Women In The Great Gatsby

Women have been consistently marginalized and devalued throughout history. In The Great Gatsby, the women’s characterization are limited to how the men in their life utilise them- a trophy wife and prize, a paramour, and a prize. These women are not allowed to develop independently; their importance is dictated by the men in their life. F. Scott Fitzgerald is not bringing awareness to the inequality of women in the Roaring Twenties, but perpetuating it through the lack of characterization the women undergo.

Tom’s infidelity in his marriage clearly expresses his views about his wife, Daisy. In seeking an affair, he is stating that Daisy is deficient and not worthy of devotion. Daisy knows of his affairs, but because of the time and their social

He had been dreaming and pining for five years after her, and was continually in disbelief. However, Gatsby also realized that in having Daisy again, he would lose the symbol of the green light. Gatsby’s “count of enchanted objects diminished by one,” an unexpected preoccupation considering he finally had Daisy back in his arms (93). This focus on the symbol reaffirms the limited importance of Daisy’s development. She is only as significant as Gatsby allows her to be. Evidently, Gatsby considered the green light and Daisy herself equal in importance. Daisy and the green light are both enchanted objects- a dangerous descriptor for a

True to the times, women were companions to events; they were plus-ones, only there to support their husbands or other male significant others. To Nick, and as to many men, women seemed to blend together. They were not granted the freedom for individuality and were often reduced to the colors of their dresses by Nick. Of the women Nick gives enough mind to describe, he states that Benny McClenahan’s four companions, “were never quite the same ones in physical person, but they were so identical with one another…” (63). Women have long been considered men’s property. In traditional wedding vows, women used to promise to “love, cherish, and obey” their husbands. When taking their husband’s last name, the couple is introduced by the husband’s name only. This is shown in The Great Gatsby, as a majority of the women who frequented Gatsby’s parties are introduced with or through their husband or other male significant other. If not presented as “Mr. Chrystie’s wife,” their name is followed by an appositive securing the belief that a woman’s presence is contingent upon being accompanied by man (63). This was so ingrained in the American culture of the 20s that it is highly improbable that Fitzgerald was doing anything other than perpetuating the inferiority of