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Social change in America in 1920
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The 1920s, a time full of corruption,crime,manipulation,deception and society being dominated by one gender. There were people who were able to do anything because of their economic status granted them power above all. On the other hand there were people who couldn’t achieve this status so they used other to gain what they desired. Women in the 1920's are objectified by men and always being represented as weaker or powerless, women are showed to be manipulative and deceiving towards men with the exception of the non-wealthy because they depended on men to acquire wealth. In the 1920s Men had power and wealth and almost all women dependent on men for economic purposes. Also men have the curiosity to be dominant over women and didn’t allow them to have a say in anything. A prime example of this is Tom Buchanan who objectifies his wife Daisy Buchanan. “I drove over to east egg to have dinner with the Tom Buchanans”(Fitzgerald 5); this experience by Nick Carraway shows Tom’s dominance because it suggests that Tom has all the power or else Nick would've reference them as the Buchanans. Tom has an affair with Myrtle Wilson who is married to George Wilson. Daisy is aware of the affair but still Jay Gatsby started off being very poor and fell in love with Daisy but was separated from her because he fought in World War 1. Once the war was finished and Gatsby could return home he decided not to return because he want to be rich to achieve his dream of being with Daisy. Once Gatsby was rich he became like any other rich man in the 1920s because he was too rich for his own good and believed he could have anything including Daisy. He taught it would be a simple task but he didn’t realized there was more to it than just wealth Gatsby taught it was simple, get rich and then gets Daisy but he was blinded by the idea of wealth and couldn’t see that money wasn’t the
As a young man, Jay Gatsby was poor with nothing but his love for Daisy. He had attempted to woe her, but a stronger attraction to money led her to marry another man. This did not stop Gatsby’s goal of winning this woman for himself though, and he decided to improve his life anyway he could until he could measure up to Daisy’s standards. He eventually gained connections in what would seem to be the wrong places, but these gave him the opportunity he needed to "get rich quick." Gatsby’s enormous desire for Daisy controlled his life to the point that he did not even question the immorality of the dealings that he involved himself in to acquire wealth. Eventually though, he was able to afford a "castle" in a location where he could pursue Daisy effectively. His life ambition had successfully moved him to the top of the "new money" class of society, but he lacked the education of how to promote his wealth properly. Despite the way that Gatsby flaunted his money, he did catch Daisy’s attention. A chaotic affair followed for a while until Daisy was overcome by pressures from Gatsby to leave her husband and by the realization that she belonged to "old money" and a more proper society.
Women, like black slaves, were treated unequally from the male before the nineteenth century. The role of the women played the part of their description, physically and emotionally weak, which during this time period all women did was took care of their household and husband, and followed their orders. Women were classified as the “weaker sex” or below the standards of men in the early part of the century. Soon after the decades unfolded, women gradually surfaced to breathe the air of freedom and self determination, when they were given specific freedoms such as the opportunity for an education, their voting rights, ownership of property, and being employed.
he didn 't want to live the same sad life as his parents,where he had to work just to put bread on the table he wanted more then that ,he want to have a legacy.he saw an opportunity to seek,and he took it .when he help the old man from drowning.Gatsby went through alot in the war and his life but the thing that kept him alive is daisy buchanan, his love for daisy was unstoppable.Gatsby worked hard to make himself one of new york richest people for daisy buchanan.Gatsby does everything he can to conquer Daisy’s heart again.”Although Daisy has been married off to Tom Buchanan,”Gatsby is determined to win her back by displaying his new wealth.Similarly, purchasing a new wardrobe and an expensive home in part for daisy o fell in love with him Not only do Gatsby try to impress women with their wealth, but they equate those women with money” (Pearson). He believes that the only way Daisy will be with him is if he is rich and if has enough money to sustain her.Gatsby would do anything in order to achieve this status that.in order to get enough money in such short time ,he gets his “hands dirty” to be able to live in West Egg and have the ability to throw his very-well known extravagant parties.”There was music from my neighbor’s house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whispering and the champagne and the stars…
What is later revealed is that Gatsby’s wealth and luxurious lifestyle is all in the name of getting Daisy, Tom Buchanan’s wife, to fall in love with him. But in the end, even with all his money and power, Gatsby is not able to get the girl. What this brings to light is, was Gatsby’s money truly worth anything? “I love her and that 's the beginning and end of everything” (The Great Gatsby, Chapter ) This quote from Jay Gatsby shows that his entire life is centered around Daisy. That his only motive for the things that he does, for the massive parties that he throughs, for working to become incredibly wealthy, is to have Daisy fall in love with him. Gatsby’s life is one that is incredibly lavish. It is full of expensive amenities many would only dream of having. But Jay Gatsby is not living this fabulous lifestyle for himself. He is living it for Daisy, and only for Daisy. Gatsby’s only desire in life is to have Daisy be in love with him, and he chooses to live the way he does because he believes that is what she wants. Gatsby spends money at wild abandon simply to make an effort to impress Daisy. He throughs incredibly immense parties, with hopes that Daisy and Daisy alone will be impressed. But what is troubling about Gatsby is that, unlike most books, he doesn’t get the girl. Gatsby is, despite his entire life being dedicated to getting the one thing
Gatsby is a dreamer, he dreams that one day he and Daisy will be able to be together once again. To achieve this dream Gatsby has made himself a rich man. He knows that in order to win Daisy back he must be wealthy and of high social stature. Gatsby becomes rich, has a beautiful mansion, nice things, things like shirts “They’re such beautiful shirts. . . it makes me sad because I’ve never seen such-such beautiful clothes” (pg.98).Gatsby believes his dream will come true because of all the money and nice things he has. The way that Gatsby becomes rich is in a way the demise of his dream. Gatsby becomes wealthy by participating in organized crime, including distributing illegal alcohol and trading in stolen securities. Daisy eventually learns about this and it is one of the reasons she will never again be with Gatsby. The other reason is Daisy a...
