Oppression Of Women In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The depiction of women various throughout time and places. Until the twentieth century, women were vaguely thought of, dependent on the man to create history, and represent humanity. And then the roaring twenties hit, a time where women’s suffrage started and the creation of a new idea, a new breed of women is beginning. This change, this “New Woman” is the foundation for all the female characters in the book, says Lois Tyson, “…an attitude of free self-expression and unrestrained enjoyment. In other words, as we often see during times of social change, a “New Woman” emerged in the 1920s” (Tyson 121). This change included shorter skirts, shorter or let down hair, no more corsets, smoking, drinking, driving, going about without a chauffeur,

Daisy, for lack of action, is trapped in a loveless and unfaithful marriage. Jordan is actually rejected by Nick and left to be alone. Unfortunately, Myrtle has paid the ultimate price for her actions; she is hit and killed by a car, by none other than the women her mister will not leave her for. The women in this novel we careless, self-centered, and shallow; ultimately, their actions left them to their own personal demise, some more immediate, others more lifelong than the

“that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 13). The “New Women” of this era were valued for their beauty, rather than their intelligence. And the only way for a woman to be able to survive in this kind of society is for her to remain ignorant beautiful for the entirety of her life. Though this is stated at the beginning, its meaning isn’t realized until the end, after all the girls are trapped by their decisions. Because of this, women are often thought of as the “second sex” being unable to fend for themselves. Spangler builds on this theory, stating, “A Gatsby woman is treated as lesser than man. Because of her feminine handicap, she is forgiven for things about her nature that she cannot control” (Spangler). Throughout the book, women are easily forgiven for their faults, making it seem that they were not the ones actually at fault. Men constantly defending their lies, “dishonesty in a women is something you never blame deeply…” (Fitzgerald 28). In the 1920s women still had few rights, and were thought of as lesser and secondary, their poor choices were easily forgiven because they were in fact weaker and unable to sustain self