Portrayal Of Women In The Great Gatsby

The infatuation of how women are perceived is a controversial topic the world will never escape. Kids are taught in school that women were treated poorly, and only there for the male gaze. They were simply labeled as pawns in the game of chess. Children are taught from books, not from first-hand experiences therefore are all seeksought to have the same viewpoint on this matter. Women were objects tofor men. Yet, in the 1920s novel The Great Gatsby, the author writes about women from various perspectives of life at that time. Women are seen to manipulate, cheat, lie, and even kill for their benefit, which is inconsistent with what has been taught in schools. The author instead portrays women in actuality, rather than theory which gives the impression

She was having an affair with an upper-class man, Tom Buchanan, to do this as well. When she was out with Tom she felt like an upper-class woman, shopping, staying in fancy places, having money, and she loved it…yet, Tom still saw her for who she actually was, a lower-class, poor individual. Fitzgerald greatly depicts this image when they are traveling to Manhattan, “...Mrs. Wilson sat discreetly in another car. Tom deferred that much to the sensibilities of those East Eggers who might be on the train.” (26), Tom was always concerned about his image, moreover, Myrtle Wilson ruining it. Although she had a few moments where she felt like an upper-class woman, this proves that she never truly was. Tom has control of Myrtle during these times as well, when they are in the apartment drinking, talking, and smoking, she decided to mention Daisy’s name. As Tom is married to Daisy and cheating on her with Myrtle - he was not fond of this. She repeats Daisy’s name multiple times, feeling powerful after acting upper-class all day, but Tom quickly and immediately shuts this down, for no one will ruin his reputation, and “broke her nose with his open hand” (37). This was not the only encounter of men having full control of her either, later in the novel, Myrtle’s husband figures out she is cheating on him. He simply locks her in the house, until they can move away, removing her from the situation altogether. In her attempts to escape this hostage hold, Myrtle gets out and gets brutally hit and killed by a car. By Fitzgerald including a character that is so similar to what initial thoughts are about women in history, it creates a direct comparison between the social classes and actions throughout all 180