Women In The Great Gatsby

1144 Words3 Pages

F Scott Fitgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is centred upon 1920’s America. In the text, characters such as Myrtle Wilson, Jordan Baker and Daisy Buchanan are all carefully constructed to reveal various attitudes held by America in the early 20th century. Overall, the construction of female characters in The Great Gatsby showcases an accurate representation of women in the time period the text was composed in. Firstly, how the character Myrtle Wilson is constructed reveals new, sensuous attitudes females of the early 20th century were adopting. In the text, narrator Nick Carraway describes that Myrtle “carried her flesh sensuously as some women can” (page 28), therefore implying that Myrtle Wilson is very in touch with her sexuality and knows This idea is further reiterates Myrtle Wilson’s seductive nature in the text. Men are so fascinated by her that they are willing to be unfaithful to their spouses to be in her presence. However, it seems as if Fitzgerald does not foreground Myrtle’s behavior as positive. In the vicinity of the Valley of Ashes, where Myrtle resides, lay the tired eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleberg, staring down at the society before him. When George Wilson exclaims that, “God sees everything” (page 152), it could be implied that he is talking about the eyes of T.J Eckleberg that are staring down, unsatisfied, at the corrupt American society. As a result of this, a reader could When Daisy exclaims to Nick that, “Tom as God knows where” (page 22) during her daughter’s birth and that she hopes that her daughter will “be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (page 22), it reveals the embodiment of an archetypal, subordinate role for women in the 1920’s. Daisy’s quote implies recognition of sexism and patriarchy, and an ensuring sense of herself surrendering to it. As Tom was not present during their daughter’s delivery, it is clear that Daisy realizes that he is having an affair. But rather than confront Tom about this, Daisy chooses to be submissive, not voice her opinion and hope that her daughter will be a fool. This suggests that Daisy is critically aware of the place that women hold in the particular historical context, where being oblivious and ignorant towards a spouse’s actions – being a “fool” – is better than having knowledge of their wrongdoings and feeling as if speaking up about it will not alter the situation. Although she appears superficial at times, the audience should not dismiss the potential wisdom of her character. Although Daisy is talking about her daughter, in many ways, this quotation is autobiographical about Daisy subsiding to cultural expectations regarding women and not confronting her husband about his adultery. However, it is

Show More
Related

  • Who Is Myrtle's Power In The Great Gatsby

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    Myrtle Wilson came from a working class family with a low social standing. Due to her family’s lack of money, Myrtle’s options were limited to marrying men of equal or lower economic status than herself. As a result, Myrtle married George Wilson, a poor car mechanic. In her relationship with George, Myrtle lacked control due to her status as a woman and was thus forced to listen to her husband. However, because of her lower status, Myrtle did learn to use her physical attributes to her own advantage. In other words, Myrtle knew how to exaggerate her physical beauty in order to attract men such as Tom Buchanan; who would pay her with money and expensive gifts in return. Thus, “there is a clear connection between the material disadvantages” Myrtle faced and her lack of morals; given “the paucity of her allotment of the fundamental decencies” (Voegeli). In other words, because of her lack of economic backing, Myrtle Wilson grew up as a woman of lower class with less options in life; which limited her social power and drove her to act unlike any high class lady. Thus, Myrtle’s only option for increasing her status was through material services such as her relationship with Tom Buchanan. All in all, Myrtle Wilson’s economic status limited her to the life of a low class woman and her power others in her

    Read More

  • Tom's Infidelity In The Great Gatsby

    1204 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tom tries to show to the Nick his mistress with the proud. Myrtle appears as the total opposite character to the Daisy. She is ‘thicklish, faintly stout” (Fitzgerald 29), but “sensuously” and “immediately perceptible vitality about her” (Fitzgerald 29). She is the woman from “the bottom” who wants to be acceptable as a lady from upper class. She is terribly vulgar, but she is more alive and natural than Daisy is. The unpleasant scene in their apartments, where Carraway appeared because of Myrtle’s invitation, is full of the philistine contentment and boasting. It is finished with even more disgusting event: Tom broke Myrtle’s nose because she dared to mention many time his wife’s name. Tom lets himself to be brutal and free from conventionalities of the upper class; thus, he behaves also more natural, but he does not want to lose Daisy and all what she

    Read More

  • The Women in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    529 Words  | 2 Pages

    Set in the Roaring ‘20s, The Great Gatsby focuses mainly on the lives of men as Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. However, it also clearly outlines the lives of several women : Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker. On the surface, the lives of these women couldn’t be more different. Daisy, a rich debutante, is torn between her husband, Tom, or her first love, Jay Gatsby. Lower on the social ladder is Myrtle, who is having an affair with Tom, hoping to rise above her station in life. Jordan, on the other hand, is unmarried and a successful golfer, who travels the country participating in tournaments. While these women may have seemed independent, they’re still subject to the will of society which sees them as inferior and objects to be controlled by men.

