Feminism in The Great Gatsby

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During the 1920’s, inequality for women was not uncommon. In fact, it was so common, that if you were treated as an equal to a man, that was considered wrong. Feminism consists of ideas and beliefs about what culture is like for women just because they are women, compared to what the world is like for men just because they are men (Womens History-Feminism). This book demonstrates many examples of feminism. It shows the dependence woman had on men, as well as the few who were independent. It also shows how women are looked at as objects and not as equals. Women were also very stereotyped and prejudged. The Great Gatsby has many examples of feminism and explains the life of a woman in the 1920’s. The greatest example from The Great Gatsby of a dependant women would be Daisy (Crossref-it.info). Daisy relies on her husband, Tom, for just about everything. It seems as though she can’t do anything for herself. She doesn’t have a job and they have servants who clean their house and take care of their daughter (Fitzgerald 13). She’s more of an object for Tom to show off, rather than a real wife. Daisy also seems to be very ignorant and oblivious, when in reality she is very smart and understands what’s going on with her husband. Tom is “secretly” having an affair with a woman named Myrtle, and Daisy acts unaware of the whole thing (Fitzgerald 19). This is an example of how dependant Daisy was on Tom. If she was a more independant women, like Jordan, she could’ve took her daughter and left Tom, but because of how society looked at women, this was the only thing she could really do. Another example of an extremely dependant woman in The Great Gatsby is Myrtle Wilson (Crossref-it.info). Myrtle not only relies on her husband, George to take ... ... middle of paper ... ...Fitzgerald 10). Why does he say the “Tom Buchanans?” He could never say the “Daisy Buchanans,” so why the double standard? This is an example of how men had dominance over the marriages. During the 1920’s, inequality for women was not uncommon. Woman were mostly dependant on the men, they weren’t treated as equals, most women were looked at as objects instead of actual human beings, and all women had a stereotype that followed them, no matter what. This book is a great example of the life of a woman in the 1920’s and it really shows how most women were treated. It’s a very realistic portrayal of the life of a women back then and it gives a real insight as to how life for a women was in the 1920’s. It also shows how much women have advanced and how far we’ve really come. The Great Gatsby has many examples of feminism and explains the life of a woman in the 1920’s.

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