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Downfall of the cult of true womanhood
Influence of literature on society
Influence of literature on society
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“The Great Gatsby”, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, shows Daisy as being a modern and gentle woman. The personality of Daisy can be related to the ideas that are portrayed by the Cult of True Womanhood. The main ideas that are posted are the woman have to be submissives, they have to create their moral home, they need to have piety, and also be chaste. Fitzgerald gives the impression to the readers that Daisy follows the idea of the cult of true womanhood ; however, there are also many instances that show Daisy does not follow the idea entirely.
One major idea that is discussed in the Cult of True Womanhood is that women have to be submissive. Fitzgerald tries to portray this idea into Daisy's character. When Tom, her husband, gets angry
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and shouts at Daisy, her typical reaction is to stay quiet, showing her as a submissive. Her soft voice and delicate nature portrayed throughout the novel displays her as a meek and passive woman. In fact, Fitzgerald uses a certain word choice when describing Daisy such as “delicate”. When Fitzgerald states, “Before I could answer, her eyes fastened with an awed expression on her little finger”(Fitzgerald 16) he is trying to portray that Daisy is a weak women who just hurt her “little finger.” However, in the next moment, Daisy blames her hurt little finger on Tom when she says, ““You did it, Tom,” she said accusingly. “I know you didn’t mean to, but you did do it. That’s what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great, big, hulking physical specimen of a ——” (Fitzgerald 16). Daisy’s statement goes against the expectations of a true woman. This statement itself shows that Daisy is not a submissive because she is not quiet and in fact she blames her problems on Tom. In addition, she goes on to say that it is her fault to have married a clumsy man, as if Tom is so bad for her. Based on this, it is assumed that Daisy regrets her marriage with Tom because she thinks it is her fault. This entire dialogue shows that Daisy is not a submissive in this instance. Therefore, Daisy most of the time is a submissive, however there are some occurrences where Daisy does not follow the expectation of the cult of true womanhood. Another point which was a part of the idea of the Cult of True Womanhood is that a woman must create a moral home and domesticity. Daisy had a caretaker for her baby which can show that she does not follow the idea of the Cult of True Womanhood. This is because Daisy herself has a very indifferent attitude towards her own daughter. This can be shown when Nick narrates, “I returned rather feebly to the subject of her daughter” and also when Daisy state's, “Oh, yes” (Fitzgerald 21). Fitzgerald tries to show that Daisy does not follow the idea of the Cult of True Womanhood because she does not care much for her baby. Fitzgerald describes Daisy’s reaction to Nick’s change of conversation as absent. Right when she says “oh yes,” she follows her thought by yet again changing the subject from her daughter to herself about what she said when her daughter was born. Though she does still stay on the topic of her daughter she talks about herself and her reaction to when the daughter was born showing that she only thinks for herself. This also does not follow the idea from the Cult of True Womanhood when women are expected to create an ideal house because Daisy does not care for her own family and only focuses on herself and her reactions. However, her furniture is dark and the table legs are covered which is a part of creating an ideal house. Yet, Daisy’s house did not follow one physical characteristic which is that her carpet in the house was not a dark color and instead was a very bright color (red). This detail can be seen when Nick states,“Gatsby stood in the centre of the crimson carpet…” (Fitzgerald 122). It is here where the readers are given the impression that Daisy mostly follows the idea of creating an ideal home from the Cult of True Womanhood, however there are some small examples which show her not following the idea entirely. Women are expected to have a sense of piety in the Cult of True Womanhood.
It can be seen that Daisy is not at all a religious woman. In fact, Nick describes, “Daisy was not a Catholic, and I was a little shocked at the elaborateness of the lie” (Fitzgerald 38). Because Daisy was not so religious, it can be concluded that Daisy does not follow this point of the Cult of True Womanhood. However, though Daisy is not Catholic, she is almost described as an angel in chapter one of the novel. When Nick narrates, “ They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house.”, (Fitzgerald 12) Fitzgerald attempts to persuade the readers in thinking that the women, in particular Daisy, are pictured as angelic behavior. Fitzgerald has an interesting word choice where he uses “rippling” and “fluttering” to show the delicate and gentle characteristics of the dresses the women wore. He also uses language like “the two young women ballooned slowly to the floor” (Fitzgerald 12). This is the way angles move and are portrayed in people's mind. An angel is always imaged as a strong yet gentle woman floating in the sky. Fitzgerald uses that language to display that the women “balloon[ing] down to the floor” show angelic behavior. Since this portrays the imagery of angels, it is safe to say that though Daisy was not a strong Catholic, she did have a sense of angelic behavior. It is evident that Fitzgerald …show more content…
is again trying to make the reader think that Daisy follows the rules and expectations of a women stated in the Cult of True Womanhood. However, Daisy is not Catholic showing that she does not have a sense of piety even with her angelic characteristics. The Cult of True Womanhood also characterize woman as being chaste.
