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Jordan Baker's Representation Of Women In The Great Gatsby

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The 1920s is a time of technological, economical, and social exploration. Myrtle, Daisy, and Jordan display the full image of what it is like to be a women in New York during the 1920s. They each have a personal struggle with society and the fight between what they want and what is expected of them. Each of these women wants to experience the glamor of the 1920s but has to maintain some of the traditional elegance of a woman. If the neglect to do so, they are treated harshly by society. Daisy shows her struggles with the social status of women through her daughter and relationship with Tom. Jordan proves that being a “new” women of the 1920s comes with a price of judgment and accusations of dishonesty. Myrtle seeks to become a member of the …show more content…

Scott Fitzgerald’s depiction of women in The Great Gatsby readers see women are prepared to emerge into the modern way of life, but society is not ready for the new nontraditional image of …show more content…

Even though Jordan Baker represents one of the “new women” of the 1920s she is still subject to levels of disrespect. She manages herself in a forward thinking way which shows that she possesses self-respect and knows her value as a member of society. Jordan “need not be bothered by a mere summer romance while Nick” (Hays). Her independence is what makes her so powerful, but also causes her to be looked down on by society. When Nick says, “And you oughtn 't to drive at all” he shows how he does not believe that women are responsible enough to drive a car or take care of themselves (Fitzgerald 58). This situation shows that even if women are independent, the social hierarchy will keep them below the status of men. Nick’s opinion on Jordan’s life shows that he, along with the rest of society, is not prepared for women to be fully independent. In reference to one of Jordan’s championship games, Nick says, “She wasn 't able to endure being at a disadvantage” (Fitzgerald 58). This quote from Nick shows that he and the rest of society were aware of the gap in respect and social equality between men and women, they just felt it was justified. Regarding the same championship, Nick accuses Jordan of participating in dishonest behavior without evidence. He assumes from her personality and how she presents herself that she is getting herself into trouble. Nick says that “At her first big golf tournament there was a row that nearly reached the newspapers -- a suggestion that she

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This is a pure sign of the dishonesty and carelessness that Jordan acquires. It really goes to show that Jordan would ruin someone’s property and then completely lie about it, while with Nick, who was someone she was interested in pursuing a relationship with. It makes one wonder what

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In his works The Great Gatsby, “Winter Dreams”, and “Bernice Bobs Her Hair”, Fitzgerald shows how women 's attempts to gain independence during the 20th century initially fail due to society 's construction. Majority of the drama that occurs in The Great Gatsby is due to one

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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

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Daisy, like the flower for which she is named, is innocent and “perfect” when she is young, much like the original American Dream. However, once the flower blooms it becomes tainted, withered, and, eventually dies. This process is reflected in Daisy’s character development in The Great Gatsby as well as in real 1920’s America. Literary critic Richard Lehan examines parallels of the zeitgeist of the 1920s in The Great Gatsby in his book Gatsby: The Limits of Wonder: … The Great Gatsby, a novel that evoked both the romance and the sadness of that strange and fascinating era we call the twenties”(Lehan 2).

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Exploiting the ideologies of feminist criticism, it could be reasoned that The Great Gatsby promotes an obscured masculine agenda. Through Fitzgerald’s treatment of the fundamental female characters in The Great Gatsby, the novel seems to uphold and corroborate with the traditional gender roles, neglecting any positive alternative view in the process. Fitzgerald himself is said to have been greatly affected by an affair his wife Zelda is supposed to have had, during the time the novel was written. Thus it is somewhat understandable he would write with contempt towards certain female characters and their portrayal (Bruccoli,1994). The author’s unwillingness to change his outlook and worldview seems to indicate he, himself, has become a slave to the established male dominated society.

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Finally, these women proved to be fairly similar in their particular role in life to achieve happiness. Myrtle desired to live the same life that Daisy did: she wanted a life full of money. Myrtle lived her dreams in the small apartment that Tom kept for them in New York. When Myrtle changed her dresses, at the same time she was also changing her ‘fake’ characters. In some way, she achieved her goal, she ‘reached her dream’ for an afternoon, a better lifestyle, a life like Daisy 's. There was a big difference between Daisy and Myrtle but one thing was common, their unhappiness.

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Women in Fitzgerald’s literature cannot achieve their goals; it does not matter if they belong to the “old” or the “new” school, nor the upper or lower stages in the social scale. It is hard to determine if the woman’s question was as Fitzgerald depicts but, anyhow, he is mirroring the society where he lives in many different aspects. As a male author, he probably cannot provide a complete view of this topic. Notwithstanding, he masters the narrative technique to portray 1920s’ American society and his work can be considered as a faithful chronicle of that

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