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Marxist literary criticism of the great Gatsby
Issue of gender in the great gatsby
Issue of gender in the great gatsby
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The Great Gatsby With his 1920’s classic, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald dazzles readers with the illusive story of Jay Gatsby. Many consider the novel as one of the greatest American piece of literature ever because it demonstrates the hardship that many people go through in order to achieve a lavish lifestyle that many characters in the novel achieve. The Great Gatsby can be viewed as a novel with many different literary theories, but only some are significant and so therefore it is sensible to compare and rank, Marxism, Feminism, Archetypal theory, and Deconstruction with their respective critics. In the first chapter, Nick Carraway narrates the visual representation of West Egg and describes the area as the ‘less fashionable’ area …show more content…
The choices that Daisy faces in the last few chapters are what really decide the fate of the novel. When Jay and Tom face off, Daisy is the central figure of focus. Being males, both Tom and Jay aggressively fight over who should live with Daisy. Daisy finally breaks and says, ‘Please, Tom! I can’t stand this anymore.’ (Fitzgerald 135). Daisy loses her temper because she can not decide on what to do. During the roaring twenties, women start to get more and more privileges that men already have, this includes the choice of leaving your current husband. Boykin uses the feminist theory by saying, ‘Daisy’s confusion over her relationships with the two principal men in her life reflects the gender confusion that was rampant during Fitzgerald’s era’ (Boykin 22). This example by Boykin directly explains the importance of women in the novel. If in the end, Daisy choses Jay over Tom, the outcome of the story would be completely different, Jay would not have died because Daisy would have never left the hotel in haste, therefore preventing Myrtle’s death. The importance of he feminist theory shown most predominant in the novel because of the ideas that women
However, Fitzgerald does not write Gatsby as a bad person who embodies all that is wrong with western capitalism. Instead, Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby as a good man who was victim of the qualities ingrained in him by an imperfect ideological system. It is this distinction which makes Fitzgerald’s argument all the more potent, and his audience’s ability to mourn Gatsby as a tragic figure all the more important. Whereas Fitzgerald’s opinion of Gatsby may otherwise have been misconstrued as a negative one, the scene of Gatsby’s funeral clearly conveys the character of Gatsby as a tragic and sorrowful one. The character of Gatsby and Fitzgerald’s commentary on the logical fallacies of the American Dream are closely intertwined, which is why Fitzgerald goes to such great lengths to separate the two.
“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.
For the first time ever in America, during the 1920s, a shift in the gender norms occurred. The decade was marked by the breakdown of the traditions governing women by the ratification of the 19th amendment, causing the idea of the new woman to become widespread. Also, during this time, a fantastic novel, The Great Gatsby, recognizes the rapidly changing social dynamic. F. Scott Fitzgerald both criticizes and praises the struggle between the coexisting traditional and new woman image by the flawed and interesting female characters, and the relationships with others they have. By exposing a variety of taboo at the time, Fitzgerald accurately captures the disturbance of the traditional expectations of women. During this turbulent time, the novel demonstrates the issues circulating the American public has surrounding the shift in gender because The Great Gatsby deals with the consequences of female emancipation in a misogynistic society.
Throughout “The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald characterizes the citizens of East Egg as careless in some form. This relates to the prominent class issue seen all through “Gatsby.” It seems as though Daisy and Tom almost look down upon others. At one point in the book, Nick says “in a moment she looked at me with an absolute smirk on her lovely face as if she had asserted her membership in a rather distinguished secret society to which she and Tom belonged.” It is because of their belief of superiority that they deem themselves better than other and allows them to live so carelessly.
Written during and regarding the 1920s, ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald is both a representation of this distinctive social and historical context, and a construction of the composer’s experience of this era. Beliefs and practises of the present also play a crucial role in shaping the text, in particular changing the way in which literary techniques are interpreted. The present-day responder is powerfully influenced by their personal experiences, some of which essentially strengthen Fitzgerald’s themes, while others compete, establishing contemporary interpretations of the novel.
Watch out – a large group of feminists is approaching – hide The Great Gatsby! In 1987 The Great Gatsby – written by F. Scott Fitzgerald – was challenged for its misogynistic views. Since then, the book has always been controversial. Many critics argue that Fitzgerald’s palpable anti-feminist stand in the novel is disturbing for most women, yet many high schools include this book on their reading lists because of its commentary on social issues. This novel mirrors not only the decline of American dreams but also an aristocratic society. Even though the use of sexism in The Great Gatsby, implied through Daisy’s remarks, is offensive, students should read this masterpiece as it portrays the darkness and hollowness of the American upper class.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is an absurd story, whether considered as romance, melodrama, or plain record of New York high life. The occasional insights into character stand out as very green oases on an arid desert of waste paper. Throughout the first half of the book the author shadows his leading character in mystery, but when in the latter part he unfolds his life story it is difficult to find the brains, the cleverness, and the glamour that one might expect of a main character.
