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Theme Of Gender Inequality In The Great Gatsby

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While life improved after World War One, the Roaring 20s had challenges of its own, as gender inequality continued to be challenged by social norms. After the first World War, people had just started to enjoy the luxuries of life. Many forms of entertainment were becoming accessible to the average American. Men and women were careless with people and money, preferring to party over responsibilities. Society’s view of women was changing, allowing women to have a life outside of the home. They had gained status in society, however much of that remained tied to whom they married. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald illustrates gender inequality through social expectations, romantic relationships, and disproportionate financial realities. To begin, social expectations tell what people thought about how genders should behave and how society portrays them. Daisy states in The Great Gatsby “‘I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool’” (Fitzgerald 16). Society thought of girls as beautiful things that just lie [LKB1] around being pretty and …show more content…

Men held corporate positions, while women were given the freedom to stay home and spend money carelessly. In society, it was uncommon for a woman to have a job, much less a well supporting one. Women were thought to financially depend on men. Tom made a joke while discussing Jordan’s job and wealth. “How you ever get anything done is beyond me” (Fitzgerald 11). Men were unaccustomed to women being financially independent. After talking about Jordan’s wealth and financial independence, Nick became frustrated. Nick said it was a “stunned tribute” for him (Fitzgerald 10). He could hardly handle the idea of it. Tom and Nick’s responses to Jordan’s financial independence illustrate the social norms and financial realities of society at the

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The female wage earners were often white, young, and unmarried. Most young women would expect to spend their money on things that are enticing to them (makeup, clothing, etc.). However, they were expected to contribute to their households with sharing their wages. They were not permitted to spend their paychecks frivolously and expected to pitch in to help with their families’ costs. Though there were 3.6 million women working in nonagricultural jobs, their pay was a “third to half of the pay for men” (Dubois, 295).

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Even though Jordan Baker represents one of the “new women” of the 1920s she is still subject to levels of disrespect. She manages herself in a forward thinking way which shows that she possesses self-respect and knows her value as a member of society. Jordan “need not be bothered by a mere summer romance while Nick” (Hays). Her independence is what makes her so powerful, but also causes her to be looked down on by society. When Nick says, “And you oughtn 't to drive at all” he shows how he does not believe that women are responsible enough to drive a car or take care of themselves (Fitzgerald 58).

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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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During the twenties the economy of the United States was changing greatly. Due to the establishment of the prohibition of alcohol the billionaires were those who would smuggle the goods to society. The Great Gatsby is a novel which portrays the different societies of the United States during the twenties differently. F. Scott Fitzgerald focuses on revealing the types of lives lived by each social group. Throughout the book we are exposed to the marginalization of women and the lower class during the time, since the important individuals in society were the wealthy people who impacted the economy of the country.

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Women in The Great Gatsby Throughout the 1920’s, the role women played in society was changing. Fitzgerald shows this in The Great Gatsby by the characters: Daisy, and Jordan. The morals and iimages of the woman changed. During this time period females began to go against the “norms” of society.

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Reading literature like The Great Gatsby is significant to understand many facts such as society level, to develop understanding about the gender rule, and how men sexually abused females. A literature of Gatsby commonly uncovers events and brings out logic related to cause and effect. The traditional gender roles in the twentieth century maintain the expectation that the women did not have any choice other than stay within the given limit of independence. Reading literature like The Great Gatsby is significant to understand many facts such as society level, to develop understanding about the gender rule, and how men sexually abused females. A literature of Gatsby commonly uncovers events and brings out logic related to cause and effect.

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Therefore, by not saying anything against it, Fitzgerald unintentionally spoke in favor of what was considered conventional for the era. While the novel itself marked a striking advance in Fitzgerald’s technique, utilizing a complex structure and a controlled narrative point of view (Bruccoli,1994), Fitzgerald still had chosen rather to conform, and represent his characters as such what society would approve of, in contrast with his forward moving writing

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

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“Social oppression is a concept that describes a relationship of dominance and subordination between categories of people in which one benefits from the systematic abuse, exploitation, and injustice directed toward the other.” This quote, stated by Ashley Crossman on Thoughtco, perfectly describes what oppression is especially from a feminist point of view. As Britannica stated, Feminism is “the belief in the social, economic, and political equality of the sexes.” In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are many relationships. However, none of them are based on love and in most of the relationship, the women are also being oppressed.

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For example, girls and women are generally expected to dress in typically feminine ways and be polite, accommodating, and nurturing. Men are generally expected to be strong, aggressive, and bold. In the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald presents the female characters using the gender roles in the 1920s to suggest that because Myrtle rejects the gender standards, she faces failure whereas Daisy fulfills the gender expectations, is submissive to maintain stability in life. Fitzgerald presents the female character of Daisy Buchanan as submissive women through repetition and oxymoron to portray how she values traditional gender norms. Fitzgerald introduces the scene of delivery of Pammy through Daisy’s perspective to show the struggle of female gender in society.

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In a very famous passage of American literature, F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts characters Tom and Nick to embody the traditional standards for a masculine character. The text is a perfect stereotypical society of descent to American materialism and American culture. In this gender-based society, Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby title character of Gatsby tries desperately hard to secure the beautiful yet unattainable Daisy as his partner. This image has elicited responses from later authors. In his story “The Things they Carried” masculinity is characterized through war and soldiers.

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Through use of comparison between Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s message about women and feminine power is that having a man deprives the women of their power, ranking higher in social standards deepens the wound of selfishness, and being deceptive

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False Illusions "For many the American Dream has become a nightmare. " These words of Bernie Sanders are accurate to an extent. The American Dream is the idea that anyone, with enough resolve and determination, can climb the economic ladder, regardless of where they start in life. It is called the American Dream because the United States is depicted as the greatest nation in the world, that offers the most opportunity and freedom to achieve upward mobility in society. However, many people attach themselves too much to the hope of achieving this dream that they fail to realize the inequalities that take place in front of their own faces, which are the factors that are hampering them from this illusion.

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