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the role of women in great gatsby
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The novel The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic 20th century masterpiece of literature, this novel is considered to be an example of a fairytale gone wrong. The protagonist Jay Gatsby loses the love of his life, Daisy, when he leaves for the war. When Gatsby he returned from war he found out that Daisy had left him for a wealthy and successful man, Tom Buchanan. Secondary characters that are important to the text is Jordan Baker and Myrtle Wilson.
Jordan Baker is “…a slender, small-breasted girl, with an erect carriage, which she accentuated by throwing her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet. Her gray sun-strained eyes looked back at me with polite reciprocal curiosity out of a wan, charming, discontented face.” (Fitzgerald 11) Ms. Baker was first introduced when Nick walked into Daisy’s elegant house and found both, Daisy and Jordan, laying comfortably in the couch in white elegant dresses. Jordan impacts the story because she is envious, nosey, and a threat. Jordan is envious because she thinks that she is important like Daisy and wants the same attention given to her. Hence, why she bragged about how she won in the golf tournament; even though she cheated her way to the top. “She was extended full length at her end of the divan, completely motionless, and with her chin raised a little…” (Fitzgerald 8) this demonstrates that Jordan is trying to show her elegance and class just like Daisy, even though she isn’t giving much attention to Nick Carraway. Jordan also is a really nosey character; she listens close to Tom’s conversations on the phone and warns Nick that Tom has a mistress that lives in New York. Lastly, Jordan becomes a threat to Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle begins to feel threated by ...
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...iliate her in a way that she would never be able to replace her spot. Therefore, she finds a way to leave her bedroom in order to give Tom a piece of her mind and tell his “wife” if she knew where her husband has been hanging around with. This becomes a turning point because this is where the rising action begins and Myrtle gets killed, which then leads to the next victim.
There are many secondary characters in The Great Gatsby but both Jordan Baker and Myrtle Wilson have an impact to the end of the story. Jordan may be a minor character throughout the novel but many of her actions either impacted the main characters or teach a lesson about falling in love. Myrtle Wilson in the other hand was the reason why Gatsby never ended up with Daisy at the end. The fairytale gone wrong began right after Myrtle’s death.
Works Cited
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Gatsby Essay Fitzgerald created the characters Daisy and Myrtle wilson to illustrate the similarities and differences between women living in two completely different worlds. Some people live in expensive mansions with expensive things and money to waste, while others have very little and have to work extremely hard for the little they have. Daisy, a beautiful, rich woman is similar to Myrtle Wilson in the sense that they are both in an unhappy marriage. They are seeking love and happiness through affairs. But on they also share many differences.
Jordan Baker is a friend of Daisy’s. Daisy met her through golfing although, Jordans attitudes and demeanor don't support this story. She is clearly annoyed and bored by the situation, which only intoxicates Nick. Jordan has an attitude of nonchalance about her, she is seemingly untouched by the dramatic nature of the night.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby, the pursuit of the American dream in a corrupt period is a central theme. This theme exemplifies itself in the downfall of Gatsby. In a time of disillusionment the ideals of the American dream are lost. The classic American dream is one of materialism and when Gatsby incorporates Daisy, a human being, into the dream he is doomed to fail.
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.
Crossing the porch where we had dined that June night three months before, I came to a small rectangle of light which I guessed was the pantry window. The blind was drawn, but I found a rift at the sill.
Tom knew Myrtle better than any of the main characters. He had met her on a train headed for New York. When the train reached the city, she went with him in a taxi, and their affair began. Tom never made much of an effort to keep their relationship secret. In fact, he almost paraded her around in the presence of his acquaintances. They made frequent trips into New York so that they could be together. Myrtle was Tom's escape from his own life in East Egg. While Daisy provided him with a wealthy, acceptable social image, she was not much more to him than a mere possession. His affair with Myrtle offered him a chance to defy his social expectations. Their relationship was important to him because of this opportunity to escape. When Myrtle died, it shook him deeply, especially because he believed Gatsby had been driving the yellow car. After leaving George Wilson's garage the night of the accident, he managed to drive slowly until he and Nick were out of sight. Then he slammed his foot down on the accelerator, driving much faster. He began quietly sobbing, privately mourning her death. He immediately blamed Gatsby for bringing their relationship to an abrupt halt. "That God damned coward!" he cried. "He didn't even stop his car." His feelings of anger and hurt were greatly intensified by the day spent in New York....
