Emmy Horner Mrs. Frantzen English 11 Honors 25 March 2024 The Great Gatsby Through a Feminist Lens In the story The Great Gatsby there are three main female characters. There is Daisy, the narrator Nick's cousin, wife to Tom Buchanan, and longtime love to Jay Gatsby. Then there is Myrtle, Daisy's husband, Tom's mistress. And finally, Jordan, Daisy's close friend who is a professional golfer. While each of these characters' lives are intertwined, they each live very different lifestyles. A feminist view of The Great Gatsby shows how the female characters Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan make decisions based upon their financial status. Daisy lives a very picturesque life, but it is not as perfect as it may appear. Daisy's life highlights many of the …show more content…
She deals with her husband cheating on her right in front of her face and just sucks it up so she does not have to lose her lavish life. She leaves her first love, Jay Gatsby, because he didn't have enough money to support the lifestyle she wanted to live. Daisy does not shy away from the fact that she makes these choices to sacrifice herself for this lifestyle. She even says this when she talks about her daughter and says, "I hope she'll be a fool," because, "that's the best thing a girl can be in this world." a beautiful little fool" (Fitzgerald 17). Daisy believes that if her daughter is a beautiful fool, then she will be able to live the "perfect" life she is able to live without having to face the reality of what goes on behind her back in order to maintain this lifestyle. In Daisy's defense, it would not be easy for a woman like herself to be able to obtain a life like the one she currently has. When the reader meets Myrtle, they recognize a vastly different way of life for a woman in this period. Myrtle wants the "perfect" life Daisy has, but is not quite able to achieve it. She marries her husband "because [she] thought he was a gentleman" (Fitzgerald, …show more content…
She talks about how she hates "careless people," (Fitzgerald, 58). By careless people she means people who do not have their own independent thoughts and just follow the trends and what everyone else is doing. It is really interesting for a reader to observe how Jordan is able to live in such a different way than most other women. She gets to go on her own trips and even better her trips are not to get away from the public because they have found out about her husband's affair. She gets to travel for fun and for work. Another substantial factor to look at when observing Jordan's life is the fact that not only is she a great golfer, but also, "everyone only knew her name," (Fitzgerald 57). Jordan is known for herself and the name she has made for herself, not the name others have given her. When looking at Daisy and Myrtle, they are often referred to as Tom Buchanan's wife or mistress. Jordan has no man attached to her and thus, is known for herself and the name she has made for herself. This was a very unusual thing for a woman at the time. It is very impressive how she is able to earn herself such a respectable
Looking at F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby through a feminist perspective, it seems apparent that the text supports and challenges the assumptions of a patriarchal society. Interrogating this text with a critical feminist viewpoint reveals that the men and women appear to be victims of social and cultural norms of the 1920s that was almost impossible to change. Although, some of the character’s attempt to redefine society and culture, more so the women in the text in order to renegotiate the
A Look at Feminism in The Great Gatsby. Throughout the history of humanity, women have always been seen in a lesser light than men. This prejudice appears in many types of media, including books. The book, The Great Gatsby, is no exception to this with Fitzgerald’s female characters Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle. Each woman is different in terms of character, and Fitzgerald uses that to view the undertones of feminism in the story. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows feminism by contrasting
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
Jack Clayton’s The Great Gatsby was produced during a decade of progressive movements such as Second-wave Feminism, and in particular, the Sexual Revolution. Second Wave Feminism demonstrated the fight of females of all classes and races to gain reproductive rights and equality in the workplace, which signaled an ideological background for gender struggles. In the Sexual Revolution, women searched for their role in society through exploring their bodies and challenging sexual normativity in an effort
only did money play an important part of this era, but literature also had a significant and vital role. One of the numerous writers was F. Scott Fitzgerald. Wanting to capture the twenties in its midst, Fitzgerald wrote the literary classic, The Great Gatsby. The
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald took place in the 1920’s when the nation was undergoing rapid economic, political, and social change. Looking through different literary lenses the reader is able to see the effects of these rapid changes. The marxist lens reflects the gap between rich and poor while the feminist lens showcases the patriarchal society. The marxist lens reflects the gap between the rich and the poor during the 1920’s through the glass ceiling effect and female economic status
The Great Gatsby when Daisy is talking to Nick about her daughter she says “I’m glad it’s a girl, And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” (17) Daisy also thinks women should be fools, but my her saying this she is acknowledging it therefore proving she is not a real fool herself. She just knows how to play the system to get what she wants. Daisy wants social status and she pretends to be a fool to get it, which is exactly what Marjorie
the role of Tom’s simple and self-centered ‘trophy wife’, relating to the idea she is perceived as an object rather than a person. She usually wears white or cream dresses which juxtaposes and highlights her corruption as she begins an affair with Gatsby and ultimately causes his death by running over Myrtle in his car allowing him to be blamed. Fitzgerald fails to describe Daisy with any depth or consideration towards her personality, Fitzgerald appeals
movement that hope was revealed for a brighter future for the female population. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, portrays the era when women had no power over men. This story is about James Gatz, or better known as Gatsby, who struggled to achieve his American Dream of rewinding time to five years ago when he was happily together with the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby, who started out as a farm boy, successfully climbed up the social hierarchy ladder to living in the West Egg
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. What’s Fitzgerald’s implicit views of modern women in this novel? Daisy and Jordan dress the part of flappers, yet Daisy also plays the role of the Louisville rich girl debutante. A good question to ask is perhaps just how much Daisy realizes this is a “role,” and whether her recognition
Women are seen from a biased point of view in pop culture as they are often criticized and portrayed in degrading ways. The Great Gatsby takes place in the early part of the 20th century which is also known as the Roaring 20's. In regards to feminism, the women in The Great Gatsby are mainly depicted as second class to men. The story gives readers an insight of the roles that gender played in past World War I America. In The Great Gatsby, the author Scott Fitzgerald shines a light on the submissiveness
The Great Gatsby is a great way to portray the corruption of society and the fall of the American Dream. The Great Gatsby shows us the way people will fall into the hands of power, greed, money and get involved in illegal activities to get what they want, when they want it, where they want it. In The Great Gatsby death of the American Dream comes up a lot and gets brutally smashed into tiny pieces. Decay is mostly in the so-called "valley of ashes." which is not really a valley full of ash but an
The Roaring Twenties was an era that transformed America's views on women's gender roles and relationship standards. The Great Gatsby is a story of a wealthy man named Jay Gatsby told through the view of Nick Carraway. Gatsby has been living in the past his entire life with his one true goal of reuniting with his first love Daisy Buchanan. Throughout the story we see the ups and downs of being a rich elite in society and the values of life and scandals in the 1920s. Gender roles and relationships
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby, the reader is able to interpret the major socio-economic classes represented in Marxist Theory. Fitzgerald connects character actions and class status to a Marxist representation of the socio-economic structure of 1920’s American society. Bourgeoisie, as defined in our text: “Those individuals who have accumulated wealth and influence through their control of factories, business, and other highly profitable enterprises” (74). “The Bourgeoisie
Spandan Timilsina Period 3 Feminist Lens on The Great Gatsby The Hunger Games is a unique novel that explores a fascinating concept, what happens when you throw twenty-four people to battle to the death? What’s truly remarkable about the novel is its ability to be read from a feminist point of view. Collins takes on the role of a feminist author by placing Katniss Everdeen, a female underdog, as the winner of the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are about strength and endurance, and females were not