Femininity In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is one of the most highly regarded pieces of American literature to date. Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, this narrative follows a group of high-society socialites in the 1920s, and scrupulously characterizes why that particular decade is entitled to the appellation ‘The Roaring Twenties’. With the non-inclusion of the raconteur, Nick Carraway, all of the characters have an exceeding amount of wealth, and as such their personalities are affected by this, often in surprising ways with unforeseen consequences. Taking into account the different social conventions and self-understandings of the Rich characters, they all have different levels of which they are able to disentangle different kinds of values, such as the material

This is made clear when Daisy is led through Gatsby’s house for the first time. “He took a pile of shirts and began throwing them, one by one, before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel… ‘They’re such beautiful shirts,’ she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds” (92). Dr Anna Wulick states, “Daisy is materialistic and is drawn to Gatsby again due to his newly-acquired wealth”. Daisy loves material objects, and the fact that she was not fond of the over-the-top nature of Gatsby’s party does not negate that. What Daisy wants most is to be able to value what she has without having to understand all of the consequences that come with her situation. She expresses this when she tells Nick that she wants her daughter to be a ‘beautiful fool.’ Daisy’s cynical outlook on life is due in part to her situation concerning her husband Tom and his affair with Myrtle. The character that values aesthetic beauty the most would have to be Daisy. She is often remarking about the beauty of the day: “The rain was still falling, but the darkness had parted in the west, and there was a pink and golden billow of foamy clouds above the sea. ‘Look at that,’ she whispered, and then after a moment: ‘I’d like to just get one of those

Scott Fitzgerald does an excellent job of developing each of the separate characters, and an even better job of showing which values each one possesses. Each of the main four people in the story value different things on a different level, some leaning heavily on materials and symbols of status, others taking a more moral-based approach to life. Though this story, readers are sure to learn what is important in life and what they should find the value in. In doing so, this book creates a sense of a better future for American society, while at the same time making sure to keep the feeling of the future being entirely unclear and