Women Lack of Power in the 1920’s During the 1920’s women fought for their right to vote. The women did not have the same rights and liberties as women do today. Women were constantly facing discrimination from the dominant male surrounding them. In the novel The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald was set during the 1920’s, where Fitzgerald portrayed different characteristics of women growing up during this era. Fitzgerald presents the main women characters: Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, Myrtle Wilson and the women that attended Gatsby’s parties. Women’s morals, images, government, and society were changing and the men started losing dominance over the women. Relationships in the 1920’s women were …show more content…
very unhappy and were dominated by the male. The females were under the command of “the man”.
The women were tired of theirs husbands reign their life and began to speak up for themselves and take a new role in society. On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified stating: “United States Constitution prohibits any United States citizen from being denied the right to vote on the basis of sex” (internet). This gave the women the right to vote and a voice in the government. In the begging of the novel, Daisy represents the women that are unable to adhere accepting the inability of women to exceed their social standings. Daisy understands that all women will always be little fools, and struggles to give her opinion even when she is giving the opportunity to speak. In 1922, Nallie Tayloe Ross was the first women governor that gave the women the right to vote to emerge from the make dominants in society. …show more content…
Women had a new set of morals and began to think and act for themselves. In the novel the, Daisy being married to Tom Buchanan was on affair with Jay Gatsby her ex-boyfriend, which during this time it was unusual for women to be dishonest to their husbands. Another example, is when Daisy drives Gatsby’s car, this was also very unusual for women to drive a car since it was a “man’s thing” to do. In the 1920’s “Females could being to enter at least in small numbers, traditionally male professions, becoming authors, doctors, lawyers, and ministers”(pg514). Fitzgerald uses Jordan Baker as a professional gold champion player to illustrate the “working women”. Along with the emergence into society, came new morals. Women changed the man’s stereotypes as they began to think for themselves.
Fitzgerald states “Never had a drink before, but on now I do enjoy it” (pg76). Daisy was never drinker, but earning the right to vote women’s attitude completely changed. They started drinking alcohol, smoking, and dancing “swing”. For example, Charleston was one of the most popular dances at the time where people find it inappropriate and immoral, yet they kept dancing to outrage them more. Women also danced this to mock the citizens who supported the prohibition act. Not only women behavior changed but also their appearance. Before the roaring twenties women were always dressed in dark colors, hemline on skirts and dresses needed to be below the ankles, and hair was to be worn long. At the end of the first war this changed, women became known
as “flappers”. They started wearing dresses above the ankle, cut their hair very short straight and sleek bob, and their makeup was more visible. Flappers were determined to break the old traditions to express themselves. They were typically seen in collage campuses and larger cities. As women went out of control, so the states tried stopping the movement from not passing new laws but women were not going to stop. As a result, women became breaking more traditions to show how capable they could be. Women were exhibiting the behavior of a flapper woman. They began having affairs with other men. For instance, Daisy spends one night with Gatsby, which women at the time could only be intimated only with their husbands. Therefore, this was another thing women wanted to change, they wanted even sexuality rights. Which bring the need of birth control. Majority of the women did not want any children and they wanted something to stop childbirth. Since during this movement women began wanting to have freedom over their bodies, sexuality and their choices. Margaret Sanger the leading founder of birth control made it available for women that wanted it or needed it. In the novel, Tom felt that women were getting around too much especially in Gatsby’s parties, and many men felt the same way during this time. The women had to fight through the ideas of the men so they could fight their freedom. Despite the lack of influence and acknowledgments of the women in the 1920’s, the female characters lacked influence of power. Through a man’s limited perspective they ignore the voices of the female characters and status. Fitzgerald purposely utilizes a makes character to command and dominate the novel.
On the last page of The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the second to last sentence is left unfinished ending in “And one fine morning --” (180) after alluding to themes used in the beginning of the book. This ending shows three primary characteristics of Gatsby that will eventually lead to his downfall. The first characteristic that Jay, the narrator, mentions is the platonic conception that Gatsby has of himself and, especially, Daisy. Next Jay brings up Gatsby’s longing for Daisy and Gatsby’s need to constantly surround himself with others to combat his loneliness. Finally, Jay mentions Gatsby’s blinding hope for his future adding on to Gatsby’s platonic conception of the world. It is these unfortunate characteristics that lead to Gatsby’s idyllic view of the world. Due to his platonic conception of the world, Gatsby becomes blinded from reason and responsibility to fix his persistent loneliness by taking risks and creating enemies that eventually
Set in the Roaring ‘20s, The Great Gatsby focuses mainly on the lives of men as Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. However, it also clearly outlines the lives of several women : Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker. On the surface, the lives of these women couldn’t be more different. Daisy, a rich debutante, is torn between her husband, Tom, or her first love, Jay Gatsby. Lower on the social ladder is Myrtle, who is having an affair with Tom, hoping to rise above her station in life. Jordan, on the other hand, is unmarried and a successful golfer, who travels the country participating in tournaments. While these women may have seemed independent, they’re still subject to the will of society which sees them as inferior and objects to be controlled by men.
Lionel Trilling claims that, “Gatsby, divided between power and dream, comes inevitably to stand for America itself.” Trilling is essentially correct when one considers that America itself is divided between power and dream, and when he states that Gatsby is divided by power and dream, but his argument fails when he states that Gatsby comes to stand for America itself.
