The author of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, uses Tom Buschan as a symbol of gender roles during the period of Roaring Twenties. Tom is the narrator, Nick's friend from college and they are having a reunion. Nick describes Tom as having, “Two arrogant eyes [that] had established dominance over his face,” (page 14). Fitzgerald chose to include the word “dominance” because men controlled almost everything during this time period. Tom is a prime example of men controlling their women, even with their eyes.
Have you ever read The Great Gatsby, and if you have, have you ever analyzed it? Personally, I have specifically analyzed the female characters in The Great Gatsby, and the author's message to the readers about feminine power. Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan are the three main characters in The Great Gatsby and they make up the majority of the story. Fitzgerald’s, the author of The Great Gatsby, message to the readers about feminine power is that women are better off without a man. This is his point of view because he believes that a man will drag a woman down, and she won't be able to reach her full potential.
In society, emotion is the main contribution to the strengthening and harm to the human condition. The influence that women have in the two texts display how love defines the rash actions that one may display for what they desire. Gatsby’s love for Daisy Buchannan along with the influence that she brings to his life, leads him into a downward spiral which then ends in his demise, the influence of Lady Macbeth on Macbeth tests his desires and lust for power. Obsessions and persisting those obsessions are what creates both stories of Macbeth and Gatsby and entail the main incentive for power or for love. Through self-destruction and illusion, the two texts display obsessions and their impossible and illusionistic outcomes.
The women in the Great Gatsby are represented as what the men seek. F scotts fitzgerald uses the women to represent the American Dream by showing their beauty, status, and personality. Beauty was a big part in 1920’s which was shown from myrtle, daisy, and jordan. Daisy represents beauty the most because she is shown as a captivating young girl that leads people in her ways.
Have you ever wondered what the stereotypes of women were in the 1920’s? Well, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, there are three different types of stereotypes for women. In this book, a man named Nick Carraway moves near a billionaire who goes by the name Gatsby. Gatsby hosts many parties which include many different types of people, such as gold diggers, golden girls, and the new women. Throughout this book, Nick gets to meet all three types of these girls, and gets to spend time with them.
In today’s duplicitous society, men often pursue the “perfect woman”. This woman is construed to be; fit, provocative and ravishing. However, in greatly distinguished American novel, The Great Gatsby, the men have strayed from stalking women for their looks. Instead, Gatsby chases Daisy to achieve her as a prize of his bounty and any affection Gatsby demonstrates toward her, is simply to appease to her sense of status and wealth. The author F. Scott Fitzgerald, exhibits Gatsby’s these feelings for Daisy through the clever usage of connotation, symbolism and metaphors.
How would you act if you were a woman during the 1920s: an age of economic prosperity, carefree living, flappers, and jazz? In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, each female character symbolizes a different aspect of the influences of society. The book follows the story of a self-made millionaire who aspires to reunite with his past lover, but as tensions increase we learn of his true motives. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, the existence of the corruption of the elite, social standing, and modernism within the cast is indisputable.
Fitzgerald depicts the women of the novel as deceitful, sexual beings that are naturally subordinate to men through Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle. Daisy exemplifies the naturally inferior role of women relying on the wealth of men in their lives to take care of them. When Daisy talks about her daughter she claims, “a fool–that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”(21) establishing women’s subordinate role in which they are ignorant to the affairs of their husbands and expected to rely on their beauty to carry them through life. When Daisy is accused of infidelity with Gatsby in the hotel, Gatsby claims that Daisy is attracted to men of wealth and, “only married [Tom] because [Gatsby] was poor and she was tired of waiting for [him]”(137).
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the main idea, the American Dream is demonstrated through the presence of material items and the objectification of women. First, society is portrayed in a flashy way, hinting that guests at Gatsby’s parties only cared about his wealth. Each guest embodied the idea that this is what they wanted to achieve. By coming to these parties, they were able to live their American Dream through Gatsby without even really knowing him. Women are prevalent in this novel as their connection to men controlled their destiny.
The characterization of Jordan by Fitzgerald at various party scenes promote a strong juxtaposition with other women which exemplifies her ability to display a masculine side which is unique from the norm. At Nick’s first party in his new hometown, Nick carefully observes and takes in as much as the night as he can. He notices the music, the drinks, but especially the women. Nick sees that towards the end of the final song “girls were putting their heads on men’s shoulders in a puppyish, convivial way, girls were swooning backward playfully into men’s arms, even into groups, knowing that someone would arrest their falls.” (52)
The way women are portrayed in art has always been a point for analysis and criticism. Artists can reflect their opinion of women through their art. An example of this is in Cheerleader by Omi. The song was criticised for its lyrics because they “Sexist & That’s Really Disappointing” according to Bustle Magazine, a women’s magazine with over 10 million subscribers. This means that Omi could be sexist, because his song includes sexist remarks.
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.
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.
“I hope she’ll be a fool--that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, beautiful little fool”(Fitzgerald 17). This line, stated by Daisy, accurately demonstrates the perception of women during the 1920s. Women were seen as objects and deemed incapable of intelligent thought. In The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays women based on similar stereotypes from this time period. Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker are all prominent female characters in the story whose behaviors and actions, although different, showcase the common desires and struggles of women at the time.
In this the year, which marks, the centenary in which, women won the right to vote; this essay will be to ‘Discuss the presentation of the women in ‘The great Gatsby’. One cannot understand the writing of ‘The great Gatsby’ without considering the era in which it took place. The role of women first started to change after the First World War in United States of America. Before this war, women did not enjoy universal suffrage. However, that was to change.
