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Role of women in general literature
Role of women in general literature
How has the representation of women in literature evolved since 1900
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“Feminist critics showed how often literary representations of women repeated familiar cultural stereotypes. Such stereotypes included the woman […] as an immoral and dangerous seductress, the woman as eternally dissatisfied shrew, the woman as cute but essentially helpless, the woman as unworldly, self-sacrificing angel, and so on.”- To what extent does F. Scott Fitzgerald reflect these stereotypes in The Great Gatsby?
To understand the role of women in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby it is important to first understand the historical and cultural context in which the novel was set. “I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” This quote appears
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to represent the true nature of the novels strong fundamental themes. It is said by the character Daisy Buchannan in reference to her young daughter, it highlights the archetypal, subordinate role for women in nineteen-twenties America, which is made all the more powerful by the fact that it appears to imply a degree of recognition of some significant obstacle that women must overcome in the world Daisy lives in. In addition, the nature of this remark is shallow and pedantic. It not only restricts a woman’s dreams, it insists that beauty is essential in success. This subtly creates a perverse portrayal of women and the values that society hold. The first impressions presented to the reader of Daisy are all concerning her physical appearance and nothing about her personality, “the only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up” .
This quote essentially undermines a woman’s importance, by simply adding the women into the description along with the room’s interior. The fact that the women were mentioned last in a list of the furniture evokes the idea that they are of little importance and could almost be used to suggest that they are nothing more than a decoration; an added detail to the room. The lack of verbs within the depiction of the room creates an element of stagnation which consequently constructs the image that the women are statuesque, therefore seen as something which is admired for its beauty, but holds no deeper value or use. Their lifelessness is further exaggerated by the use of verbs referring to the movement of the house and the various inanimate objects within it; however it is not once used to refer to the two people in the room. It creates a small, understated contrast between our expectations of women in modern day England and those expectations upheld by traditional, social expectancies which were affluent during the time the text was set and written. The use of description within the first chapter describing Daisy and Jordan effectively displays the gender specific behaviour of an almost useless and helpless …show more content…
woman. In addition to her ‘helplessness’ (‘made an attempt to sit up’) the character of Daisy is portrayed as a flirtatious woman; all of her introductory mannerisms depict a female character who manipulates men using her attractive and charming looks and personality.
The narrator makes a comment on her ‘smile’ which makes it appear as though ‘there is no one else in the world she is happier to see’, in addition the narrator also makes a comment on how ‘people say’ she whispers to make you lean in closely. The description makes it apparent that her behaviour is noticeably unscrupulous
and However, it could also be argued that although the majority of the female characters within Fitzgerald’s text are presented to the reader as shallow and useless but as the plot develops so does the character of Jordan Baker. She is blatantly different from the women that she socializes with, often attending Jay Gatsby’s parties without a chaperone and has a successful career in golf. To attend a party without a chaperone clearly suggests that she is independent but also demonstrates the disregard for social norms and constraints. This is further enforced by her independent career in golf, stereotypically a man’s sport; it suggests that she is also responsible for her own income meaning that she does not need to be dependent on a husband to provide for her. This allows her more freedom than most women and consequently the reader is presented with a character that not only disregards female stereotypes and expectations but also, does so and faces no consequences. The character of Jordan also possesses something which none of the other characters have, an androgynous name. This negates her femininity, which may undermine any acts of social defiance or any independence she attempts; this may have been done by Fitzgerald so that he could have an independent female character without associating independence and femininity together. And as a result it effectively undermines any meaning behind her actions, and lessens her importance as a feminist symbol. On the other hand, Jordan is first introduced to the reader when sat with Daisy, a typical representation of a 1920s woman, which creates a stark juxtaposition. The way the characters are so heavily contrasted really forces the reader to consider the unwritten societal rules and he is using the character of Jordan as a way of conveying this. The use of creating a female character which does not attend to all the expectancies of a sexist society whilst living a fulfilling and happy lifestyle could be interpreted as Fitzgerald challenging and criticising the typical females (i.e. Daisy). Not only is Jordan Baker an autonomous woman, she is lacking the seductive and flirtatious mannerisms that are prominent in Daisy; she is able to gain access to what she wants without using her sexuality to manipulate and exploit the men around her. It could also be argued that her whole golfing career is built on dishonesty, which is forgiven simply because she is a woman in a male dominated society. This causes the reader to perceive her as immoral, so that even though she is not considered feminine she enjoys the lack of responsibility that the misogynistic society of the nineteen twenties allows her. To conclude, Fitzgerald appears to use the character of Jordan as a device to shatter and challenge the sexist stereotypes which women were subjected to and expected to uphold. When compared to the other significant female characters within the novel, it is clear that some women are restricted and burdened with expectations they must meet. However it is apparent that even the least stereotypical female character in this novel, still indulges in the perks that come as a result of being oppressed (e.g. lack of responsibility and accountability). Ultimately all of the female characters portray a negative stereotype of women (“they are all a rotten bunch”).
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.
Society nowadays can conform anyone, into whoever they want a person to be.Throughout The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Wife of Bath’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer, and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, there is an interconnecting theme of the flaws of perception in society. This theme is shown with various characters throughout The Great Gatsby such as characters having their own perception as to who the main character, Jay Gatsby is, in The Wife of Bath’s Tale it is shown in the way of how the knight judges his wife based off of her physical age and beauty within, and in Brave New World, Bernard, one of the main characters, is in shock of what the reality of this “utopian” society everyone believes they live in actually is, he sees how messed up everything and everyone is, yet people deem him as the crazy one.
“Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men” (Joseph Conrad). In the Novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the wife of George Wilson, Myrtle, has been cheating with the married man Tom Buchanan. From time to time they escape to an apartment Tom owns, behind each of their spouses backs. As time goes on Daisy, Tom’s wife, obtains the knowledge from Jordan that her previous lover is just across the bay and waiting to see her again. Daisy begins going behind Tom’s back with Jay Gatsby, tangling the characters in a mess of relationships. Throughout the book, women take important roles and change the story, even ultimately leading to Gatsby’s death.
F. Scott Fitzgerald is well known for being an excellent writer, for expertly describing the Jazz Age, and for having a drinking problem. However, he is not so well known for creating deep and intriguing characters. In The Great Gatsby, the majority of the characters remain one-dimensional and unchanging throughout the novel. They are simply known from the viewpoint of Nick Carraway, the participating narrator. Some insight is given into characters in the form of their dialogue with Nick, however, they never really become deep characters that are 'known' and can be identified with. While all of the participants in the novel aren't completely flat, most of the main characters are simply stereotypes of 1920's people from the southern, western, and eastern parts of America.
Scott Fitzgerald, in his critically acclaimed The Great Gatsby, examined the role of women in society and the transgressions of the New Women against a patriarchal society. Additionally, Herstory and Daisy Buchanan by Leland S. Person Jr., Bad Driving: Jordan 's Tantalizing Story in "The Great Gatsby" by Veronica Makowsky, and Critical Theory Today by Lois Tyson critique Fitzgerald’s novel through a feminist lens. In The Great Gatsby, Daisy, Jordan and Myrtle represent the three archetypes of women, and their fates and characterizations demonstrate the sexist, patriarchal message of the novel. As the most traditional woman of the novel, Fitzgerald not only depicts Daisy Buchanan as the simple trophy wife of her husband, but also chastises her for rebellious refusal to accept her position in life. Modeled after the historical Gibson Girl, Jordan Baker defies all gender stereotypes and is therefore unfavorably portrayed as androgynous and
In this novel Fitzgerald shows Tom and George’s negative philosophy’s towards women. He shows in The Great Gatsby how men can be heinous, but he also shows the positive treatment of women by men in the form of Nick and Gatsby’s characters. Fitzgerald is trying to portray that there are a lot of men that mistreat women in the world, but there are those select distinguished few such as Nick and
Fitzgerald and Questions of Racism in The Great Gatsby Racism is one of the most overlooked themes in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. This does not make it a racist book, but it does provide some uncomfortable moments for anyone reading the novel. At certain points, one is forced to ask, “Is this just Carraway’s naive, unEastern ways coming to the surface, or is there truly a racist point of view at work?” The novel isn’t intended to be an analysis of racism, nor is it intended to be a didactic work in the vein of Lee’s
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.
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.
He convinces the women that their place in society is to be helpless and at his mercy. This is especially apparent through Tom Buchanan's wife Daisy. Daisy believes, “that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” (Gatsby 21)
On one level The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald comments on the careless gaiety and moral decadence of the period in which it was set. It contains innumerable references to the contemporary scene. The wild extravagance of Gatsby's parties, the shallowness and aimlessness of the guests and the hint of Gatsby's involvement in crime all identify the period and the American setting. But as a piece of social commentary The Great Gatsby also describes the failure of the American dream, from the point of view that American political ideals conflict with the actual social conditions that exist. For whereas American democracy is based on the idea of equality among people, the truth is that social discrimination still exists and the divisions among the classes cannot be overcome. Myrtle's attempt to break into the group to which the Buchanans belong is doomed to fail. Taking advantage of her vivacity, her lively nature, she seeks to escape from her own class. She enters into an affair with Tom and takes on his way of living. But she only becomes vulgar and corrupt like the rich. She scorns people from her own class and loses all sense of morality. And for all her social ambition, Myrtle never succeeds in her attempt to find a place for herself in Tom's class. When it comes to a crisis, the rich stand together against all outsiders.
Even if they disagree about other issues, all feminists believe patriarchal ideology works to keep men and women confined to traditional gender roles so male dominance may be maintained. Utilizing the precepts of Feminist criticism, it could be argued “The Great Gatsby” promotes a thinly veiled patriarchal agenda. Through Fitzgerald’s treatment of the three women in “Gatsby”, as well as masking the possible homosexuality of a central character, the novel seems to promote only the traditional gender roles, swaying uncomfortably from any possible variance.
“I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 20). This quote is as true now as it was when Daisy Buchanan said it about her daughter in The Great Gatsby. Women grow up in a box of expectations. They are told to act a certain way and do certain things. Daisy knew that this was the world that her daughter was going to be growing up in, and that if she grew up to be a fool then she would fit into the world very nicely. If she grew up and became someone who noticed inequality, or who wanted independence, she would struggle in the world. While woman are no longer put in such a black and white box, there are still many expectations and limitations that woman have to face in their
When the leading female in the role, Daisy Buchanan, learns that the child she is giving birth to is a girl she says “I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool . . . the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 21). This shows how Daisy has given up at this point in her life and realizes that women will never amount to anything and that they have no role in society other than becoming someone's wife and or mother. Daisy Buchanan is fully aware of the role that women play during this time. She, unlike most women, knows of her own marginalization and admits that females are powerless and unimportant as they are living in a male-dominated society. The author's presentation of women is essentially very unsympathetic and unflattering. Daisy is also a character who is struggling with being in love with a man other than her husband, but knows that she cannot go out and have an affair. A literary critic Lihua Zhang states how The Great Gatsby is a, “Disillusion of American Dream . . . the way of dealing with true love and lo...
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.