The novel, The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, conveys that Fitzgerald was a misogynist by illustrating the gender roles women endured. The measures of these women show that at this time women needed a man to supplement their needs. For example, Daisy gets mad at Tom and screams, “‘That’s what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great big hulking physical specimen of A——’” (Fitzgerald 15). As the story progresses, we learn that Daisy only married Tom for his money and not for love. Her actions with Jay end up ruining her relationship with Tom while altering her relationship with her daughter. As her relationship crumbles, she hopes that her daughter is a “little fool” because that is all a girl can be. This illustrates that the social norm for women at this time was to marry, showing the poor conditions women endured throughout the 1920s.
Additionally, another woman in this novel, Jordan Baker, experienced harsh conditions similar to Daisy. For instance, Jordan knew she had to marry someone to secure her place in society. However, she
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While Jordan relaxed in her New York City apartment, Jordan explained why she married Wilson. Jordan announced, “‘I married him because I thought he was a gentleman,’ she said finally. ‘I thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasn’t fit to lick my shoe.’” (Fitzgerald 38). This shows that she thought she married someone worthwhile. However, if she was allowed to leave him she would, but it was not an option. This led Mrytle to have an affair with Tom Buchanan. They had an ongoing relationship for a while and when he “ had discovered that Myrtle had some sort of life apart from him in another world and the shock had made him physically sick” (Fitzgerald 132). This shows that men like Tom did not think their mistresses could have lives that did not revolve around them. Thus, this elaborates on Tom’s egotistical mindset leaving him open to