Examples Of Patriarchy In The Great Gatsby

1649 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Patriarchy and gender in gatsby

The 1920’s was an unethical period that saw the neglect of numerous social groups. Whilst we often associate 20th century America with the iniquities of segregation imposed by the Jim Crow laws, it is also the case that women were subjected to a second class role. Fitzgerald effectively presents the detrimental patriarchy in The Great Gatsby through the use of various techniques, his crafting of male characters being physically dominant, enables the reader to conclude that the 1920’s was a period of injustice. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye provides further support to this argument by presenting a corresponding rejection of female equality two decades later. Fitzgerald presents verbal dominance, as a trait of male characters to develop …show more content…

“This is the idea that we’re Nordics. I am, and you are, and you are, and…” following an infinitesimal hesitation he includes Daisy with a slight nod. Tom appears as a caricature of patriarchy. It would seem that Daisy’s limited involvement is a result of fright and worry, although, it could be argued that in Fitzgerald’s fiction wealth leads to the infantilisation of women: Daisy has such a love for material goods that she comes across as a fully dependent child where both Tom and Gatsby are more a father figure as opposed to a lover. Nick is mystified in chapter two to learn from the McKee’s; Tom’s view that Daisy is “keeping them apart, she’s a Catholic and they don’t believe in divorce.” He confirms “Daisy was not a Catholic” raising question over Tom’s reasoning in his prolonged affair with Myrtle as it appears inconsistent. Daisy offers in …show more content…

Gatsby depicts the ‘new man’: coming from a humble background, he goes to extensive measures in order to win Daisy over and has dedicated manhood to making her satisfied, rather than the archetypal objectification of women associated with the era. Holden Caulfield is perhaps the first teenager in popular literature; he for large parts of The Catcher in the Rye treats women as equal. He admits to wanting to get to “know” Jane Gallagher despite having already achieved the optimum of being “intimate” with her, signifying the decline of gender based inequalities and the emergence of an evolutionary new empathetic breed of the male gender. This is perhaps a theory developed by Salinger and Fitzgerald to show Buchanan and Stradlater as men of a previous age symbolised by their continuation for destruction during peacetime. Gatsby, however, had “one of those rare smiles” and his affection towards female characters is recognised by Nick in chapter five where he states “Gatsby didn’t know me at all now” for he was so taken by his romance with Daisy; that he “literally glowed”. On the other hand, Holden’s inability to establish a relationship with Sally or Jane and Gatsby’s failure to achieve his ultimate ambition perhaps shows that women are unintentionally exploiting themselves as a result of their farcical

Show More
Related

  • The Importance Of Sexism In The Great Gatsby

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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

    Read More

  • Women In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    1211 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • Archetypes Of Women In The Great Gatsby

    1399 Words  | 3 Pages

    With the increasing popularity of female-oriented post-secondary education, the growing number of women working outside the home in professional occupations and the newly granted right to suffrage, women directly challenged the traditional notions of American Womanhood in the 1920’s. In just seventy one years since the Seneca Falls Convention, feminists in America accomplished sweeping changes for women politically, economically, and socially. Attempting to reconcile the changing concept of womanhood with more traditional female roles, male writers often included depictions of this “New Woman” in their novels. Frequently, the male writers of the Progressive Era saw the New Woman as challenging the very fabric of society and, subsequently, included

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in The Great Gatsby

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    The exploring Fitzgerald's use of gender roles in the novel requires a certain amount of scholarly research. Including text searches throughout the book, reading scholarly criticisms about the novel and reading articles that present new ideas about Fitzgerald's work. Gender definition and patriarchal values is the main topic of Bethany Klassen's article entitled, "Under Control: Patriarchal Gender construction in the Great Gatsby." The quotes and ideas in this article are profound and bring on a whole new meaning to events, conversations and actions that take place in the book. For example she notes, " To place Daisy and Myrtle in the passive position necessary to Tom's ego, Fitzgerald employs imagery that denies them their humanity and transforms them into objects defined by their purpose to display Tom's wealth and power"( Klassen ). This passage in the article refers to the way in which Tom puts value on women not by personality or his love but as a material trapping. Not showing emotion towards his wife adds to Tom's persona. The article also includes opinions about the female roles in the novel. Daisy and Myrtle personify the typical female who is basically living to fulfill her husband's needs instead of getting a degree and making a living. The article continues to explain how during that time period, there was even a consequence for not fitting into gender roles. Referring to the tragic car accident, Klassen writes, " Because Daisy's affair with Gatsby places her in the car with him that night and because Myrtle's rebellion against her husband leads her to run into the road, both incidences of female empowerment structurally precipitates the disaster" ( Klassen ). This quote is extremely interesting because it claims that when women try to overcome being trapped by feminine stereo-types, it ends in disaster. This article is obviously beneficial to any person who is exploring gender roles in the novel.

