Independence Of Women In The Great Gatsby

Independence in a woman can be the most admirable quality, especially in a marriage. In the early 1920s, women in The Great Gatsby were given respect based on who they married. Women had a better chance to survive and establish an empire behind her husband rather than doing that alone. The downside of marrying the rich means that they are willing to give up their happiness for financial stability. In The Great Gatsby, Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle experience different lifestyles based on their relationships with men and their inability to value love over money and fame which solidifies the idea that the American Dream is not fully attainable.

Early on, it seems as though Daisy is content with her husband Tom, and what he has to offer such as his

Although she was born into wealth, Jordan worked very hard to achieve her goals in golf and make her name known. In contrast to Daisy’s lifestyle, Jordan chose an independent path by putting her goals before love. Once she had finally made it, things weren’t as she expected them to be; she wanted to live a more private and intimate life. Since she was so well known for her successes, it was hard for her to live a quiet life, especially with a significant other. In chapter three, Jordan explains to Nick that she enjoys Gatsby’s large parties by saying “They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy” (49). This quote ultimately shows that she is never going to be satisfied with her accomplishments because she will always wonder how her life would be different if she hadn’t made herself well-known. In terms of Jordan’s love life, she lacks empathy for men due to her fame and comes off as selfish throughout the book. She fails to acknowledge that Nick has his own life aside from their casual relationship which ultimately fails since she is more invested in herself than others. Nick described her as a woman who was “incurably dishonest” and that she “instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men” (57). Essentially, Jordan longed for intimacy with a significant other. Still, her lack of empathy and strong independent

From the start, Myrtle is born into poverty which automatically decreases her chances of attaining her American Dream. Although Myrtle’s options were limited in terms of building an empire for herself, she still managed to seek out men that could give her what she wanted. In chapter two, Fitzgerald introduces Myrtle in a way that demonstrates her bold confidence despite her lack of money and social status. Because of this, it catches Tom’s eye; he demonstrates a savior complex because she is below him in terms of wealth and status. Essentially, Myrtle falls out of love with men and falls in love with money. Even though she has to put up with Tom’s abusiveness, she still gets what she wants from him, but isn’t enough to make her happy. Myrtle never seems to be satisfied with the men in her life and what they provide for her. In chapter two, Tom takes her to the city and spends quality time with her, but she decides to taunt him by saying “Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!” (37). This ultimately shows that she is not satisfied with what the men in her life have to offer. She found love with Wilson, but it wasn’t enough. Then, she used Tom for money, but she eventually wanted more from him. Myrtle's sister, Catherine, goes on to explain how neither Tom nor Myrtle can stand the person they're married to. Catherine says, “If I was