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Feminine power in the great gatsby
Positive and negative depictions of women in the great gatsby
Feminine power in the great gatsby
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In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald focuses on the male characters in the story, but he uses women to relay a message of feminine power. Although men like Gatsby, Tom, and Wilson make the decisions, all of them are influenced by the women in their story. They are similar in the way that they are all trying to find a way to keep themselves happy, and they don't care how it affects other people. Jordan likes to show her power by being independent, but Myrtle and Daisy like to use their high value to the men in their lives to get what they want. Jordan Baker is a very unique girl for the time period she lives in. She plays pro golf, and isn't married. Jordan doesn't really care for long term relation she just goes with the flow of things. Even though she doesn't follow society's norms, she isn't looked down on, or at any disadvantage. She is actually at an advantage, because she hangs around with the new money people like Gatsby, but is still accepted by old money such as Tom and Daisy. Fitzgerald uses Jordan to show the power of a woman's appearance and confidence in the eyes of a man. …show more content…
Myrtle Wilson is a woman who is ashamed of her husband, and hates being poor.
She wants to be rich, and have expensive things, but her husband can't give that to her. Myrtle shows her husband George that she is too good for him, and uses it to boss him around. For example, when Tom and Nick go to George's shop Myrtle tells George with attitude to go get them chairs. She isn't really considered very beautiful, but she uses her energy, voice, and actions to get a rich guy like tom to fall for her. Myrtle is used to show that women find their way of getting what they want, even if there are at a major disadvantage. She gets the expensive feel that she desires from Tom, that her husband George can't give her. She even planned on leaving Wilson who really loved her for Tom, but she had no clue that Tom didn't plan on leaving
Daisy. Lastly Daisy Buchanan, all the guys are after her, and she is seen as a “golden girl.” All the guys see her as a nice girl, but she is really the opposite. She knows that Gatsby and her will never be together, but she gives him that false hope that ultimately leads to his death. Also, she lets Gatsby take all the blame for Myrtle's death, even though she was driving, and it doesn't seem to bother her. Knowing it was her fault he died, she doesn't go to his funeral, or even send a card and flowers. With the same type of concept as Myrtle, Daisy uses Gatsby for the feel of new money that she desires. In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald shows three different women that all have a similar goal. They all want themselves to be happy, they don't care what the people in there life have to experience for them to be happy. It seems like Fitzgerald is women are all the same in the sense that they find a way to make everything about them, and get what they want. In the time period of the book women are supposed to be controlled by men, but the characters in the story find there way of making those rules not apply to them. The more innocent they seem, the less innocent they are.
The first time that the reader catches an insight of Myrtle, Fitzgerald develops Myrtle to be a mere object of Tom's’ desire. Fitzgerald does this to extenuate the fact that Tom will not move on past Daisy to be with her. Tom “got some women” that supposedly is a secret but there is a lack of secretism on Myrtles end seeing as she is now calling during evening meals from “New York” just to talk to Tom. This further proves that she is in need of attention, something her husband can not fully give her at any random moment of the day. Myrtle is willing to express herself even when she’s already married. It reveals that she is deceiving her own husband, who is later mentioned in the novel. This allows for Myrtle to be looked down upon by the reader, it also entails her to be seen as an attention seeker. Again, Fitzgerald appeals to present-day behaviors by allowing Myrtle to be viewed as someone who wants to be showcased. Almost everyone can relate that they’ve wanted attention in their life at some point. This connects Myrtle to the reader's past or current feelings. Fitzgerald uses this to let readers feel compassion for Myrtle which emphasizes all she needs is for someone to properly love her, treat her, and show her what she needs to do to become successful in her
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
In the beginning of the novel she tells nick that she has done everything and seen it all, showing how her money and wealth have allowed her to do whatever she pleased. While Myrtle lives in automotive repair station with her husband. Myrtle doesn't have the money or the status that Daisy has. Myrtle is unhappy because she is poor and wants a life where she can be rich and glamorous. She wants the materialistic things in life.
