ipl-logo

Objectification Of Women In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

1471 Words6 Pages

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the main idea, the American Dream is demonstrated through the presence of material items and the objectification of women. First, society is portrayed in a flashy way, hinting that guests at Gatsby’s parties only cared about his wealth. Each guest embodied the idea that this is what they wanted to achieve. By coming to these parties, they were able to live their American Dream through Gatsby without even really knowing him. Women are prevalent in this novel as their connection to men controlled their destiny. Because women were not valued in society, they did not have the same opportunities as men. In addition, women had a different American Dream; While they desired affluence, their dream also included …show more content…

Even Gatsby who loved Daisy elevated her status because of her wealth. This tells the reader that Gatsby viewed Daisy as another status symbol he wanted to acquire. This is evidence, again, that the male American Dream was based around wealth and objects, including women. Throughout the novel, the reader is lead to believe that Gatsby is one of the only men who respects women. His love for Daisy is demonstrated, yet we begin to see that he didn’t just love Daisy for Daisy, but for the status she brings him. The point that stands out most is when Gatsby talks about the many men who have loved Daisy, this explains that, “...it increased her value in his eyes (Gatsby 149).” The word “value” is important in this sentence because it shows that Gatsby really thought of Daisy as more of an object than a person. Similarly, Gatsby spoke about Daisy’s house and material items, rather than Daisy herself which is an indication that he cared more about what she had to offer him. The admiration towards Daisy’s house rather than her is illustrated when Nick says, “It amazed him-he had never been in such a beautiful house before.” This quote, among many other instances, is a representation of Gatsby’s attitude towards women. He may have loved Daisy, but he loved her status more. Admittingly, Gatsby brought up Daisy’s riches rather than her traits. Another instance of this is expressed when Gatsby tells Nick, “Her voice is full of money (Gatsby 120).” Because that is the case, Gatsby was drawn to a women with money. Not only does it make Daisy seem of greater importance, but it put Gatsby and Daisy in the same social class; a position Gatsby wanted to achieve. Gatsby and the other men of this social class viewed their women as objects to be

Show More
Related

Stereotypes Of Women In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

1215 Words | 5 Pages

At first when Gatsby told Nick that Daisy’s voice was full of money, he did not understand, but he later realizes that it was true. This quote compares her to the Golden Girl which she is known to be throughout the plot. She is wealthy and speaks like success and all the things that men desire in the 1920 's.3 Daisy is a manipulative person who only cares for her well being and how she wanted/expected her life to play out. “She had told him that she

Read More

Comparison Between Winter Dreams And The Great Gatsby

1374 Words | 6 Pages

This quote shows that Gatsby himself knows that Daisy is a symbol of money. He sees her as a woman of money. He is biased toward her personality due to knowing that she can fulfill his American dream. “‘I told you what’s been going on,’ said Gatsby. ‘Going on for five years - and you didn’t know.’”

Read More

Connotation Of Women In The Great Gatsby

1169 Words | 5 Pages

Gatsby travels back to the first time he saw Daisy at her grand home and goes into vivid detail of her house, “There was a ripe mystery about it, a hint of bedrooms upstairs more beautiful and cool than the other bedrooms of gay and radiant activities taking place through its corridors and of romances that were not musty and laid away already in lavender but fresh and breathing and redolent of this year’s shining motor cars and of dancers whose flowers were scarcely withered”. Gatsby goes into the nitty-gritty details of Daisy’s home, calling it ‘beautiful’, ‘gay and radiant’ and ‘breathing’ in order to demonstrate how symbolic the home is to him. This is the first taste of the upper class that Gatsby has ever experienced and serves as the true epitome of wealth to Gatsby. He falls in love with the newness of her home and the activities of the rich. Because of Gatsby’s love for the home, when he sees Daisy become consumed by her own luxuries, he feels betrayed; “She vanished into her rich house, into her rich full life, leaving Gatsby-nothing”.

Read More

Allusions In The Great Gatsby

1352 Words | 6 Pages

The American Dream suggests that every American citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work. One of the major ways that Fitzgerald portrays this is by alluding to outside events or works of literature specifically from that time period. Another major relationship that develops in The Great Gatsby is between Tom and Daisy. F. Scott Fitzgerald alludes to things such as the World’s Fair and “The Love Nest” to display the eventual dismantling of Tom and Daisy’s relationship. Both of these separate plots consolidate under the idea of Gatsby trying to become the epitome of the American Dream, as seen through his strive for a “perfect life.”

Read More

The Great Gatsby Quotes On The American Dream

856 Words | 4 Pages

Gatsby says “Her voice was full of money.” This shows that he associated his love with Daisy to his pursuit of wealth and power. He wants Daisy because of the wealth that she represents. Gatsby wanted Daisy more than anything else. He could not move on.

