Examples Of Patriarchy In The Great Gatsby

The Folly of Patriarchy

The 1920s was a time period that seemed to usher in the modern age. As the twenties saw the end of the First World War, there was a great deal of social and political change that was ushered in. Americans began to move from rural areas to urban areas, chasing the so called ‘American Dream’ which had greatly differed from what it was originally. Initially, the American Dream was the strive for hope. In the twenties, it was the strive for wealth. Many people look back at this time period and think, “those were the days…” but, the days for who? The 1920s was also referred to as the ‘Roaring Twenties’, however, it seemed only the men were allowed to roar. In this time period, America followed a patriarchy which saw that women were subservient to men. As F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was written during this time period, it is no surprise that many elements of this novel were

How can this be answered in relation to feminism, patriarchy and gender. When looking back at The Great Gatsby, we see that all the major male characters ended out not very well off. Wilson and Gatsby both died. Nick had become a depressed alcoholic and Tom had to return to a damaged relationship. Perhaps Fitzgerald is saying that as long as we follow a patriarchal system that encourages docility in women, we as men would never live as meaningful a life as we can. So, we need to move past the idea that women are inferior sexual objects. We need to notice changing social dynamics and accept that women are just as equal as men. They say behind every great man is a great woman. This, however, is wrong. Behind every great man is not a woman as she is beside him. She empowers him and they empower each other. To live a meaningful life, both men and women have to work cohesively as equals to help each other on their individual paths to