The readers know that Daisy is not a virginal women. This is inferred because she had an affair with Gatsby many years ago and she is currently married to Tom and has a young daughter. Yet again, Daisy does not follow the idea of being chaste. Nonetheless, Fitzgerald tries to show Daisy as pure through the consistent use of the word “white” because of its common symbol of being virginal. Fitzgerald describes Daisy’s dress as white which show her as virginal and angelic. Fitzgerald describes many belongings of Daisy’s as white. For example, Nick illustrates, “with the officer in her white car” (Fitzgerald 83). There are many physical characteristics of Daisy described as white such as when Fitzgerald states, “His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy’s white face came up to his own” (Fitzgerald 117). This shows that Fitzgerald is making an image of Daisy where she is white and pure. Daisy is not chaste in a literal sense but she is in a figurative way based on how she is white and is characterized using the word “white”. Because of this, she figuratively accomplishes the idea of
womanhood. In the novel, Daisy is shown as a modern woman who has some characteristics that fit into the idea of womanhood, portrayed by the Cult of True Womanhood. However, because she is modern, she has some characteristics that show her as not following some of the descriptions of true womanhood. Fitzgerald tries to make the readers see Daisy as following the morals of the Cult of True Womanhood, however when reading the text quite literally, it can be seen that DAisy does not follow the ideas of true womanhood. Therefore, Daisy figuratively follows the beliefs of the Cult of True Womanhood, which is what Fitzgerald attempts to do by his word choice and descriptions.
Daisy Buchanan is the preeminent female character in the story. Her name, Daisy fits her exceptionally, she is bright and sunny like the flower. Daisy is best represented by the color yellow. She’s the story’s golden girl, the wife of wealthy broker, and the love of the mysterious Gatsby’s life. Grok describes the color yellow as “Deities with glowing halos and golden hair…But it also evokes a few negative responses in associations with dishonesty, cowardice, egoism, betrayal, and caution” (Grok). Daisy is described physically as a blonde, and back then the style along women was the flapper headband, like the glowing halo. In the story Daisy is dishonest, she cheats on her husband with Gatsby. Daisy is also a coward, she couldn’t leave Tom, her husband, who treats her like property for Gatsby, who truly loves and idolizes her. Daisy once tells Nick when telling him about her daughter, “I hope she’ll be a fool. That’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (1.17). Daisy is immensely obsessed with what people think of her, she likes being the girl who has this beautiful and graceful aura. This quote displays how she want’s her daughter to grow up to be just like her, the image of a weak foolish girl who lets men push her around. Betrayal is the emotion that Nick feels when she skips town instead of attending Gatsby’s funeral. Grok also writes that, “When paired with black, it suggests warning” (Grok). Gatsby is the color black, while Daisy is the color yellow. When the couple reconcile there is a multitude of trouble that eventually leads to the death of Myrtle, George, and Gatsby himself. Daisy isn’t just the bright ray of sunshine; she is also just as troublesome as Grok describes her, which is why th...
Characters in The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald are often described differently than they actually act throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Daisy is told to be “by far the most popular of all the young girls in Louisville”. She was said to have great beauty, and its even said that she holds her popularity spot because of it. She is also described as a “fool” which means she is beautiful, just like an angel. As we read on, we come to see that Daisy is actually very careless, selfish, and only focuses herself on wealth and power. She never looked at the consequences of her actions; and she let others clean up the messes she made. She wanted her daughter to grow up just like her, even though it’s a life nobody wanted to live. She even gave up her true love to be with somebody who had money and a good repetition. As perceived in the novel, Daisy is the most despicable character in the novel of The Great Gatsby.
