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Portrayal Of Women In The Great Gatsby

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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 …show more content…

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

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Myrtle is Tom Buchanan’s lover, her husband George owns a rundown garage in the valley of ashes and she possesses fierce vitality and desperately looks for ways to improve her situation. Sadly she chooses Tom who treats her as an object of his desire. She is mid-thirties, short and plump but carries her extra flesh voluptuously. She wears clothes that are stretched tight over her fairly broad hips. (Fitzgerald p.28) Myrtles personality and behavior show that she wants to climb the social status with her acute manner and vigor.

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Myrtle has a type of control over her husband and uses him. He is in love with Myrtle and will do anything for her and she uses that to her advantage, as it allows her to order him around. She admits that she has never loved him and would marry

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Myrtle downright ignores her own husband, “walking through her husband as if he were a ghost” and approaching Tom with a smile on her face (Fitzgerald 25-26). Though Myrtle and her husband have been married for a long time, Myrtle never got the money and status she wanted. As soon as she met Tom, all she could see was the money that surrounded him. In fact, she even changed her clothes around Tom, “attired in an elaborate afternoon dress of cream colored chiffon, which gave out a continual rustle as she swept about the room” (Fitzgerald 30). Myrtle often tries to come off richer than she is, proven by her various outfit changes in a small party where she wants to “prove herself a woman of Daisy's status through a melange of color, fashion, and commodities” (Goldsmith).

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Myrtle surprisingly, does not have a momentous reaction to this violence. Despite the adversity, Myrtle stays with Tom, as in her mind, he is her ticket to a life of wealth and fortune. Logically, Myrtle should have realized that Tom is an abusive, misogynist, who truly does not love her, however because she sees him as a powerful, wealthy man, Myrtle ignores these obvious red flags. In the pursuit of a better life, Myrtle chooses to ignore Tom’s abusive behaviours, and adheres to the violent, patriarchal power dynamic she is faced with. Moreover, throughout Myrtle’s life, she was sexualized, and her sexualization continued even after her death.

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Have you ever wondered what the stereotypes of women were in the 1920’s? Well, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, there are three different types of stereotypes for women. In this book, a man named Nick Carraway moves near a billionaire who goes by the name Gatsby. Gatsby hosts many parties which include many different types of people, such as gold diggers, golden girls, and the new women. Throughout this book, Nick gets to meet all three types of these girls, and gets to spend time with them.

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In today’s duplicitous society, men often pursue the “perfect woman”. This woman is construed to be; fit, provocative and ravishing. However, in greatly distinguished American novel, The Great Gatsby, the men have strayed from stalking women for their looks. Instead, Gatsby chases Daisy to achieve her as a prize of his bounty and any affection Gatsby demonstrates toward her, is simply to appease to her sense of status and wealth. The author F. Scott Fitzgerald, exhibits Gatsby’s these feelings for Daisy through the clever usage of connotation, symbolism and metaphors.

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Throughout The Great Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson desired to fit in with the upper class; however, her marriage to George Wilson prevented such from occurring. Myrtle failed to recognize her husband’s hard work and true character due to her efforts to rise in social status. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald emphasized Myrtle’s hatred towards her marriage through her conversation with Catherine, depicting how people of the twenties focused more on wealth and power compared to moral American values. As readers closely evaluate the moment of Myrtle’s dialogue, she dictated her feelings towards her marriage in a way that supposedly justified her infidelity.

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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.

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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.

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“I hope she’ll be a fool--that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, beautiful little fool”(Fitzgerald 17). This line, stated by Daisy, accurately demonstrates the perception of women during the 1920s. Women were seen as objects and deemed incapable of intelligent thought. In The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays women based on similar stereotypes from this time period. Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker are all prominent female characters in the story whose behaviors and actions, although different, showcase the common desires and struggles of women at the time.

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Myrtle is accustomed to living an underprivileged life where feminine power engulfs her, but Tom is too egotistical to allow Myrtle to speak with such authority to him. Similarly, Gatsby’s need for assurance from Daisy pressures her into revealing to Tom that she never loved him (Fitzgerald 132). Deep down, Daisy knows that she truly did love Tom once, but Gatsby’s assertiveness and persistence drives her over the edge to telling Tom that what the two of them shared meant nothing to her. Daisy’s attribute of being a pushover is revealed immensely because she refuses to stand up for herself. Daisy is used to enabling Tom to constantly control all aspects of her life, and that leaves her powerless in society.

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