Women In The Great Gatsby

Women in the 20’s, and as in our time have standards. Standard which can be met, and are almost expected to. Women in the 20’s were the “homely” beings, they mothered, cooked and cleaned. Women began to diversities our country by Perusing jobs, and out of home careers, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows the role of women in the great gatsby through the character Daisy. Throughout the book Daisy's role as a women is challenged and belittled by the superiority of the men present in her life: Tom and Gatsby. The role of women shows as a theme and visually stunning views of the changes women endowed historically. The role of women is also recognized through literary critics. The great gatsby depicts the theme and is greatly written by author F. Scott Fitzgerald.

As World War I began women were being brought into the workforce in a flood. This time of work for women didn’t cause much of a shift in everyday life. Although the women were doing and performing task men often gained credit for women did not. Most of the working women were immigrants, they moved from industrial to office jobs. After the war, men came home and took their jobs back and women were left jobless, and belittled once again. Women did achieve high-end jobs such as lawyers and journalist. Women most often supported the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) , these women often worked toward the equal rights they deserved in the workforce. The ERA not only worked toward equal rights for women, but for racial, and class differences. The ERA was eventually passed in 1919 gaining women the right to vote and a place in society. However women gaining the right to vote “had limited impact on gender balance in the workforce” (Breitzer). Woman, now with the new gained independence of the ERA began to become “women of loose morals.”(Smith). Women knowns

In chapter one Daisy is introduced as a women who is a picture perfect wife. Daisy looks and sounds as witty, and charming as she is expected to be. Daisy, and much of women in this era were expected to be “a beautiful little fool.” a creature of oblivion ( fitzgerald 17). Women like Daisy were never expected to be anything important in society. Daisy and women of this time were expected to keep it hush hush, look pretty on the arms of their husbands, and have a picture perfect life. Daisy was never expected to be anything but an object of possession for Gatsby and Tom. Tom only saw Daisy as a trophy wife, and the property which he thought she was. Gatsby on the other hand had a story which Daisy was supposed to be apart of. She was merely an idea to Gatsby which he needed to control, “ she should go to Tom and say: i never loved you.” gatsby expected complete cooperation of daisy for his story to play out properly (fitzgerald 109). The expectations of daisy through the great gatsby differ from almost every character. Women are expected to do and perform a million things and live up to where men want them. Daisy shows that women clearly can not do nor meet those expectations. Women are only suppose to mother and stay home during this time “women run around too much these days.” men worked and provided (fitzgerald 103). Daisy did not meet the expectations tom or gatsby