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby was born into a life of poverty and as he grew up he became more aware of the possibility of a better life. He created fantasies that he was too good for his modest life and that his parents weren’t his own. When he met Daisy, a pretty upper class girl, his life revolved around her and he became obsessed with her carefree lifestyle. Gatsby’s desire to become good enough for Daisy and her parents is what motivates him to become a wealthy, immoral person who is perceived as being sophisticated.
Gatsby decides to devote his whole life to achieving the material goods with which to satisfy Daisy. The Quote, "Her voice is full of money," is said about Daisy by Gatsby.(76) To me this means that she has been raised rich and will always remain rich, which is the American dream. He lives in the past on a moment of absolute happiness hoping he can relive that state of emotion sometime in the future. Jay Gatsby, like any normal person, wants to fit into society. His feelings for Daisy make him strive to achieve that goal. In the novel "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby attempts to fit into Daisy's society by any means available.
Jay Gatsby is a man who literally started from nothing and made his way to the top. When Gatsby was younger he felt as if he was a child from god, not his actual parents, and that he was born to be at the top of society. After Gatsby meets Daisy and falls in love with her he does everything for her. Every decision Gatsby makes is done in hopes of bringing Daisy back into his life for good. Gatsby knows that Daisy feels money brings happiness, so he does all he can to flaunt his money to her in hopes that she will want him. Gatsby is a good man and he knows this. Gatsby feels that the one thing standing in his way of Daisy is an immoral scumbag, Tom.
Gender Roles: In some respects, Fitzgerald writes about gender roles in a quite conservative manner. In his novel, men work to earn money for the maintenance of the women. Men are dominant over women, especially in the case of Tom, who asserts his physical strength to subdue them. The only hint of a role reversal is in the pair of Nick and Jordan. Jordan's androgynous name and cool, collected style masculinize her more than any other female character. However, in the end, Nick does exert his dominance over her by ending the relationship. The women in the novel are an interesting group, because they do not divide into the traditional groups of Mary Magdalene and Madonna figures, instead, none of them are pure. Myrtle is the most obviously sensual, but the fact that Jordan and Daisy wear white dresses only highlights their corruption.
The 19th Century is an age that is known for the Industrial Revolution. What some people don’t realize is the effect that this revolution had on gender roles in not only the middle and upper classes (Radek.) It started off at its worst, men were considered powerful, active, and brave; where as women were in no comparison said to be weak, passive, and timid (Radek.) Now we know this not to be true, however, back in the day people only went by what would allow ...
Despite the amount of property and money that Jay Gatsby acquired, he was not old money, thus, not worth Daisy risking her place in society.. Gatsby thought that having wealth would guarantee Daisy to be his again. His naivety about Daisy seemed childish, but in Gatsby wealth is hugely important to the characters. Despite the completely different settings of Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Great Gatsby, wealth affects the characters in many similar ways, including their happiness and success in their relationships. The relationships that the characters have are, despite not being based off of wealth, affected greatly by the lack or surplus of wealth.
Women were thought to have just two main purposes in life, have children and look good. They were thought of as only pretty faces, nothing more. The 1920s was all about the American Dream, and this dream consisted of only one thing, money, and everything was about money, even Daisy, “Her voice is full of money… that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it” (Fitzgerald 120). Men were considered superior to woman, which is why they felt they could treat women however they pleased. For example, the way Tom treated his mistress, “Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand” (Fitzgerald 37). The women of this time were not expected to accomplish anything in their lives, they were just supposed to follow along with the crowd and do as they were told. Society was constantly telling woman who they were and how they were supposed to be, and because this was what society wanted, many woman just went with the flow. Women began to hide their true colors and conformed to how they were expected to act, but this would not last long. Many women began to realize the absurdity that was their society, while others became too afraid to stand up for themselves and what they
In the Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays a surreal representation of life in the 1920’s by creating his setting to show the dark truth of social classes and gender roles by portraying the deprived people who work for the rich. We see this when the valley of ashes is introduced showing the lives of the poor then comparing it to the wealth showing Nick in Toms mansion. Scott Fitzgerald also shows the gender difference portraying females as only wanting to marry the rich by showing Myrtle be desperate for Nick and Daisy refusing to marry Gatsby because of his lack of wealth, this is shown though the characters differences
During the 1920’s, inequality for women was not uncommon. Woman were mostly dependant on the men, they weren’t treated as equals, most women were looked at as objects instead of actual human beings, and all women had a stereotype that followed them, no matter what. This book is a great example of the life of a woman in the 1920’s and it really shows how most women were treated. It’s a very realistic portrayal of the life of a women back then and it gives a real insight as to how life for a women was in the 1920’s. It also shows how much women have advanced and how far we’ve really come. The Great Gatsby has many examples of feminism and explains the life of a woman in the 1920’s.
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald there are three primary female characters. Daisy, Jordan and Myrtle are all very different characters with different personalities. However, the women in this novel are portrayed in a negative way. They are portrayed as sex symbols, gold diggers and uneducated. F. Scott Fitzgerald also presents the women in this book as liars, shallow and not loyal. For the most part, the women in The Great Gatsby all share different characteristics of how women are treated in the 1920s. Some of the women in The Great Gatsby are stepping out of the patriarchy role while others are living their lives through their husband’s accomplishments.