What Are Gender Roles In The Great Gatsby

434 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: The role of women in the great Gatsby

Ebony Perez
Ms. Barnes
English 11
December 13, 2017

The Great Gatsby Analysis: Gender Roles
In the book the Great Gatsby Fitzgerald puts a negative spotlight on the women. There are plenty of stereotypes about men and women relationships and the way women are supposed to act in certain situations. He characterizes the women as dependent on the men, selfish, and completely careless. “No women can call herself free who does not control her own body” --Margret sanger. Traditionally, men have the most dominate roles and women are supposed to listen. The males accept the position as head of the family. In most cases, the responsibilities are given out based on “manliness”. In the novel women are restricted with their freedom with certain things. Gender dominated over people’s lives stopping them from having their own rights to make their own decisions. The expectation, based on their gender, and is visible when comparing Tom Buchanan, Daisy Buchanan, Jay Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson. This is also visible in Tom’s and Daisy’s daughter Pamela. …show more content…

And I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” on Page 17 Chapter One is saying that she hopes that her daughter Pamela grows up to only learn nothing but to surrender to her significate other. She hopes that Pamela does not feel the defeat that she herself is feeling inside. She hopes that Pamela grows up to fit the status that a woman should in her husbands, and others, eyes. Not breaking that cycle and bring negative attention to herself. It also shows that Daisy has finally understood her place in her and Tom’s relationship. In Daisy eyes, women where seen as pretty much objects to look at and birth the husband’s children. She knows that women are to make themselves presentable to make everyone else think that the relationship that women are in is going

Show More
Related

  • Similarities Between Fences And The Great Gatsby

    1894 Words  | 4 Pages

    This piece of evidence is trying to say that Daisy is trying to express the way she is feeling about how her daughter because she does not want her to be like her mom. Also it states that Daisy will not be as happy as she is right now with Tom because she wants her daughter to have what is right for her and try to accomplish an American Dream. Daisy wants her to be fool meaning like getting judged by others. Some may say that Troy was not a good man based on the gender because he would not have what he wanted for his future as he got older. A quote to show this about Troy is “ Sometimes I wish I hadn’t known my daddy. He ain’t cared about nothing about no kids. A kid to him

    Read More

  • Gatsby Yang Quotes

    1297 Words  | 3 Pages

    When the readers first meet Daisy, she is living the party lifestyle. Daisy is a nice woman, but she is very superficial (Fitzgerald 8). This tells the readers that although Daisy is fake, but is kind. On the other hand, when Myrtle is talking to Tom and her sister Catherine, she becomes defensive and aggressive. “The answer to this was unexpected. It came from Myrtle, who had overheard the question, and it was violent and obscene” (Fitzgerald 33). These to statements show that although they are both clueless, they have personality traits that set them

    Read More

  • Daisy Buchanan: Admirable or Despicable?

    767 Words  | 2 Pages

    Characters in The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald are often described differently than they actually act throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Daisy is told to be “by far the most popular of all the young girls in Louisville”. She was said to have great beauty, and its even said that she holds her popularity spot because of it. She is also described as a “fool” which means she is beautiful, just like an angel. As we read on, we come to see that Daisy is actually very careless, selfish, and only focuses herself on wealth and power. She never looked at the consequences of her actions; and she let others clean up the messes she made. She wanted her daughter to grow up just like her, even though it’s a life nobody wanted to live. She even gave up her true love to be with somebody who had money and a good repetition. As perceived in the novel, Daisy is the most despicable character in the novel of The Great Gatsby.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in the Roaring 1920s: An Examination of the Women of The Great Gatsby

    1786 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Leland S. Pearson, Jr.’s essay “Herstory” and Daisy Buchanan,” Pearson explains why Daisy’s character is incomplete in the novel. Particularly in this paragraph:

    Read More

  • The Girls of Fitzgerald

    1376 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Daisy Abigaining In The Great Gatsby

