Long Island in the 1920s was an experience for people to live a lavish lifestyle and have dreams that they would become rich. The Great Gatsby focuses on the elites of our society, who lived in the West and East egg. Women at this time were very money based. When applied to The Great Gatsby, the feminist lens highlights the true motivations behind the decisions women made in the roaring 1920s through the characters Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan. Daisy is usually described as materialistic and is very desperate to have a lot of money. She expresses her confidence in this role. Daisy states, “I hope she’ll be a fool, that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (page 17). Talking about her daughter, she wishes she acted …show more content…
When Daisy speaks, Gatsby mentions, “Her voice is full of money” (page 120). Her voice carries wealth and privilege when she talks. Gatsby connects Daisy with the luxurious lifestyle she has gotten by marrying Tom Buchanan. Gatsby is drawn to her voice, showing his obsession. Daisy’s materialism shines through when she sees Gatsby and his shirts. She states, “They’re such beautiful shirts. It makes me sad because I've never seen such beautiful shirts before” (Page 92). Daisy seems to feel regret for being with Tom over Gatsby, but only when she sees how much money Gatsby has. His shirts display a rich man with many nice shirts and Daisy wishes she had that amount of money. Material things evoked her feelings for Gatsby, not him. Not every female at this time was as materialistic as Daisy. The main character, Jordan Baker, is cool and confident but still is surrounded by money but holds her own. She is a strong, independent woman who doesn’t rely on a man to make her rich, but instead someone who doesn't expect her to be perfect. Nick states, “Jordan Baker instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men, and now I saw that this was because she felt safer on a plane where any divergence from a code would be thought impossible.” (page