The Great Gatsby Feminine Lens Essay

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In the 1920s, women were not valued in the same way as men. To the vast majority of women, marriage provided them stability and was a necessity for survival. Few were awarded the chance to be independent and make their own way. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, encapsulates this idea and examines how female characters make decisions. Their actions impact the outcome of their future, and how they are seen in society. A feminine lens displays how the three characters, Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan, make decisions in order to be successful in their own lives. Daisy Buchanan is introduced in Chapter 1 as a light and airy woman who is married to the more dry and angry Tom Buchanan. It is clear throughout this excerpt that they have money, and …show more content…

This idea is truly represented by the fact that Myrtle is in an affair with Tom. She asks him to buy her a few things, even a puppy. It is not fully explored in the book, but readers can assume that their relationship was based on needs rather than love. Tom was interested in spiceing up his life, while Myrtle wanted to be more materialistic. Luckily, her goal was achieved, as Tom was willing to buy anything she wanted for her. Myrtle’s overall decisions in life led to her death, which is why this lens is important to study. Towards the end of the novel, her husband was aware of the affair she was involved in. As a punishment, he locked her away in their house. On the other side of the Valley of Ashes, Daisy and Gatsby attended a party, and were visibly drunk as they drove home. They decided to take Tom’s car, and Daisy was not an experienced driver. These two factors lead to the brutal killing of Myrtle, as she escapes the house and runs towards the car in a desperate attempt at escaping. This scene is pictured through this quote: “A moment later she rushed out into the dusk, waving her hands and shouting– before he could move from his door the business was over” (Fitzgerald

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