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How Is Daisy Portrayed In The Great Gatsby

981 Words4 Pages

In “The Great Gatsby”, a novel about wealth in the Jazz Age, the novelist Fitzgerald portrays a negative view of women. Throughout the entire novel, only a few women are described, and they are all described negatively either most of the time, or at some point. Could this be because of the time era or the novelist? Either way, it's beneficial to know what standpoints our classic literature takes so the reader can better understand viewpoints, themes, and vocabulary within them. The great Gatsby takes a negative view on women by introducing them lowly, stereotyping them, and barely having personalities in the story. Throughout the book, most women are introduced in a disrespectful light. In the first couple chapters, the main character Nick …show more content…

The 20s were a colorful era in history, things were changing, and mindsets were challenged. Daisy stays at home, doesn't do much, is shallow, materialistic, has nice clothes, a lavish lifestyle, and a rich husband. In the 20s, it was the ideal for men to stay home and embody the “softer things”. When Daisy’s introduced Nick describes, "It was the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down, as if speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again”. By making Daisy sort of live that stereotype, Fitzgerald portrays her as a man's dream and centers attention on her. Flapper dancing and parties are a key icon of the 20s, and we see this in Gatsbys parties with the dancing women. “Suddenly one of these gypsies... Seizes a cocktail out of the air, dumps it down for courage, and moves her hands like Frisco”, this sentence describes the flapper women poorly, suggesting they're messy and embarrassing. Myrtle is a social climber, just wanting to be known and live a different lifestyle, so she cheats on her husband Tom. Overall, she is a fraud unable to concur abuse and hardship, which leads to her demise. Jordan is free and unobtainable. Her self-centered nature makes her fit into the “new women” stereotype that was a trend in the 20s. Fitzgerald using these stereotypes demeans the women of the novel and strips them of

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How Is Daisy Portrayed In The Great Gatsby

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2397 Words | 10 Pages

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