F. Scott Fitzgerald third book, “The Great Gatsby”, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. According to The New York Times, “The Great Gatsby” is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s. In the novel, the author described Daisy Buchanan as childish, materialistic, and charming. These characteristics describe Daisy as well as the way women were seen during the 1920s. Daisy is described as childish, because like a child playing pretend, she pretends to be someone she is not, she cannot make up her mind, and does not think about how her actions will affect everyone else.
“Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men” (Joseph Conrad). In the Novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the wife of George Wilson, Myrtle, has been cheating with the married man Tom Buchanan. From time to time they escape to an apartment Tom owns, behind each of their spouses backs. As time goes on Daisy, Tom’s wife, obtains the knowledge from Jordan that her previous lover is just across the bay and waiting to see her again. Daisy begins going behind Tom’s back with Jay Gatsby, tangling the characters in a mess of relationships. Throughout the book, women take important roles and change the story, even ultimately leading to Gatsby’s death.
With the increasing popularity of female-oriented post-secondary education, the growing number of women working outside the home in professional occupations and the newly granted right to suffrage, women directly challenged the traditional notions of American Womanhood in the 1920’s. In just seventy one years since the Seneca Falls Convention, feminists in America accomplished sweeping changes for women politically, economically, and socially. Attempting to reconcile the changing concept of womanhood with more traditional female roles, male writers often included depictions of this “New Woman” in their novels. Frequently, the male writers of the Progressive Era saw the New Woman as challenging the very fabric of society and, subsequently, included
Daisy’s character is built with association of innocence and purity. Narrator in the novel mentions, “They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house” (18). In this passage, the narrator talks about Daisy and Daisy’s friend, Jordan. They both were dressed in white, which represents the purity and innocence. Daisy’s exterior beauty is pure and innocence, but her interior self represents false purity and innocence in the novel. When Daisy and Gatsby reunites after five years, they seem to have found their love for each other, although Daisy loves the attention. Daisy is aware of her husband’s affair but still does nothing about it. Daisy’s response to Gatsby’s wealth proves the love Daisy has for money, especially the shirts. Narrator mentions in the novel, “Suddenly, with a strained sound, Daisy bent her head into the shorts and began to cry stormily” (92). This describes that’s for Daisy the shirts represents wealth. Daisy bows her head into the shirts representing her interest in wealthy materialism. Daisy doesn’t cry because of the pure affection unlike Gatsby.
During the 1920’s, the role women had under men was making a drastic change, and it is shown in The Great Gatsby by two of the main female characters: Daisy and Jordan. One was domesticated and immobile while the other was not. Both of them portray different and important characteristics of the normal woman growing up in the 1920’s. The image of the woman was changing along with morals. Females began to challenge the government and the society. Things like this upset people, especially the men. The men were upset because this showed that they were losing their long-term dominance over the female society.
He convinces the women that their place in society is to be helpless and at his mercy. This is especially apparent through Tom Buchanan's wife Daisy. Daisy believes, “that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” (Gatsby 21)
Tom within the novel is an epitome of patriarchy, and his dominating demeanor comes out as he and Gatsby fight over Daisy. She is referred to in third person and bears neither of their arguments until her hand is forced. Daisy remains rigid and takes on the weak, damsel in distress stereotype. Tom boastfully states, “‘She’s not leaving me!’ Tom’s words suddenly leaned down over Gatsby. ‘Certainly not for a common swindler who’d have to steal the ring he put on her finger.’” (Fitzgerald 141). Tom’s attitude and tone is forceful in nature and arrogantly brings to Gatsby’s attention that he is a long forgotten lover. It is evident that Tom enforces his position and radiates dominance, “‘She’s not leaving me!’” (Fitzgerald 141). Daisy, subject to the will of Tom becomes fearful of what she stands to lose and complies submissively with what he declares. It is his patriarchal attitude that distinguishes the cause for his firmly held belief that he is superior and no woman would ever wish to leave him, especially not for a ‘common swindler’ as Tom suggests Gatsby is. His supremacy suggests that it is well within his conviction that extra-marital affairs should be forbidden for women such as his wife. Tom sneeringly
What’s Fitzgerald’s implicit views of modern women in this novel? Daisy and Jordan dress the part of flappers, yet Daisy also plays the role of the Louisville rich girl debutante. A good question to ask is perhaps just how much Daisy realizes this is a “role,” and whether her recognition of that would in any sense make her a modern woman character. How significant is Nick’s final repudiation of Jordan Baker to the novel’s larger critique of modernity?
