to submit to a male figure rather than follow her own heart” (Swenson). Daisy is not a free thinker or worker. She is financially dependent, making it impossible for her to want to leave Tom. As a person, she was beautiful, glamorous, but also disloyal, and very shallow. Her shallowness lead to her motherliness, she only brought up her daughter as if to brag, but never actually took care of her child. This leads to society devaluing women. Daisy’s beautiful exterior, and unloving interior makes society think that these “New Women” are unfit to be good mothers, and with that, underrates family morals and
During the 1920’s, the role women had under men was making a drastic change, and it is shown in The Great Gatsby by two of the main female characters: Daisy and Jordan. One was domesticated and immobile while the other was not. Both of them portray different and important characteristics of the normal woman growing up in the 1920’s. The image of the woman was changing along with morals. Females began to challenge the government and the society. Things like this upset people, especially the men. The men were upset because this showed that they were losing their long-term dominance over the female society.
Even if they disagree about other issues, all feminists believe patriarchal ideology works to keep men and women confined to traditional gender roles so male dominance may be maintained. Utilizing the precepts of Feminist criticism, it could be argued “The Great Gatsby” promotes a thinly veiled patriarchal agenda. Through Fitzgerald’s treatment of the three women in “Gatsby”, as well as masking the possible homosexuality of a central character, the novel seems to promote only the traditional gender roles, swaying uncomfortably from any possible variance.
"though I was curious to see her, I had no desire to meet her, but I did...'I want u to meet my girl'", this quote demonstrates the refusal towards the role of women throughout the novel, and the dominance of men. Gender equality has been everywhere for years, but there hasn't been change about it and if there has its very little. In these three sources, The Great Gatsby, Our Department or, the manners, conduct, Dress of refined society, and a speech by Emma Watson, are all have to do with the conflict of gender roles. Through the novel, essay, and speech equality has not changed in the areas of marriage and employment because somehow there are certain gender roles still now.
From the start of the book we can see that women in the book are
Tom Buchanan and George Wilson have plenty in common with their attitude pertaining towards women in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald throughout the entire novel gives the audience an insight on his thoughts about the nature of man. Fitzgerald portrays men often treating women harshly throughout his novel. For example, there are many violent acts towards women, a constant presence of dominance, and also ironically Tom and Georges over reactions to being cheated on.
To start off, Gatsby was convinced he was in love with Daisy, however that’s not the case. Jay Gatsby was a twisted man who was obsessed not with Daisy but with the idea of having her. Gatsby’s feelings for Daisy were not genuine; he just loved the crazy notion of having her. She played along with it and made him think that she would leave Tom, but lets face it, it was never going to happen. Daisy did not give a crap about Gatsby and everyone knows it, except for him. Daisy used Gatsby to make her husband jealous because she knew that Gatsby would do anything for her.
Characters in The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald are often described differently than they actually act throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Daisy is told to be “by far the most popular of all the young girls in Louisville”. She was said to have great beauty, and its even said that she holds her popularity spot because of it. She is also described as a “fool” which means she is beautiful, just like an angel. As we read on, we come to see that Daisy is actually very careless, selfish, and only focuses herself on wealth and power. She never looked at the consequences of her actions; and she let others clean up the messes she made. She wanted her daughter to grow up just like her, even though it’s a life nobody wanted to live. She even gave up her true love to be with somebody who had money and a good repetition. As perceived in the novel, Daisy is the most despicable character in the novel of The Great Gatsby.
Women’s roles in The Great Gatsby were varying between each woman and their lifestyles. Daisy was a traditional women whom’s values were her appearance, status, and wealth, while she had a leisure lifestyle and many social interactions. Jordan was a modern woman who valued her work and her independence while she lived a career orientated lifestyle with some leisure and, also, many social interactions. Then there were flappers, they challenged the traditional way that women are supposed to act by showing more skin, wearing impressive amounts of makeup, treated sex like it was nothing but a thing,
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby, the main female character, Daisy Buchanan, is portrayed by, Nick, the narrator, only by her superficial qualities. “Guided only by Nick’s limited view of her, readers often judge Daisy solely on the basis of her superficial qualities” (Fryer 43). What the reader sees through the eyes of Nick only appears as a woman whose impatience and desire for wealth and luxury cost her the love of her life, Gatsby. Nick’s narrow perception does not allow one to see that “…[Daisy’s] silly manner conceals a woman of feeling or that her final ‘irresponsibility’ towards Gatsby stems from an acute sense of responsibility towards herself” and that Nick “…clearly does not understand what motivates her” (Fryer 43). One can easily view Daisy as a victim. Fitzgerald distinctly exposes Daisy’s need for stability, which, according to Fitzgerald or perhaps the mentality of the time period, can only be found in a man. “Her need for stability was immediate, and she attempted to satisfy that need through something tangible, something close at hand” (Fryer 51). This “need” that Fitzg...