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Comparing Daisy And Jordan In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

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In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, the contrast between Daisy and Jordan illustrates the emergence of the New Woman and the decline of male dominance during the 1920s. Throughout the novel, Daisy is portrayed as a domesticated and stagnant character in order to depict the traditional behavior of women at that time period. Daisy is seen as a shallow character when she responds “oh, yes” to Nick’s statement that her daughter “talks, and-eats, and everything” (Fitzgerald 16). The quick and short response reveals Daisy’s lack of attachment towards her daughter. Her brief reaction to Nick’s comment about her child shows how eager she is to move onto another topic that revolves around herself. Daisy explains how she wept when she …show more content…

Jordan Baker is portrayed as a clever woman who surrounds herself with “shrewd men…. [because] she wasn’t able to endure being at a disadvantage” (Fitzgerald 58). By surrounding herself with ‘inferior men,’ Jordan feels more important and has more control over herself. Jordan is a professional golfer and during one of “her first big golf tournament[s]...[there was] a suggestion that she had moved her ball from a bad lie in the semi-final round” (Fitzgerald 57). Jordan’s action of “[moving] her ball” indicates her defiance of following the rules of the game as well as her habits of being dishonest (Fitzgerald 57). Many women of this time did not find the need to cheat; therefore, it just shows Jordan’s ability to free herself from conformity. Jordan also portrays another character trait of the New Woman, recklessness, when “she passed so close to some workmen that [their] fender flicked a button on one man’s coat” (Fitzgerald 58). The sight of women driving during this era was very rare and the fact that Jordan was driving rather rashly shows how she did not care what society thought and of its norms. Jordan’s irresponsibility is shown when Nick rebukes her on her driving and her response for her actions is simply “well, other people are” also reckless (Fitzgerald 58). Her blithe excuse shows her negligent habits and careless lifestyle, unlike Daisy’s habit of being careful. Also, Fitzgerald portrays Jordan as being a very irresponsible character when she said that other drivers will “keep out of [her] way, it takes two to make an accident” (Fitzgerald 58). Jordan’s selfish behavior is exemplified when her driving causes other people on the road to be responsible for not only their safety but hers as well. The Great Gatsby portrays how most women during this time were dependent, careful and subservient; however, Jordan depicted the

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F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby portrays the lives of wealthy Americans living in the success and grandeur of the Roaring Twenties. Within the novel, the epoch’s legacy of material want and the need for human connection clash in the form of Daisy Buchanan. Her inner conflict between the two desires are symbolized in Jay’s letter and Tom’s pearls. Jay’s letter to Daisy Buchanan proves the romance of their relationship, while Tom’s pearls ultimately represents Daisy’s decision to abandon that love for wealth.

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In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays women in an extremely negative light. The idea Fitzgerald gives off is that women are only good for their looks and their bodies and that they should just be a sex symbol rather than actually use their heads. He treats women like objects and the male characters in the novel use women, abuse women, and throw them aside. I believe that Daisy, Jordan and Myrtle are prime examples of women in The Great Gatsby being treated poorly.

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Scott Fitzgerald’s work, “The Great Gatsby”, Jordan Baker is developed as a female character who undergoes self realization in the face of societal oppression through her independent characterization and through the overall theme of social rankings in the novel. She was born into money and she will accept nothing less than what life owes her. She also is ready to defy societal norms as most of the women Jordan’s age have husbands and children while she shows the world that she can be completely fine on her own. Jordan Baker perseveres through this novel as a wealthy pro-golfer living in the “old money” East Egg side of town and yet she fights for her right to be an individual and defies social traditions. These contradicting characteristics make Ms. Baker the complex character she is and Fitzgerald does this to allow her to truly define herself and her role in the

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This situation shows that even if women are independent, the social hierarchy will keep them below the status of men. Nick’s opinion on Jordan’s life shows that he, along with the rest of society, is not prepared for women to be fully independent. In reference to one of Jordan’s championship games , Nick says, “She wasn 't able to endure being at a disadvantage” (Fitzgerald 58). This quote from Nick shows that he and the rest of society were aware of the gap in respect and social equality between men and women, they just felt it was justified.

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Although this figure, Gatsby, experiences an intensely intimate relationship with Daisy, his emotions reside on the side of extreme obsession rather than genuine affection. Desire plays a pivotal role in the development of the characters in the novel, showing Fitzgerald’s seminal message

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In today’s duplicitous society, men often pursue the “perfect woman”. This woman is construed to be; fit, provocative and ravishing. However, in greatly distinguished American novel, The Great Gatsby, the men have strayed from stalking women for their looks. Instead, Gatsby chases Daisy to achieve her as a prize of his bounty and any affection Gatsby demonstrates toward her, is simply to appease to her sense of status and wealth. The author F. Scott Fitzgerald, exhibits Gatsby’s these feelings for Daisy through the clever usage of connotation, symbolism and metaphors.

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In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Daisy is portrayed as a modern woman; she is sophisticated, careless and beautifully shallow. Daisy knows who she is, and what it takes for her to be able to keep the lifestyle she grew up in, and this adds to her carelessness and her feigned interest in life. In all, Daisy is a woman who will not sacrifice material desires or comfort for love or for others, and her character is politely cruel in this way. Daisy’s main strength, which buoyed her throughout her youth and when she was in Louisville, is her ability to know what was expected of her and feign cluelessness.

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F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, is full of themes of wealth, love, and tragedy. Also during the time this book was written, women’s suffrage had begun, so women were taking their first steps towards equality with men. The three main women characters in the novel: Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker, all have things in common but can be vastly different; they reflect the view of women in the early 20th century. The Great Gatsby portrays the characters Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan as stereotypes of women during the 1920s, seen in their behavior, beliefs, and their ultimate fate.

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F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, is full of themes of wealth, love, and tragedy, as well as a subtle but powerful representation of gender. During the time this book was written, women’s suffrage had begun, so women were taking their first steps towards equality with men. The three main women characters in the novel - Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker- all have things in common but can be vastly different; they reflect both man and society’s view of women in the early 20th century. The Great Gatsby portrays the characters Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan as stereotypes of women during the 1920s, which is shown through their behavior, beliefs, and ultimate fates and their personalities display both powerful and potentially harmful stereotypes of women at this time.

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In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, characters have very distinct identities that develop throughout the book and many inferences are needed to understand the characters. One example of this is Daisy Buchanan. Daisy Buchanan cares greatly about wealth and is a very careless person. Throughout the novel, many of her decisions are due to her greed and carelessness, even though those decisions may not be the best decisions for her. Daisy displays her greed throughout the novel; she marries Tom Buchanan because of his wealth.

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In the novel, Great Gatsby, the two main women presented are Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson. There are many similarities and differences between Daisy and Myrtle. For instance both of them are unhappy in their lives and they are love in with a different with person, not with their husband. Their marriage is a jail. They are both in love with Tom in a different way, Daisy is the wife and Myrtle is the mistress.

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