From the start of the book we can see that women in the book are
During the confrontation between Gatsby and Tom Buchanan about Daisy, she is talked about like she is a possession to be won over. During the argument Nick “glances at Daisy who was staring terrified between Gatsby and her husband” (Fitzgerald, page 143). Gatsby and Buchanan tell Daisy what to say instead of allowing her to tell her own truths, and if she does start to speak up for herself she is quickly quieted down. Daisy states at the beginning of the novel while talking about finding out the sex of her child that, “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, page 16). Daisy is the only female character in the novel who understands that no matter what a woman accomplishes, she will always be downcasted based on her gender. This outlook is what allows her to be controlled by Gatsby and Buchanan, because she doesn’t believe that anything she can do will make her more of a human to them. Myrtle on the other hand, while still a married woman, isn’t able to see her powerlessness. She feels powerful enough to stand up to Tom and chant Daisy’s name over and over again until he breaks her nose (Fitzgerald, page 37). This scene demonstrates the way that men handled women if they ever did feel confident enough to speak for themselves. One final scene from the novel that really
Daisy Buchanan is described as beautiful and sophisticated; but she is also shallow and big-headed. Almost everyone in the novel seems to envy Daisy, she is described as the “golden girl”, a perfect image of a woman. Fitzgerald provides Daisy with the male stereotypical trait of being sophisticated. Most women are made out to be dumb and unintelligent, foolish even. Fitzgerald also gives Daisy the stereotypical female traits of being gorgeous and shallow. Daisy’s voice is mentioned quite a bit; it always seems to impress people. Though at one point, Nick realizes what is so attractive about her voice, ““Her voice is full of money,” he said suddenly. That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money-- that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it..” (F127). Therefore, Fitzgerald is showing that even though some women seem perfect, they have their flaws.
Through the actions of the characters, and their goals does it appear the patriarchal hierarchy that exists in the society of the 1920’s. Women were ultimately subjected to whatever to man wanted, regardless of how the felt. Daisy, one of the main characters, made it a point that the best thing a girl could be is beautiful and dumb. This ideology that she has arose from the affairs that her husband takes part in. She believes that if she was not as intellectual as she is, she wouldn't know or even care about Tom’s affairs. Then Tom Buchanan, ultimately the most abusive character throughout the book. He is the ultimate reason for Gatsby’s death, and takes constant advantage of his wife. He knows that Daisy is aware of his mistress, yet knows his power triumphs hers, so he continues to do it. Then, when his mistress brings up Daisy at a party, he becomes physically abusive, breaking her nose. Tom Buchanan uses his money and masculinity throughout the book to become more powerful. And finally Gatsby, all he has wanted for the past few years is to win daisy back, and live the life he has always dreamed with her. Even though he is wealthy, Daisy cannot be with him, primarily because he smothers her in the idea of being together. Ultimately, the societal norms in the book are seen to encourage patriarchal hierarchy, and the idealism of trophy
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby, the main female character, Daisy Buchanan, is portrayed by, Nick, the narrator, only by her superficial qualities. “Guided only by Nick’s limited view of her, readers often judge Daisy solely on the basis of her superficial qualities” (Fryer 43). What the reader sees through the eyes of Nick only appears as a woman whose impatience and desire for wealth and luxury cost her the love of her life, Gatsby. Nick’s narrow perception does not allow one to see that “…[Daisy’s] silly manner conceals a woman of feeling or that her final ‘irresponsibility’ towards Gatsby stems from an acute sense of responsibility towards herself” and that Nick “…clearly does not understand what motivates her” (Fryer 43). One can easily view Daisy as a victim. Fitzgerald distinctly exposes Daisy’s need for stability, which, according to Fitzgerald or perhaps the mentality of the time period, can only be found in a man. “Her need for stability was immediate, and she attempted to satisfy that need through something tangible, something close at hand” (Fryer 51). This “need” that Fitzg...