The 1920’s was a time of great change to both the country lived in as well as the goals and ambitions that were sought after by the average person. During this time, priorities shifted from family and religion to success and spontaneous living. The American dream, itself, changed into a self centered and ongoing personal goal that was the leading priority in most people’s lives. This new age of carelessness and naivety encompasses much of what this earlier period is remembered for. In addition, this revolution transformed many of the great writers and authors of the time as well as their various works. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, perfectly symbolizes many emergent trends of the 1920’s. More importantly the character of Jay Gatsby is depicted as a man amongst his American dream and the trials he faces in the pursuit of its complete achievement. His drive for acquiring the girl of his dreams, Daisy Buchanan, through gaining status and wealth shows many aspects of the authors view on the American dream. Through this, one can hope to disassemble the complex picture that is Fitzgerald’s view of this through the novel. Fitzgerald believes, through his experiences during the 1920’s, that only fractions of the American Dream are attainable, and he demonstrates this through three distinct images in The Great Gastby.
Criticism of Capitalism in The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald creates an artificial world where money is the object of everyone's desire. The characters, the setting, and the plot are very deeply submerged in a Capitalism that ends up destroying many of them. Fitzgerald's criticism of Capitalism can be seen as a move to subtly promote Socialism, an ideology in which value is placed on the inherent value of an object rather than its market value. In a late collection of notes, Fitzgerald himself proclaims that he is "essentially Marxist. " Marxism is a specific branch of Socialist theory.
This novel was written after the Women’s Suffrage Movement occurred, which granted women the right to vote and stand for electoral office. In turn Women were in high demand for their rights. However, the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, displays a variety of many different types of women in his book. Women, who allowed themselves to be taken care of by men, and were not in search for their own, individualized voices. But other women, such as Jordan Baker were. Baker was the only woman in the book, who actually emerged as an independent thinker, and found her own opinionated voice. She was not content to sit around and let some man look after her. She was more open-minded for her time, than the other female characters, such as Daisy. Earlier in the novel, when referencing to her daughter in regards to the status of females during that time, Daisy states: “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 17) Some women, such as Daisy, see the female society as possessional items. They must grow up, be fools, and beautiful enough for a rich man to want them. Myrtle, another female character was lost in between who she was, and what she wanted to be. She had NO voice, and no intention of gaining one. As a poor mans wife, living in the Valley of Ashes, she had an affair with Daisy’s husband,
Women are seen from a biased point of view in pop culture as they are often criticized and portrayed in degrading ways. The Great Gatsby takes place in the early part of the 20th century which is also known as the Roaring 20's. In regards to feminism, the women in The Great Gatsby are mainly depicted as second class to men. The story gives readers an insight of the roles that gender played in past World War I America. In The Great Gatsby, the author Scott Fitzgerald shines a light on the submissiveness of females toward males during the Roaring Twenties by giving the women in the novel an unfair representation as they are often identified as passive or negative “objects”.
By analyzing F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby with the formalist and Marxist theories, it becomes evident that the themes of the story are destruction, manipulation, and oppression of lower-class characters in order for higher-class characters to sustain their position of wealth, and gain power.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald took place in the 1920’s when the nation was undergoing rapid economic, political, and social change. Looking through different literary lenses the reader is able to see the effects of these rapid changes. The marxist lens reflects the gap between rich and poor while the feminist lens showcases the patriarchal society.
The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is interpreted with fresh eyes and new understanding throughout the years. It’s important to analyze the factors of this book that captures the reader’s attention and make it applicable to many types of criticism. A distinct aspect of The Great Gatsby was the outlook on feminism. By using feminist criticism to scrutinize this book, the ideal portrayal of women was expressed as shallow, deceitful, and mostly dependent. This was the socially accepted norm of women during the 1920’s. However, some of the women in this book tried to escape the socially accepted behavior in some way. The book showed degraded femininity through relationships, thoughts, behavior, and authority
F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the most compelling twentieth century writers, (Curnutt, 2004). The year 1925 marks the year of the publication of Fitzgerald’s most credited novel, The Great Gatsby (Bruccoli, 1985). With its critiques of materialism, love and the American Dream (Berman, 1996), this dramatic idyllic novel, (Harvey, 1957), although poorly received at first, is now highly regarded as Fitzgerald’s finest work (Rohrkemper, 1985) and is his publisher, Scribner 's most popular title, (Donahue, 2013). The novel achieved it’s status as one of the most influential novels in American history around the nineteen fifties and sixties, over ten years after Fitzgerald 's passing, (Ibid, 1985)