Reflecting Upon Oppression in The Great Gatsby

Mirrors never lie. They reveal each and every intricate feature of a person, which otherwise would not be visible to him/her. Mirrors reflect how one looks on the outside. However, what sheds light on one’s innermost appearance? For centuries, literature has served as rearview mirror for our society reflecting the culture, morals, and beliefs of our past. Literature shows us who we were, who we are, and who we could be. This feature is reflected through the use of both themes and literary devices. For example, the theme of oppression is displayed in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby; this shows us some of the real-life attitudes displayed toward women, lower social classes, and non-white races.

One of the reflections Fitzgerald reveals to us is the oppression of women. He accomplishes this by exposing the injustices that they had to encounter. After World War I, women had gained not only new jobs, but also the right to vote. This gave the women of the 1920s freedom and independence (Hanson 55). However, in The Great Gatsby, women are depicted as objects (Affroni) that are weak, impure (Tunc 74), and mostly dependent on men (Affroni). Contrary to the modern woman, most of the women in the novel were reliant on men to satisfy their financial needs because they did not have jobs (Affroni). This bounded them to their husbands and limited their freedom in a time of endless possibilities for women. Nonetheless, not only did this restrict their freedom, but it also kept them from reaching their full potential as members of the society (Affroni). One of these women could have had a unique talent that could be beneficial to the workforce. However, because they did not have to support themselves through a job, they were never able to ...

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Hanson, Erica. A Cultural History of the United States Through the Decades: the 1920s. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1999. Print.

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Stocks, Claire. “‘All men are [not] created equal’: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby: Claire Stocks illustrates how the narrator’s bias towards this novel’s hero is central to the critique of belief in the ‘American Dream’.” The English Review. 17.3 (2007): 9+. Student Edition. Web. 4 Apr. 2014. .

Tunc, Tanfer Emin. “The Great Gatsby: The Tragedy of the American Dream on Long Island’s Gold Coast.” The American Dream. Eds. Bloom, Harold and Blake Hobby. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009. 67-69. PDF.