The Girls of Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald’s Girls
The great Gatsby gives us an accurate insight into the 1920s zeitgeist regarding the role of women in society. America was in a state of an economic boom and rapid change. Society had become less conservative after world war one. The role of women was revolutionary during this time and although women had a lot more freedom now; they were still confined to their sexist role within society; Men were still seen as the dominant gender. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates the extremities of gender and social class, and the lack of independence this brought upon women. This essay will discuss the three major female characters and the ideas that Fitzgerald confronts of female stereotypes of the 1920s.

1. Daisy illustrates the typical women of high social standing; her life is moulded by society’s expectations. She is dependent and subservient to her husband. She is powerless in her marriage.
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.
3. Jordan symbolizes the revolutionary self sufficient women. She is independent and does not rely on men financially. She challenges the idea of a dependent woman.

Daisy Buchanan illustrates the downfall of the stereotypical upper class women of the 1920s; she is “high in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl”, the girl who men idolize and dominate. Society has moulded her to be subservient and powerless. She is completely controlled by her husband Tom Buchanan, who is the archetypal character of the patriarchal social system of the 1920s. She is materialistic and s...

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... a symbol of feminism, a woman who is strong, and sovereign a complete parallel to Daisy and Myrtle who represent sexualised and submissive women, who are suppressed by societal expectations. Fitzgerald successfully conveys the ideas that society thought of women in the 20s, and criticises these beliefs through the stereotypical female characters and their position in The Great Gatsby. He captures both the revolutionary changes of women in post world war one society (Jordan) and the conventional roles of women from the ‘old world’ (Daisy and Myrtle).

Works Cited

http://writtenontheflyleaves.tumblr.com/post/27582395186/chapter-one-of-the-great-gatsby-first-impressions-of
The Great Gatsby http://poetry.rapgenius.com/F-scott-fitzgerald-the-great-gatsby-chapter-iv-annotated Jordan Baker Quotes And Analysis | Quotes about the Great Gatsby
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