The Value of Jay Gatsby Jay Gatsby, who is one of the main characters of the Great Gatsby, is a man with a mysterious background and an unknown personality. He doesn't mention too much about his past except certain fabricated highlights of his life which were designed to impress others. The strange and humorous thing is that he carries articles of evidence that back up most of his lies to prove that he isn't lying. Gatsby is also the kind of man that is used to getting what he wants no matter what the consequences are, causing him to be a very determined man that once has an idea in his mind won't let it go until he accomplishes it. The things that Jay Gatsby values the most is money, to impress others and gain acceptance and most of all, having things his own way.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald focuses on the lifestyle of a group of people who will do anything to accomplish their goals. The characters go through different changes that come to affect their life decisions and will cause them to lie, sacrifice and feel lonely in their lives. They live the American dream and have power but chase a dream that would affect and change their lifestyles. They judge and discriminate against one another not knowing they have a certain symbol in common in their lives. Their desire to accomplish their goals became a type of new life to the characters.
Jordan Baker also alludes to these contrasting properties between Carraway and Gatsby. Baker in comparison to Daisy Buchanan is boyish and athletic in a sense, at least much more so than Mrs. Buchanan. While Daisy was considered rich by societal standards, she was essentially being paired with Tom Buchanan’s money, whereas Jordan Baker was wealthy through her own hard work and professional golfing career.
According to the dictionary, the definition of dissatisfaction is the quality or state of being unhappy or discontent. Dissatisfaction is a disease that theoretically knows no prejudices, has no cure, and almost everyone has it. This is a global epidemic, that can destroy a man in the time it takes to snap your fingers. Physically most people will be alright but discontent will rot you to the core on the inside. Unfortunately, not being content seems to be a very common part of society today and in the past. The theme of not be satiated by life is especially seen in the famous novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. All the characters in this novel seemingly have achieved the american dream but they are all unhappy and never get what they really want in the end. Also, no character is satisfied with their marriage, with love, and with life in general. They are all unhappy with their lives and they destroy the lives of others in order to satisfy themselves. The Great Gatsby teaches us that even being wealthy and powerful, people can still be dissatisfied and will do anything in order to be happy. Therefore, despite believing that we have it all, dissatisfaction still plagues the human spirit.
During Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, it is apparent to be an absurd time for the wealthy. The shallowness of money, riches, and a place in a higher social class were probably the most important components in most lives at that period of time. This is expressed clearly by Fitzgerald, especially through his characters, which include Myrtle Wilson, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and of course, Jay Gatsby. This novel was obviously written to criticize and condemn the ethics of the rich.
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Daisy Miller by Henry James, most of the characters are under illusions during the majority of the plot. The plots are carried out with the characters living under these illusions, which are mainly overcome by the ends of the stories. The disillusionment of most of the characters completely diminishes the foundation in which the plots were built upon, leading to the downfall of some of the main characters and the altering of the other characters.
The only reason Daisy is in The Great Gatsby, is so that she can run over Myrtle. If she were to be removed, either the story would not have that conflict and therefore resolve it with another instance of Myrtle dying and blaming Gatsby for the death, or have a completely different character that would run over Myrtle. The only other important female character is Jordan Baker and how according to Nick he saw her picture connected to a “critical and unpleasant story”. “The reader later discovers this concerns a time she cheated in a major golf tournament. Her insincerity with Nick in their love affair is another example of her detached personality.” (Telgen) This shows that Jordan can be removed because of her detached personality and that her cheating in the golf tournament does not add any conflict to the
Myrtle Wilson takes on the task of gaining social status and wealth in a corrupt way. Myrtle Wilson betrays her husband to climb the ladder of wealth. Tom Buchanan becomes used by Myrtle to acquire glistening mounds of wealth. “Myrtle Wilson does not have many material items. She has a loyal husband, but Myrtle wants everything else… She feels she deserves more; she feels that she deserves more; she feels she deserves Tom, his money, power, and influence” (Dawson). Myrtle Wilson’s intentions become obvious during The Great Gatsby. If Myrtle Wilson wanted love, she could have looked to her husband, George Wilson, who truly loved her. Her dream of wealth, however, dominated her desire of love. Myrtle could have easily ended her relationship with Tom due to his frequent violence if it was simply about love. Myrtle could endure the violence if it meant she could achieve her American
Myrtle is, as Daisy, impressed with Tom's wealth and appearance, but, like Jay Gatsby, is stuck in a fantastic, idealized perception of her object of affection. Even when abused and trampled over by Tom, Myrtle continues to adore him, just as Gatsby continues to dote upon Daisy after being obviously rejected by her. As far as ethical considerations, Gatsby tends to prove himself a sincere and caring person, while Daisy and Tom just destroy the lives of two people and then leave town to escape the consequences of their actions.