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Theme Of Oppression In The Great Gatsby

1384 Words6 Pages

“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. They are either oppressed physically, socially, psychologically, or politically, in some way or another. …show more content…

Money, power, and success have blinded people into thinking they are in love and it has led to these women being oppressed. Tom and Gatsby in this book are what is called the patriarchy. According to Revise Sociology, the patriarchy is “The systematic domination of women by men in some or all of society’s spheres and institutions.” In Tom and Daisy’s marriage; they are both having an affair, Tom wasn’t at his child’s birth, and he oppresses Daisy physically, maybe by accident, and socially, by not allowing her to go wherever she wants to go. In Tom and Myrtle’s affair; they are both married, yet they have this affair, she is dependent on him because he oppresses her economically and psychologically, and he also oppresses her physically when he broke her nose. In Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship; she is having an affair with him and he psychologically oppressed her with his money and wealth only to get the idea he has of her as his “Golden Girl.” Fitzgerald’s argument is, when love is not the main reason for a relationship it will lead into oppression of women. All of these relationships prove how oppression is caused when love is not the main focus of a

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