How Is Women Portrayed In The Great Gatsby

Representation of Women in a Patriarchal Society

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the female characters are consistently oppressed by the patriarchal society in which they live. In the novel, women are treated as mere possessions, lacking agency and autonomy. They are also subjected to the expectations and constraints imposed by the male-dominated society in which they live. Gender norms are given high priority and male characters see opportunity, which is used to their advantage or as a way to establish power and a reputation. Despite the societal changes of the time, including the emergence of the flapper lifestyle and the women’s suffrage movement, the women in the novel are still expected to conform to traditional gender roles

The novel’s narrator, Nick Carraway, is drawn into the world of wealthy folks, including the protagonist Jay Gatsby, who is a mysterious and perplexing man with a mysterious past. Gatsby is a symbol of excess and extravagance in the Roaring Twenties. His lavish lifestyle and lavish parties are a reflection of who he is in the era. However, while Gatsby’s wealth and power allow him to live a life of luxury and indulgence, they also come with a price. The women in his life, including Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker, are the expectations and desires of the men around them. Daisy, for example, is a character who is defined by her relationships with men. She is the “object” of Gatsby’s obsession and the source of his wealth, as she has gained his fortune in an attempt to win her back after marrying Tom Buchanan. As Fitzgerald writes, “Her voice is full of money” (Fitzgerald 115) indicating that her worth is determined by her relationship with men and their wealth. Daisy is a symbol of how women’s value is often determined by their relationships with men, rather than their desires and aspirations. Jordan Baker is another female character constrained by the expectations of the men around her. Jordan is a professional golfer and is seen as a symbol of the new, modern woman of the Roaring Twenties. However, she is also limited by the expectations of the men in her lids, including her male

Tom Buchanan, a wealthy and powerful man, uses Myrtle as a mistress and treats her with little respect or consideration. She is merely used as just a tool of enjoyment for Tom rather than a person whom he has compassion for. “ ‘It’s his wife that’s keeping them apart. She’s a Catholic, and they don't believe in divorce’ Daisy was not a Catholic, and I was a little shocked at the elaborateness of the lie” (Fitzgerald 33). This quote reveals a key aspect of the relationship between Tom and his partner, Myrtle Wilson. This quote also highlights the dishonesty that is prevalent in the characters’ relationships in the novel. Daisy is shocked at the elaborateness of the lie indicating that deception and lying are foundational to the social world in which the characters move as well as foreshadowing the tragic events that later unfold in the