Examples Of Masculinity In The Great Gatsby

During the Roaring Twenties, “shifting male hierarchies... privileged a few men” (Kann XI) the power to devastate society with a few careless decisions. F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates, in the novel The Great Gatsby, that hypermasculinity - aggressive demonstrations of physical strength and sexuality - leads to diminished autonomy of men who are not traditionally masculine. As a pivotal figure in the novel, Tom Buchanan dominates weak men, such as George Wilson and Jay Gatsby, who contradict his masculine ideals - Tom ruins their lives to prove his superiority. Fitzgerald illustrates, through Tom’s unoriginal beliefs and actions, the demolition of human lives caused by an inflated ego.

Tom’s contempt for opposing forces of masculinity are

Like in Wilson’s case, Tom believes that Gatsby exhibits weakness in allowing Daisy’s actions to dictate his lifestyle. Because he idolizes Daisy to such extremes, Gatsby attempts to build a masculine image for her sake. Gatsby increasingly reveals his supposed subservience by spending “five years of unwavering devotion” (83) to capture Daisy’s attention. Like Wilson, Gatsby struggles to please the woman in his life; lacking the masculinity to seize control in his relationship with Daisy, he becomes a weaker man. Tom is outraged when he discovers Gatsby’s affair with Daisy, because it is an mockery of Tom’s own masculinity. Amidst his insecurity, Tom feels insulted that an inferior man challenges his superiority by cheating with his wife. Viewing Gatsby’s devotion for Daisy as dependency, Tom believes Gatsby is inferior and uses hypermasculinity to take revenge and prove his

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). Tom appeals to Daisy’s desire for masculinity by using an intimate sexual tone. Remembering Tom’s commanding sexuality and her position as a wife, Daisy’s partiality for Gatsby’s form of masculinity begins to falter. Amidst a heated argument, Tom’s incriminating words “suddenly [lean] down over Gatsby” (102). The physical depiction of Tom’s dominating words shows his superiority as he exposes Gatsby’s sordid, bootlegging background and undermines Gatsby’s honor as a man. Consequently, Daisy abandons him for Tom, causing Gatsby to lose his life-long goal and his masculinity. By reclaiming Daisy, Tom demonstrates the dominance of his hypermasculinity as his sexuality and physical presence