    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

  • 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

     Why is the novel so intrigued by Myrtle Wilson’s “immediately perceptible vitality” (30), on the one hand, yet almost viciously cruel in its mockery of her upper class pretension on the other hand? (see for example, pp.29-35 where Nick contrasts Myrtle’s “intense vitality” with her and her sister Catherine’s laughable attempts to posture themselves as modern society women. Indeed, Nick twice remarks Catherine’s plucked and redrawn eyebrows as affronts to her “nature” (see p.34, and again at the very end on pp.171-172). What’s up with that?)

    Read More

  • Who Is Daisy A Fool In The Great Gatsby

    662 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The best thing a girl can be in this world [is to be] a beautiful little fool,” (pg.17, ch. 1)—at least it was in the 1920’s. Daisy Buchanan says this in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and it is a startling statement for a mother to make to her daughter, but it has a little truth to it. While Tom Buchanan is out doing who knows what, Daisy is emotionally troubled by the birth of her daughter, due to the fact that Daisy knows what kind of hardships she may inevitably pass down to her. Daisy is a prime example of the development of female ideology of the 20’s. This passage in The Great Gatsby represents the changing role of women.

    Read More

  • What Is Daisy's Transformation In The Great Gatsby

    566 Words  | 2 Pages

    The leading ladies of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby unveils women’s transition into quasi-transformation. Set in the 1920s, Daisy Buchanan is a characterture of the time’s traditional woman who was ascending into the new expectation of society, a modern twist. Nick Carraway, the narrator of the story, is taken with her from the start, as all men seem to be. In her introductions (first to Nick, then from Jordan’s memory) she is described as a beautiful, charming creature draped in white, whose external purity creates a sort of otherworldliness about her. Daisy is not particularly intellectual nor curious; she lets herself be completely dependent on others for any sort of guidance. Her closest friend, Jordan Baker, challenges Daisy’s character in their juxtaposition. While Daisy’s

    Read More

  • Change In Gender Roles In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

    683 Words  | 2 Pages

    Daisy is submissive to her husband, Tom, who’s dominating behaviour towards her contributes to the idea that men back then had control and power over their wives. He submissiveness towards Tom is depicted through this quote (referring to power point) where words such as “there was a boom as Tom Buchanan shut the rear windows” (Fitzgerald, pg. 27) demonstrates his dominating behaviour and thus reflects that Daisy is powerless against him. Daisy still believes in the old traditions and stereotypes that women should get married to a man who is wealthy as they are dependent on him for wealth and status. Upholding these stereotypes, Daisy abandons Gatsby’s love and marries Tom for the wealth and status she desires. Furthermore, her believes in such stereotypes for women is evident when she is talking to Nick regarding her daughter and states “… I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” (Fitzgerald, n.d.). This demonstrates Daisy’s cynicism for the world she lives in and how in her eyes women can only be fools with a pretty face. Although Daisy embodies the attributes of the old woman, she also personifies a few attributes of the new woman such as irresponsibility and detachment. This idea is supported when Nick asks her about her daughter and she replies with “I suppose she talks, and–eats, and everything.” and displays that although Daisy is used to represent the old woman she still embodies some new women values in her treatment of her daughter as well irresponsibility for her actions. Perhaps to Fitzgerald, Daisy may have been embodied the 1920’s woman in transition between old and new

    Read More

  • Women's Rights In The Great Gatsby

    165 Words  | 1 Pages

    Women have always fought to be treated as men, respected. During the women's suffrage women seeked for equality but before all of that started some women didn’t care how they were treated. F. Scott Fitzgerald made Myrtle from The Great Gatsby one of those women. She only wanted to be desired by a man . She wanted to find a man who would pull her out of the taintless Valley of Ashes and pull her into East Egg. Once she found her lover, Tom Buchanan, she was delighted since she was unhappy in her other marriage. She was dissatisfied because she felt as she was born into the wrong social class. She wanted to be apart of a social class that has parties every now and then to just admire the wealth of the person who is throwing it. The themes of

    Read More

  • The Tragedy of Myrtle Wilson

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    Myrtle’s ambition proves to be her fatal flaw in being the tragic hero. The goal of her ambition is to lead her to a higher social status. In pursuit of her ambition she expresses that her husband, George Wilson, serves as an obstacle since he is in the opposite direction of where she wishes to be. She expresses disgust in George for committing actions that are considered lowly by her standards. She was particularly unenthused with her husband after it is revealed that “he borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married” without telling her. (35) She expresses her marriage as regretful, which illustrates her ambition to strive for better, being Tom. Essentially it illustrates that she would rather be treated with little respect to achieve status, rather than to be treated with respect without status. Myrtle not only exudes her ambition through her pompous attitude, but also in the manner in which she carries herself. She is a young woman in her “middle thirties, and faintly stout, but (carries) her surplus flesh sensuously,” and although she is not attributed with beauty she is somewhat charismatic. (25) The way in which she carries herself may be considered sexual, and her persona is alluring for men such as Tom. Her seducing persona illustrates her ambition in being a temptress in order to move up the social ladder.

    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

  • The Great Gatsby Women Essay

    903 Words  | 2 Pages

    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”.

    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

More about Women In The Great Gatsby

Open Document