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How Does Fitzgerald Treat Women In The Great Gatsby

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The Great Gatsby Women in the 1920s
“Inevitably, the daring clothes, the scandalous dances and sensual jazz, the late-night parties and cynical opinions of the young drew the wrath of many members of the older generation” (Britten 28). This is how women in The Great Gatsby attempt to live every day. Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle strive for a life of luxury. They embody various stereotypes in the 1920s through pleasure, desire, and greed. As the feminist lifestyle grew, men started to treat women differently, more like objects than people. As such, men in The Great Gatsby try to entice women with materialistic objects. For these reasons, it is important to learn the lifestyle in the 1920s, to realize why author F. Scott Fitzgerald gave Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle certain distinct characteristics.
The 1920s were filled with jazz music, illegally obtained alcohol, flappers, and …show more content…

Myrtle marries a man named Wilson, hoping that he will give her the wealth she craves. However, when that does not happen, she cheats on him with Tom, knowing he is wealthy. Myrtle tells Tom, “The only crazy was when I married him. I knew right away I made a mistake. He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in, and never even told me about it…” (Fitzgerald 35). If Myrtle loved Wilson, she would not have been this upset about a tux he borrowed. Myrtle also changes into three different dresses throughout the day to show her “extravagant wardrobe” and to impress Tom. She denies compliments to make herself look superior to others. For example, “ ‘I like your dress’, remarked Mrs. McKee, ‘I think it’s adorable.’ Mrs.Wilson rejected the compliment by raising her eyebrow in disdain. ‘It’s just a crazy old thing,’ she said. ‘I just slip it on sometimes when I don’t care what I look like’ ” (Fitzgerald 31). However, like other women in the 1920s, Myrtle tries to live the lifestyle of the rich but does not

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