    Read More

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

    1518 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Emergence of Women in the Great Gatsby

    1313 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Expectations Of Women In The Great Gatsby

    1123 Words  | 3 Pages

    A woman’s need to pursue society’s expectations of her can corrupt her entire view on relationships and human interactions. In the novel The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald, suggests that an individuals desire to achieve a standard of perfection in society can demoralize them into engrossing only what is best for themselves during conflict. Daisy is the epitome of a woman during the 1920’s, she wants nothing more than the appearance of a perfect family life, so when her future is indefinite she hides behind Tom’s wealth, and certainty to achieve her desires.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in The Great Gatsby

    1299 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The portrayal of women in The Great Gatsby

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the start of the book we can see that women in the book are

    Read More

  • Attitude Towards Women In The Great Gatsby

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tom Buchanan and George Wilson have plenty in common with their attitude pertaining towards women in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald throughout the entire novel gives the audience an insight on his thoughts about the nature of man. Fitzgerald portrays men often treating women harshly throughout his novel. For example, there are many violent acts towards women, a constant presence of dominance, and also ironically Tom and Georges over reactions to being cheated on.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In The Great Gatsby And Things Fall Apart

    1736 Words  | 4 Pages

    ‘’I would be quite satisfied if my novels did no more than teach my readers that their past was not one long night of savagery from which the first Europeans acting on God’s behalf delivered them’’. ( Morning yet) Chinua Achebe wrote stories so that people would get knowledge out of it. That being said him making Things Fall Apart was not for entertainment, but it showed us the gender-role of males in females at the time. Males are the focus of my research, there is two great protagonists that will be discussed in this paper Okonkwo and Jay Gatsby. How does the characterization of men and their role in society in the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald compare to Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe in terms of success, failure and mindset.

    Read More

  • Sexism In The Great Gatsby

    1447 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout time women have been written as the lesser sex, weaker, secondary characters. They are portrayed as dumb, stupid, and nothing more than their fading beauty. They are written as if they need to be saved or helped because they cannot help themselves. Women, such as Daisy Buchanan who believes all a woman can be is a “beautiful little fool”, Mrs Mallard who quite died when she lost her freedom from her husband, Eliza Perkins who rights the main character a woman who is a mental health patient who happens to be a woman being locked up by her husband, and then Carlos Andres Gomez who recognizes the sexism problem and wants to change it. Women in The Great Gatsby, “The Story of an Hour,” “The Yellow Wall Paper” and the poem “When” are oppressed because the fundamental concept of equality that America is based on undermines gender equality.

    Read More

  • Decaying Morals in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    813 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nick is astonished at this information. He finds it hard to believe that Tom, with a beautiful wife and child, would be having an affair with some woman in the city. Miss Baker thinks “everybody knew” about the affair, yet Daisy is still with Tom. Being too ignorant to make herself believe it’s true, Daisy is willing to stay in the marriage, even when she is presented with an opportunity from Gatsby to escape. Daisy is willing to stay with Tom just because he has “old money,” and that shows how important it is to her. Everyone else’s morals are just as bad as Tom’s because they know about what’s going on and know that it’s wrong, but they don’t say anything about it. Later in the story, when Wilson is looking for the driver of the yellow car that killed Myrtle, he also suspects that person of having an affair with...

    Read More

  • Examples Of Masculinity In The Great Gatsby

    1458 Words  | 3 Pages

    Instead of a threat that can be taken away, manhood is something that is presented in an strong light with the mention of wars, and hard work toward The American Dream. Tom’s overbearing interactions with Daisy, and William’s way of interacting with Myrtle seems to define an aspect of masculinity that revolves around women as background characters. The Great Gatsby’s version of masculinity is not an initial threat like when Levene was threatened by Williamson in the office, but instead as something honorable and a positive. Instead, masculinity is commodified, packaged and sold as a product. During the sweltering summer heat, Daisy sends an invitation for Nick, Gatsby, Tom, and Jordan to accompany her to lunch. It is here that the theme of masculinity arises in the story. During the outing, Daisy Buchanan states,“ ‘You resemble the advertisement of the man’ ” which shows the theme of masculinity being a form of success and “coolness” where masculinity is seen as a burden in Glengarry Glen Rose (Fitzgerald 157). By comparing Gatsby to an “advertisement of a man”, Daisy mentions that Gatsby is nothing short of perfection, and he is everything that the ideal American Man should become. He is the idea story of an American man who worked himself from poverty

    Read More

  • The Portrayal of Women in American Literature

    2124 Words  | 5 Pages

    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. “Guided only by Nick’s limited view of her, readers often judge Daisy solely on the basis of her superficial qualities” (Fryer 43). What the reader sees through the eyes of Nick only appears as a woman whose impatience and desire for wealth and luxury cost her the love of her life, Gatsby. Nick’s narrow perception does not allow one to see that “…[Daisy’s] silly manner conceals a woman of feeling or that her final ‘irresponsibility’ towards Gatsby stems from an acute sense of responsibility towards herself” and that Nick “…clearly does not understand what motivates her” (Fryer 43). One can easily view Daisy as a victim. Fitzgerald distinctly exposes Daisy’s need for stability, which, according to Fitzgerald or perhaps the mentality of the time period, can only be found in a man. “Her need for stability was immediate, and she attempted to satisfy that need through something tangible, something close at hand” (Fryer 51). This “need” that Fitzg...

    Read More

More about Examples Of Patriarchy In The Great Gatsby

Open Document