Read More

Materialism In The Great Gatsby Analysis

1332 Words | 6 Pages

But there is a danger for Gatsby in this redeeming purposefulness. When he buys his fantastic house, he thinks he is buying a dream, not simply purchasing property (Lewis 51). Obsessing over the certain attraction that links Daisy with Gatsby, muttering the words, "Her voice is full of money" (120), Gatsby emphasizes his growing belief that money, indeed, will entice Daisy. What Gatsby, with surprising consciousness, states is that Daisy 's charm is allied to the attraction of wealth (Lewis 50); he regards materialism as fine bait to lure Daisy into his arms. When Nick

Read More

Effects Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

783 Words | 4 Pages

"The negative side of the American Dream comes when people pursue success at any cost, which in turn destroys the vision and the dream." In this quote, by Azar Nafisi, it explains how dreaming can be tainted by reality, and it that if you don 't compromise you may suffer. In the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the American Dream is one the many themes in this book. The American Dream that most people in this book obtains to have is wealth, statist, a fun social life, and someone to lust. It is the life we all strive to have until we obtain it and see it 's meaningless composure.

Read More

Portrayal Of Women In The Great Gatsby

2439 Words | 10 Pages

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, is full of themes of wealth, love, and tragedy. Also during the time this book was written, women’s suffrage had begun, so women were taking their first steps towards equality with men. The three main women characters in the novel: Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker, all have things in common but can be vastly different; they reflect the view of women in the early 20th century. The Great Gatsby portrays the characters Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan as stereotypes of women during the 1920s, seen in their behavior, beliefs, and their ultimate fate.

Read More

Comparing The Great Gatsby And A Streetcar Named Desire

1312 Words | 6 Pages

In “The Great Gatsby”, Gatsby himself has set his focus on being viewed as this wealth man who did in fact come from wealth (even when he did not). He consistently portrays this man to hide the past and create an image for himself. He also pursues his dreams of winning over the heart of Daisy to create happiness. He did everything in his power to get her to notice him: moved to live near her, threw roaring parties in hope that she would eventually show up,

Read More

Corruption Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis

1756 Words | 8 Pages

The Corruption of The American Dream in The Great Gatsby In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald illustrates society in the 1920’s and the desire for the people with in it to achieve the American Dream, which embodies the hope that one can achieve power, love and a higher economic/social status through one’s commitment and effort. The novel develops the story of a man named Jay Gatsby and his dream of marrying what he describes as his “golden girl”, also known as, Daisy Buchanan, his former lover. Fitzgerald explores the corruption of the American dream through the Characters; Myrtle, Gatsby and Daisy.

Read More

Theme Of Women In The Great Gatsby

2397 Words | 10 Pages

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, is full of themes of wealth, love, and tragedy, as well as a subtle but powerful representation of gender. During the time this book was written, women’s suffrage had begun, so women were taking their first steps towards equality with men. The three main women characters in the novel - Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker- all have things in common but can be vastly different; they reflect both man and society’s view of women in the early 20th century. The Great Gatsby portrays the characters Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan as stereotypes of women during the 1920s, which is shown through their behavior, beliefs, and ultimate fates and their personalities display both powerful and potentially harmful stereotypes of women at this time.

Read More

The Great Gatsby American Dream

660 Words | 3 Pages

The novel The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitz Gerald embodies many themes. A major in the story is the pursuit of can be labelled the American Dream. The American Dream is defined as someone starting low on the economic or social level, and working hard towards prosperity and or wealth and fame. By having money, a car, a big house, nice clothes and a happy family symbolizes the American dream. The Great Gatsby shows what happened to the American Dream in the 1920’s, which is a time period when the dreams became corrupted for many reasons.

Read More

Examples Of Duality In The Great Gatsby

884 Words | 4 Pages

The 1920’s was a very interesting time in United States history. After all World War I had ended and many Americans did not realize that the Great Depression was in the near future, so the 1920’s fell between these two dramatic events. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby teaches many morals, but none more important than the duality of the 1920’s. Duality is evident in Gatsby's dreams, his death, his lover Daisy, his wealth, and his parties, which all reflect the duality of the 1920’s. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald makes the concept of achieving the American dream seem improbable.

Read More

How Does Jay Gatsby Fulfill The American Dream

723 Words | 3 Pages

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald shows how Jay Gatsby tries to fulfill the ideals of the American Dream. When Gatsby was young, he set goals and worked hard to improve. He pursued the typical American dream of gaining wealth, finding a companion, and being admired by others. Gatsby thought it was best to try and change everything about himself. He wears a thick mask of lies throughout the story, hiding his past, changing his name, suppressing his emotions, and even adapting his word choice.

Read More

Fitzgerald's Portrayal Of Women In The Great Gatsby

430 Words | 2 Pages

What Makes a Woman? In the age of the Roaring Twenties everyone was embracing a carefree, post- war lifestyle. Women began challenging social norms, becoming independent, promiscuous, and overall breaking free of the control of men. However, F. Scott Fitzgerald decides to place women in a more in a more male-dependent role in The Great Gatsby in which they embody negative qualities of women in the 1920s.

Read More

More about Objectification Of Women In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Related Topics

Open Document