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    The ironic thing is, she is already behaving somewhat “paralyzed” because she is doing nothing to save her marriage with Tom. Daisy says foolish statements with radiance which shows that she does not think before she speaks. For example, she “always watch[es] for the longest day in the year and then miss[es] it” (11) which shows how much spare time she has. Funnily enough, Daisy cannot even watch for the longest day successfully because she “miss[es] it.” This statement also implies how the wealthy people like Daisy do nothing; they just watch society without any contribution because they are aimless. Also, since Daisy is always “watching” for something, in other words she always wants something; in the process, she forgets what she already has, revealing her to be insensitive. Lastly, Daisy “want[s] her life [to be] shaped immediately – and the decision must be made by some force – of love, of money, [or of] unquestionable practicality,” (151) she cannot bother to take a decision herself showing her to be unthinking. Out of the three things she says, she picks the one “that was close at hand” which is Tom’s

    Read More

  • Mother Roles in the Novels The Great Gatsby and The Grapes of Wrath

    929 Words  | 2 Pages

    While Daisy’s responsibility in her family is very small and separated, Ma’s responsibilities are very vital to her family. In The Great Gatsby, Daisy didn’t have any real responsibilities. Her basic role in life was to play the “happy trophy wife” for Tom. She is almost a possession of his, like a new car. A perfect example of Daisy’s role in her family is when she is first introduced, “The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up…The other girl, Daisy, made an attempt to rise – she leaned slightly forward with a conscientious expression – then she laughed,” (Fitzgerald, 2008). In this scene, Daisy and Miss Baker are laying on the couch just looking beautiful, like objects on a shelf might. Fitzgerald even demonstrates their weak femininity by showing that Daisy isn’t quite strong enough to sit up on her own. Daisy’s actions in this scene display her reliance on her husband. Her job in the family is to look pretty and to pretend not to notice Tom’s infidelity. Daisy has no respo...

    Read More

  • Archetypes Of Women In The Great Gatsby

    1399 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    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

  • Matence And Maturity In The Great Gatsby

    732 Words  | 2 Pages

    Daisy’s character can also be identified by the way she speaks of her daughter, Pammy, “I hope she'll be a fool, that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (17). This implies that woman don’t have power in the world compare to a man. Daisy thinks it’s best to have beauty rather than brains. Daisy treats her daughter as an object, showing her off to guests at her house, which suggests her lack of concern for her child and how careless she is. Daisy’s relation with Tom is unstable at sometimes. Daisy and Tom both came fr...

    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

  • Sexism In The Great Gatsby

    1447 Words  | 3 Pages

    She believes that she is a beautiful little fool, but no one can blame her. Whenever Daisy is spoken about it is not in relation to her intelligence, but rather that, “‘Her voice is full of money,’ [Gatsby] said suddenly. That was it for me. Tom had never understood before.

    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

  • Marxist Lens The Great Gatsby

    1158 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the confrontation between Gatsby and Tom Buchanan about Daisy, she is talked about like she is a possession to be won over. During the argument Nick “glances at Daisy who was staring terrified between Gatsby and her husband” (Fitzgerald, page 143). Gatsby and Buchanan tell Daisy what to say instead of allowing her to tell her own truths, and if she does start to speak up for herself she is quickly quieted down. Daisy states at the beginning of the novel while talking about finding out the sex of her child that, “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” (Fitzgerald, page 16). Daisy is the only female character in the novel who understands that no matter what a woman accomplishes, she will always be downcasted based on her gender. This outlook is what allows her to be controlled by Gatsby and Buchanan, because she doesn’t believe that anything she can do will make her more of a human to them. Myrtle on the other hand, while still a married woman, isn’t able to see her powerlessness. She feels powerful enough to stand up to Tom and chant Daisy’s name over and over again until he breaks her nose (Fitzgerald, page 37). This scene demonstrates the way that men handled women if they ever did feel confident enough to speak for themselves. One final scene from the novel that really

    Read More

  • Literary Composition Of The Great Gatsby

    1088 Words  | 3 Pages

    Daisy may have been known to be careless and indecisive, but Daisy also knows what it takes to be a successful and rich woman in the time they lived in. She knows that the best way for her child to be protected from the true nature of their world is if she were to be a fool. Daisy Buchanan has seen the side of society that trumps women to be powerful individuals within the novel. The reason why she wants her child to be a fool is because if she isn’t a fool she will start to question the society and how it treats the woman within said society. Daisy thinks it would be a better outcome if her daughter were to be a fool so she could marry rich and live a luxurious life without worrying about her position as a woman in their society.

    Read More

More about What Are Gender Roles In The Great Gatsby

Open Document