Considered as the defining work of the 1920s, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was published in 1925, when America was just coming out of one of the most violent wars in the nation’s history. World War 1 had taken the lives of many young people who fought and sacrificed for our country on another continent. The war left many families without fathers, sons, and husbands. The 1920s is an era filled with rich and dazzling history, where Americans experienced changes in lifestyle from music to rebellion against the United States government. Those that are born into that era grew up in a more carefree, extravagant environment that would affect their interactions with others as well as their attitudes about themselves and societal expectations. In this novel, symbols are used to represent the changing times and create a picture of this era for generations to come. The history, settings, characters, and symbols embedded in The Great Gatsby exemplify life in America during the 1920s.
Scott Fitzgerald was a writer who desired his readers to be able to hear, feel, and see his work. He made it his goal to be able to make readers think and keep asking questions using imagery and symbolism. The Great Gatsby was not just about the changes that occurred during the Jazz Age, but it was also about America’s corrupted society which was full of betrayal and money-hungry citizens. It was the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg that overlooked all the corruption that occurred throughout the Valley of Ashes. It was the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg that serves as a symbol of higher power who witnesses everything from betrayal to chaos in Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
In a world where billionaires and celebrities can have more influence over the public than government, the word power has become interchangeable with success. Although many of us have fantasized of our lives if we were famous, the majority of the population have given up on the notion of becoming famous, and have become more realistic towards future dreams and desires. However, what qualities drive people of fame to do things that keep their name out in the eye of the public? People desire power. Genuine power is the ability to influence.
Daisy is in a relationship where she is unhappy. Not only is she unhappy, she is immobile and has no say in just about anything that goes on. Relationships in the 1920’s were just like this scenario. Women were dominated by their husbands and unhappy. They were objects that were to be domesticated and be under the command of “the man”. It was during this time that woman were starting to take a stand and be in charge. They were done with standing on the sidelines while their husband had reign over their lives. In the beginning of the twenties a change was made. On August 18, 1920 the 19th Amendment was ratified giving women the right to vote. This gave women the chance to have a voice in the government. In 1922 Nellie Tayloe Ross, the nations first female governor, was elected in Wyoming. Giving women the right to vote was the first step to helping them emerge from out of the shadows of a male dominated society.
The electricity, which surges through the glowing lights of New York City, serves as the primary power source of emotion, inspiration and motivation, for each of the beloved characters in F. Scott Fitzerald 's classic novel, The Great Gatsby. It 's within the city 's walls, where all the characters are united in their times of darkness, yet tension also arises in the novel, as each of the characters uses the city to escape from reality and fulfill his or hers deepest desires. As a result of the city’s power our narrator, Nick Caraway finds himself lost in the drama of others and ultimately ends up alone struggling to find his own place in the world.
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.
Women are seen from a biased point of view in pop culture as they are often criticized and portrayed in degrading ways. The Great Gatsby takes place in the early part of the 20th century which is also known as the Roaring 20's. In regards to feminism, the women in The Great Gatsby are mainly depicted as second class to men. The story gives readers an insight of the roles that gender played in past World War I America. In The Great Gatsby, the author Scott Fitzgerald shines a light on the submissiveness of females toward males during the Roaring Twenties by giving the women in the novel an unfair representation as they are often identified as passive or negative “objects”.
Women of the 1920's Women during the 1920's lifestyle, fashion, and morals were very different than women before the 1920's. Flappers became the new big thing after the 19th amendment was passed. Women's morals were loosened, clothing and haircuts got shorter, and fashion had a huge role in these young women. Women before the 1920's were very different from the women of the Roarin' 20's. Gwen Hoerr Jordan stated that the ladies before the 1920's wore dresses that covered up most of their skin, had pinned up long hair, were very modest, had chaperones and had men make all of their decisions (1).
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.
The 1920’s were a time of social and technological change. After World War II, the Victorian values were disregarded, there was an increase in alcohol consumption, and the Modernist Era was brought about. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a perfect presentation of the decaying morals of the Roaring Twenties. Fitzgerald uses the characters in the novel--specifically the Buchanans, Jordan Baker, and Gatsby’s partygoers--to represent the theme of the moral decay of society.
As the Roaring ‘20s swung into action after World War I, the role of the average woman started its monumental evolution. After the war, many women began to withdraw from their household duties and were captivated by the idea of having a lavish and carefree lifestyle. This lifestyle, also known as The American Dream, varied from person to person. Most strived for wealth and expensive luxuries, while others sought to find true love and start a family. The variations of this dream can be seen through the lives of Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Myrtle Wilson. Each of the ladies have different attitudes towards men as well as different goals and aspirations for their lives. In his novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses influential,
The Portrayal of Women in American Literature Throughout American Literature, women have been depicted in many different ways. The portrayal of women in American Literature is often influenced by an author's personal experience or a frequent societal stereotype of women and their position. Often times, male authors interpret society’s views of women in a completely different way than a female author would. While F. Scott Fitzgerald may have represented his main female character as a victim in the 1920’s, Zora Neale Hurston portrays her as a strong, free-spirited, and independent woman only a decade later in the 1930’s. 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.