The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald amplifies the period of the 1920s as the time of glamour, fame, and drama. While this novel is often interpreted as a raid on the society of pre-crash America, it can also be deciphered as an aggressive encroachment towards American women. However, Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry magnifies the decade of the 1950s as a period of economic recession and racial and social segregation. The novel depicts a different point of view towards the role of women. Whereas both storylines portray the typical perception of women and men in the society, Fitzgerald signifies a patriarchal society, favoring male dominance, while Hansberry overrides the typical stereotypes by reflecting a higher magnitude of women. …show more content…
Fitzgerald stereotypes the women as he criticizes them by portraying negative outcomes for women’s actions; however, he failed to portray similarly for the male characters. For instance, Myrtle’s brutal death can be analyzed and connected back as a result of her actions of immorality and cheating on her husband. Furthermore, Fitzgerald reveals that it was frequent for men to be disloyal to their wives, especially when Tom proudly advertises his affair with Myrtle and introduces her to Nick. In case of Tom, he also vindicates his physical strength over women to overpower them. The storyline encourages patriarchal society as is depicted in various parties of Gatsby’s where “men [were] pushing young girls backward in eternal graceless circles… and a great number of single girls dancing individualistically or relieving the traps for a moment” (Fitzgerald 51). The women who are used to entertain men at the party demonstrate the ease with which these women can be obtained. The overall portrayal of women in the novel shows their insignificance in the
...ites about not only the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy but also about the affair between Tom and Myrtle. Tom and Myrtle's affair shows how the amount of money one has does not change the way they may act or feel for another person. Throughout the novel, the author also explains how the wealthy or rich people are able to get away with bad behavior or unethical practices because they have the power to do so. During the time after World War I, the people who had money were the people who had power. Fitzgerald offers his audience the proof through his story that there is only a slight possibility that a person can be both wealthy and ethical. He shows his audience how sometimes being poor is not always the worse thing and that it is easier to be poor and ethical rather than being rich and ethical.
Hawthorne and Fitzgerald, two great American romantics, display new attitudes towards nature, humanity, and society within their novels. The novels The Scarlet Letter and The Great Gatsby are very similar with their adjacent themes, motifs, and symbols. The comparison between these two literary pieces show the transition from adultery to ability, societal standards during the chosen time periods, and good vs. evil.
Daisy is aware that Tom is cheating on her when the phone rings and he answers because she mentions to Nick she hopes her daughter grows up to be a “beautiful little fool” (21) because ignorance is bliss. In The Great Gatsby, kids are not a significant part of the story; just like in Henrik Ibsen’s “A Dolls House”, they are simply just shown off and played with by the parents and later sent away to be taken care of while the adults do their normal activities. While Tom cheats on her with Myrtle Wilson, she does the same to him with Gatsby. When Gatsby was at the Buchanan house for drinks, as Tom left the room, Daisy grabs Gatsby and starts kissing him, proclaiming “I don't care!” (122).
Scott Fitzgerald, two characters, Myrtle Wilson and Jay Gatsby suffered although different in social class appearance and gender, suffer from the inability to differentiate between illusions and reality, causing their downfalls. Myrtle and Gatsby have similar goals, but different ambitions. Gatsby wants to achieve wealth for the sole purpose of regaining his previous love interest, Daisy, where as Myrtle wants to obtain wealth for her selfish desire of status and integration into the upper class. However, they both begin their journeys to downfall when they sacrifice all morality for this wealth. Gatsby becomes a criminal, and seduces a married woman and ultimately break up her family for his own selfish goal of winning his old love back. While, Myrtle begins an affair with Tom Buchanan, a wealthy upper class man, who abuses her emotionally and physically, although her husband Wilson honestly loves and respects, solely because she falls in love with the idea of status and riches which Tom could give her. It is their incapability to separate their desired illusions from reality, which leads them to their
The second character Fitzgerald analyzes is Daisy Buchanan. Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan. Daisy is the definition of a dream girl, she is smart, gorgeous, and just an ideal woman to be around, and the relationship between her and Tom is quite odd (Baker). Daisy and Tom move to the fashionable East Egg from Chigaco (11). Daisy has everything a woman could wish for, a wealthy husband and an immaculate house. Daisy does not know that Tom is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson. Nick Carraway plays a major role in Daisy’s love life in The Great Gatsby. Nick is Daisy’s second cousin and he knew Tom from college (11). Daisy invites Nick over for dinner one evening and that is how she relearns about Jay Gatsby (11-17). Daisy met Gatsby at a dance in Louisville. They used to be madly in love with one another when he was in the army (). They had plans of always being together and being married in Louisville at Daisy’s home (118). Later in the story, Daisy was invited to go have tea at Nick’s house, but what she did not know is that it was all Gatsby’s idea to get them to rekindle their rel...
