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Examples Of Manipulation In The Great Gatsby

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The 1920’s was an era of change and growth with no regard for morality. The novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald written in 1925. Tells the story of a young, wealthy man named Jay Gatsby as he tries to win back his former love Daisy Buchanan, amidst the immoral and chaotic roaring 20’s. This decade presented plenty of challenges for women looking to navigate through a male dominated society. However, characters Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker are able to overcome this challenge through manipulation and Independence. Society has always painted the picture of a “traditional” woman: stay home, raise the children, keep the house, be nurturing, and in a multitude of ways, contribute to American society. However the 1920’s marked the birth …show more content…

Daisy Buchanan is a prime representation of a “new woman” through her usage of manipulation. This is evident in chapter When confronted by both her husband Tom, and previous lover Gatsby, Daisy is put into conflict. Daisy is asked by Gatsby, who she is having an affair with, whether she had ever loved Tom and after assuring Gatsby she didn’t Daisy says, “I did love him once — but I loved you too… ‘Even alone I can’t say I never loved Tom,’ she admitted in a pitiful voice. ‘It wouldn’t be true” (102). This demonstrates how Daisy uses her charm to manipulate the men around her. Daisy is conscious of the effect she has on men and utilizes it to take control of them. This is shown in her manipulation of Gatsby, essentially leading him on to believe that she wants to be …show more content…

They were known to sport short skirts, bob haircuts, and slimming cigarettes. And at many times were viewed as immoral and rebellious. Flappers emerged as a cultural icon in cities during this decade. Jordan Baker can be considered as someone who flawlessly mirrored this ideal by using her independence and utilizing manipulation to compete in a male dominated society. Jordans independence is displayed when Nick is exploring New York and begins to mention bumping into her over the summer, and he reflects upon the times he’s had with her. Nick says, “For a while I lost sight of Jordan Baker… I was flattered to go places with her, because she was a golf champion, and everyone knew her name” (46). This reveals that Jordan is a very strong and assertive person. Jordan, unlike Daisy, rose to the top of the social ladder on her own without the help of a man. Jordan being a very skilled golfer, which for women was not a popular job at the time, shows her confidence and determination to separate herself and question the normalities of civilization. This ultimately puts Jordan in a better stance to compete in society. However, Jordan also manipulates in the form of dishonesty to compete with men. In Chapter 3 Nick continues to think back on his time spent with Baker and as he analyzes her character he

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She is an intentional rule breaker, enjoys careers that allow independence and freedom, and finally is a quick witted charming woman. An intentional rule breaker by heart and a flapper by choice Jordan uses this trait throughout the novel. She starts breaking rules immediately why she became a flapper. A flapper is someone who broke woman's normal social standards in the 1920’s-this is exactly what Jordan did.

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With the right to vote, consumer based culture, leisure time, and modernism, women who followed these new practices and ideals created the flapper image of the roaring twenties we know today. In Fitzgerald’s story he describes the girls almost wanting to be flappers to me it seems as if in almost all of Fitzgerald’s books he has a girl who is the opposite of what her society wants her to be like and is leaning towards the lifestyle of a flapper girl it's like they are all the same person or have many of the same characteristic in “ The Great Gatsby” which is one of my favorite books, Jordan Baker is a golfer who represents what the new woman is which is cynical,boyish, and self centered. She kinda reminds me of how Beatrice and Marjorie are at the end. They had almost every iconic element of a flapper besides the bobbed hair,but they loved to party at the end , they dance to jazz music, was cut-in every few feet on the dance floor, was always wearing the latest fashions, and was all over casual dating. With this new flashy and flirtatious attitude and charm that young women

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1386 Words | 6 Pages

At first, Gatsby controls Daisy’s actions under the guise of his gentleman persona, his own form of masculinity. However, Gatsby’s masculinity crumbles as he provokes Tom to “go on” (99) accusing him as “he’s too polite to object” (83) to a challenge. When he invites Tom to continue to talk, Gatsby gives Tom control, allowing him to manipulate the situation and his gentleman image. Feeling insulted, Tom uses his hypermasculinity, sexuality and physical presence to regain his “property” - Daisy. The first crucial instance in which Tom regains control of his wife is when he dissolves Daisy’s rancor with his “husky tenderness” (101).

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1186 Words | 5 Pages

Daisy’s manipulative nature is exposed to the reader by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but hidden behind a persona of joyful innocence in the novel, that ultimately allows her to blindside others. `Tom is an egocentric character and Daisy is aware of this fact resulting in a naive victimized exterior, that she uses to alleviate any pressure that is put on her. For instance, Tom and Daisy were invited to attend one of Gatsby's gatherings,upon arrival Daisy drifts away from her husband to meet Gatsby her “lover”. When Tom proposes the idea of leaving them to eat with other people,”’ Go ahead,’ answered Daisy genially,’ and if you want to take down any addresses here’s my little gold pencil’... She looked around after a moment and told me the girl was common but pretty”(Pg.105).

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Regarding the same championship, Nick accuses Jordan of participating in dishonest behavior without evidence. He assumes from her personality and how she presents herself that she is getting herself into trouble. Nick says that “At her first big golf tournament there was a row that nearly reached the newspapers -- a suggestion that she

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786 Words | 4 Pages

She was wealthy and sophisticated, everything Gatsby wanted and starved to have. But we end up seeing that Daisy falls short of Gatsby’s expectations for her. It seems as though Daisy is knowingly toying with Gatsby's emotions. Maybe she had just wanted to be admired and adored by Gatsby. She desired his affection and love toward her.

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She is rather arrogant and it is revealed later in the novel that she is very dishonest. She is Nick’s love interest through most of the novel and is in many pivotal scenes including the climax. Jordan Baker represents the “new women” of the 1920s. She wore shorter dresses and had shorter hair. She was also very self-centered and arrogant which also represents the 1920s according to F. Scott Fitzgerald.

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But when Tom and Gatsby begin to see the situation clearly, Daisy’s control

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The Great Gatsby takes place in the “roaring twenties” aka. the Jazz age. The 1920s was a period of increased freedom for women, as young women/flappers started to move away from traditional values. This decade was arguably the most important for Women as they were gaining more and more rights in society. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald focuses on three very different but stereotypical women, Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Myrtle Wilson, who all have one focus, obtaining their version of the American Dream.

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She is married to Tom Buchanan, who is a wealthy man with little respect for her. Despite being treated as an object, lacking morality and responsibility, and being very charming, Daisy is able to influence the actions of the men in the novel: Tom, Gatsby, and Nick. Daisy is someone that other people, specifically men, want to have in their possession. To have her

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2439 Words | 10 Pages

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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2397 Words | 10 Pages

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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”(Lathbury 70). Nick lost who he truly was and his relationships with others caused an emotional drainage that he could not bare. He was an honorable individual but dishonesty filled his life and determined the outcome of his cherished

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1399 Words | 6 Pages

Myrtle is accustomed to living an underprivileged life where feminine power engulfs her, but Tom is too egotistical to allow Myrtle to speak with such authority to him. Similarly, Gatsby’s need for assurance from Daisy pressures her into revealing to Tom that she never loved him (Fitzgerald 132). Deep down, Daisy knows that she truly did love Tom once, but Gatsby’s assertiveness and persistence drives her over the edge to telling Tom that what the two of them shared meant nothing to her. Daisy’s attribute of being a pushover is revealed immensely because she refuses to stand up for herself. Daisy is used to enabling Tom to constantly control all aspects of her life, and that leaves her powerless in society.

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Being a woman, she manipulates her husband to realize her dreams. F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby depicts the vulnerability and naivety of women. Daisy desires

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