How Did F Scott Fitzgerald Use Sexism In The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby which reflects the extravagance of the roaring twenties. Fitzgerald grew up facing adversity, but gained success from his publishings. Just as Gatsby’s reign of wealth and fame came to an end, Fitzgerald soon became an alcoholic. Fitzgerald wrote his third novel, The Great Gatsby, based off his own life experiences. Throughout his life he faced many obstacles that are mirrored in the lives of the characters in the novel. Growing up, he was constantly aware of the lack of privilege and wealth surrounding his family. Nick faces the same struggle to fit in socially because he lacks wealth and social status. Similarly, his relationship with Zelda was tainted by his adultery which he acknowledges as acceptable for men, but not for women. The sexism that Tom’s character exudes shows Tom’s underlying morals. The Great Gatsby resembles a reflection of

Fitzgerald’s obsession with wealth growing up and the hardships that he faces throughout his life.
Misogyny, prohibition, and temporary bliss surrounding the twenties negatively impacts the characters relationships and lives. Tom and Daisy cheated on each other even though it was only socially acceptable for men to cheat. The “outsider” is portrayed by Nick Carraway. Daisy and Gatsby’s fleeting romance due to the idea of wealth and ideals of new and old money. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the characters’ relationships are adversely altered by societal standards of the roaring twenties.
The standards of society were very different in the roaring twenties.

It was socially acceptable for a man to cheat on his wife, but not acceptable for a wife to cheat on her husband; reinforcing stereotypical gender roles. This is shown in The Great Gatsby when Tom is angered by Daisy cheating on him with Gatsby, but he thinks that Daisy should be completely fine with him cheating on her. He is so angered by her cheating and his mistress death that he can be blamed as the cause of Gatsby’s death. In the 1920s, if a woman cheated on her husband it was considered scandalous, but it is expected for a man to cheat on his wife. The reader can clearly see the guilt on Daisy’s conscious when she first decides to be with Gatsby, this is shown because women were made to feel guilty in the 1920s. "I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife” (Fitzgerald 130). This clearly shows that there is a double standard between men and women about cheating. The“Mr. Nobody” in the quote is referring to Gatsby and his relationship with

Daisy.
Nick Carraway plays the role of an outsider in The Great Gatsby. No matter how hard he tries he will never fit into society, because he doesn’t have the money. Wealth in the 1920’s could change a person’s whole life and social status. If Nick had been wealthy he wouldn’t have been an outsider in the novel, but since he was poor he will never be seen as anyone but and outsider. Wealth in the 1920s was very controversial and important if you wanted to be a member of the elite society. The social elite was a group that Nick could never fit into because of his financial situation.

Relationships are tarnished by the harsh and often unrealistic societal standards of the 1920’s. Wealth and status are held to such a high degree that personal relationships are weakened. There is no resolution in the novel, so it ends with society’s same preconceived notions as in the beginning. Stuck in a critical society, the characters must continue to face these obstacles. Fitzgerald ends the novel with a feeling of frustration, yet acceptance saying, “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (Fitzgerald 180).