In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the two primary women presented are Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson. These two women, although different in many ways, have very similar personalities. Throughout the novel, there are instances in which the reader feels bad for and dislikes both Daisy and Myrtle. These two women beautifully portray the hardships and difficulties they have in their marriages. Neither one are really satisfied with what they have, and are always longing for more. This incomplete and lonely feeling lead them both to cheat on their husbands in torrid affairs.
A minor character in The Great Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson, who lives in the Valley of Ashes with her poor husband George Wilson, represents the degeneration of the once valued American ideals of hard work and honesty as Myrtle attempts to rise on the social scale by becoming the mistress of the wealthy Tom Buchanan. She embodies lucidly the loose morals and hedonism of the 1920s, for, when Tom visits, Myrtle, in front of her husband, walks up to Tom, “[looks] him flush in the eye, [wets] her lips,” and attempts to act as sensuous as possible so as to attract his favor and interest (Fitzgerald 30). Furthermore, she frequently lies to her husband, telling him that she plans to visit her sister when really, she leaves her home in order to engage in sexual intercourse with Tom, who lures Myrtle w...
Myrtle is married to a mechanic, but is sleeping with Tom. Fitzgerald's novel seems to affirm the Biblical adage that the love of money is the root of all evil, for his characters value money inordinately. And this attitude is a central moral concern in the novel. Fitzgerald's characters erroneously believe money can buy them love, friends, and happiness. Gatsby tries to buy Daisy's love throughout the book.
In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald is criticizing American society of the 1920s. He uses the characters to demonstrate the power than men had over women during these times, as well as their mindless, self-indulgent actions, where consequence was only an afterthought. The attitude towards and the role of women is shown throughout the novel. Fitzgerald also shows how many people in America during this time were delusional and had meaningless existences.
Gender Roles: In some respects, Fitzgerald writes about gender roles in a quite conservative manner. In his novel, men work to earn money for the maintenance of the women. Men are dominant over women, especially in the case of Tom, who asserts his physical strength to subdue them. The only hint of a role reversal is in the pair of Nick and Jordan. Jordan's androgynous name and cool, collected style masculinize her more than any other female character. However, in the end, Nick does exert his dominance over her by ending the relationship. The women in the novel are an interesting group, because they do not divide into the traditional groups of Mary Magdalene and Madonna figures, instead, none of them are pure. Myrtle is the most obviously sensual, but the fact that Jordan and Daisy wear white dresses only highlights their corruption.
Tom Buchanan and George Wilson have plenty in common with their attitude pertaining towards women in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald throughout the entire novel gives the audience an insight on his thoughts about the nature of man. Fitzgerald portrays men often treating women harshly throughout his novel. For example, there are many violent acts towards women, a constant presence of dominance, and also ironically Tom and Georges over reactions to being cheated on.
The novel, The Great Gatsby, takes place in the 1920's: a time of rebellious behavior and living life according to the new founded American Dream. The women of this era are portrayed in two different lights in the novel: defiant and foolish.
As people go throughout their life, they strive to make dreams they believe are unachievable, come true. The iconic American Dream is a symbol of success within the United States that many people aim to secure throughout their lifetime at any cost, even compromising their true identity. In Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In The Sun, both authors work to display how Jay Gatsby and Walter Younger work towards obtaining their dream, but fall short due to society and timing. By attempting to reinvent themselves through money, gaining power within their personal life, and their image, Jay Gatsby and Walter Younger aim to complete their American Dream to become successful in their lives.
He managed to tangibly create characters that are all unique from each other, yet they have one thing in common: superiority. Each character in the novel exhibits selfish behavior at times and tends to think highly of himself whilst chasing his dreams. This entitlement gives “total focus to one’s purpose and the sense of meaning in life,” as shown explicitly by Jay Gatsby purchasing a mansion and throwing copious, lavish parties for the sole purpose of capturing the attention of his lost lover, Daisy. This theme of personages is also perfectly conceptualized by Fitzgerald through the way that Tom treats both his wife and his mistress; he is utterly indifferent toward them and seems to only focus on his own happiness in the novel. It seems as though no character is exempt from the self-based lifestyle that is evident in Fitzgerald’s
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald took place in the 1920’s when the nation was undergoing rapid economic, political, and social change. Looking through different literary lenses the reader is able to see the effects of these rapid changes. The marxist lens reflects the gap between rich and poor while the feminist lens showcases the patriarchal society.