Stereotypes Of Women In The Great Gatsby

“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. Throughout the story, various examples and themes of women relying on men and their wealth for comfort can be observed. The two most conspicuous

Jordan, Daisy, and Myrtle behave in a certain manner to avoid feeling hurt and suffering. The most obvious example is that of Daisy as she consistently fakes her innocence throughout the story. This can be observed when she admits to Nick that she believes “everything’s terrible” and that she has “been everywhere and seen everything and done everything”(17). This implies that she is not the pure and innocent being that she portrays herself as to others, contradicting her seemingly unknowing behavior. She most likely depicts herself as unaware and lesser-minded in hopes of remaining the picture perfect “golden girl” that she is often described as as well as to avoid conflict and confrontation. She could also be attempting to convince herself that certain aspects of her life are not as miserable as she believes by denying their existence through a mask of innocence. Contradictory to Daisy, Myrtle paints herself as an outspoken, opinionated woman. However, her desire for control over Tom and hope in their future seems to be a way of reassuring herself that she does mean something to him. For example, when at her party, as she and Tom discuss whether she has the right to say Daisy’s name in front of him, she begins to shout “Daisy! Daisy! Daisy! I’ll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai--”(37) and is cut off by Tom hitting her. This event demonstrates that Myrtle did want to feel power over Tom at least in terms of his wife, Daisy, by being able to speak her name. This lust for power most likely stems from Myrtle’s own insecurities as she could feel intimidated by Daisy and her influence on Tom over her own. She also uses her hope in their future as a way of distracting herself from the life she chose. Finally, Jordan is illustrated as an individualistic character, making her different from both Daisy and Myrtle. However, she also has a major flaw as Nick mentions