...aughter, her gestures, her assertions became more violently affected moment by moment and as she expanded the room grew smaller around her until she seemed to be revolving on a noisy, creaking pivot through the smoky air” (Fitzgerald 35). Myrtle represents the “need” of women to be known for having money and wealth so that she is much more popular. Myrtle wears the dress to disguise her current status and act as if she is a part of the rich, but in reality she is poor and naive, but the transformation of the dress changes her to rich and conceited.
Unlike Daisy, who comes from old money, Myrtle is from the lower middle class. Myrtle hopes to climb the social ladder by cheating on her husband with Tom Buchanan.
Myrtle Wilson did not have a lot in the beginning, but she gained a new life with Tom when she tried to reinvent herself for him. Things like new dresses, a big apartment, and fancy outings with Tom became the new “normal” for Myrtle. On the other hand, Myrtle lost the respect of her husband and friends when everyone found out about her affair. In addition to losing respect, Myrtle also lost herself, both mentally and physically, when she tried to keep secrets and live a double life. She became someone she did not recognize, and although her end in the novel was tragic, it was a cost that she had to
2. Myrtle represents the contrasting women of the lower class. She is an opportunist; she is obsessed with wealth and material possessions. She will do anything to be of a higher social class. She is sexualized and objectified by the dominant wealthy man.
Throughout the book, women take important roles and change the story, ultimately leading to Gatsby’s death. Myrtle, Jordan and Daisy are just the same as the men, each striving for what they want, whether it be love from another or material goods, only to be held back by sexism of the time. Her husband Wilson loves her, but turned out to be poorer than the man she thought she was marrying. Myrtle wants someone to love that loves her to go along with her wish of a life of luxury.
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.
Myrtle’s ambition proves to be her fatal flaw in being the tragic hero. The goal of her ambition is to lead her to a higher social status. In pursuit of her ambition she expresses that her husband, George Wilson, serves as an obstacle since he is in the opposite direction of where she wishes to be. She expresses disgust in George for committing actions that are considered lowly by her standards. She was particularly unenthused with her husband after it is revealed that “he borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married” without telling her. (35) She expresses her marriage as regretful, which illustrates her ambition to strive for better, being Tom. Essentially it illustrates that she would rather be treated with little respect to achieve status, rather than to be treated with respect without status. Myrtle not only exudes her ambition through her pompous attitude, but also in the manner in which she carries herself. She is a young woman in her “middle thirties, and faintly stout, but (carries) her surplus flesh sensuously,” and although she is not attributed with beauty she is somewhat charismatic. (25) The way in which she carries herself may be considered sexual, and her persona is alluring for men such as Tom. Her seducing persona illustrates her ambition in being a temptress in order to move up the social ladder.
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.
Though Myrtle Wilson makes an attempt to escape her own class and pursue happiness with the rich, she ends up gaining nothing and eventually dies. She is basically a victim of the group she wanted to join. Myrtle tries to become like Tom by having an affair with him and taking on his way of living, but in doing so she becomes unsatisfied with her life. Her constant clothing changes show that she is unhappy with her life, she changes personalities every time she changes her dress: "with the influence of the dress her whole personality had also undergone a change.
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.
From the start of the book we can see that women in the book are
...looking at the society during the 20th century, taking Jordan Baker as an example of a solitary women whom upholds pride and dignity, Jordan defies the typical women of the 20th century like Elizabeth Bennet in the 19th century. Jordan Baker, however has the character which reflects deficiently unlike Elizabeth Bennet, as described in the book, Jordan is 'incurably dishonest' (page 58) with many dishonest traits, and she has the feature of aristocratic pompousness which makes hypocritical, despite her being an upmost independent character within the novel, it also shows that her cynical and reckless personality, through her freedom of independence which she was trying to uphold, was just to primarily receive attention, in particular from men-whom she doesn't commit a relationship towards, as a 'domestic servant' like women were portrayed during the 20th century as.