Daisy Buchanan In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

589 Words3 Pages

Women in the 1920s In the 1920s, women experienced significant shifts in their roles and attitudes, particularly in Western societies such as the United States. This era marked the peak of the women's suffrage movement, with women gaining the right to vote in 1920 through the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. These changes in political rights set the stage for more social and cultural shifts. During the 1920s, many women challenged traditional gender roles and societal expectations. This period saw the emergence of the "New Woman," characterized by greater independence, freedom, and participation in previously male-dominated spheres of life. “It’s important to remember that what was true for white women was not necessarily true for black …show more content…

Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," which is set in the 1920s, the female characters reflect some of these societal changes. Daisy Buchanan, the main female character in the novel, represents the upper-class woman of the Jazz Age. She is portrayed as glamorous, charming, and desirable, embodying the allure of wealth and social status. However, Daisy is also depicted as shallow, fragile, and ultimately disillusioned with her privileged but empty life. Her character symbolizes the moral and spiritual decay of the American Dream during the Roaring Twenties. “They moved with a fast crowd, all of them young and rich and wild, but she came out with an absolutely perfect reputation.” (Fitzgerald) Daisy's behavior reflects the contradictions and complexities of women's roles during the era. While she enjoys the privileges of wealth and social status, she is also trapped in a loveless marriage and lacks power over her own life. “Despite the heady freedoms embodied by the flapper, real liberation and equality for women remained elusive in the 1920s, and it would be left to later generations of women to fully benefit from the social changes the decade set in motion.” (Pruitt) Her relationship with Gatsby, driven by nostalgia and longing for rewriting the past, underscores the disillusionment and discontentment prevalent among many Americans during the