The Role Of Women In The Great Gatsby

Imagine you get stared at by people that are judging if you are pretty or have a good body, you are controlled by your significant other, and you are blamed for anything. This is the life of a woman in the 1920s. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, he illustrates how women are treated poorly and not as human beings. The males in the story control the females because of gender roles in the 1920s. The theme that Fitzgerald developed was, women in the 1920s are objects and to blame for the downfall of everything, which is shown through the characters Myrtle, Daisy, and Ella Kaye.

Reader’s perception is one of the most essential aspects of a novel, this refers to what the audience brings to the novel and determines whether a book is transcendent. The perception can be affected by several factors such as the format, the language and the message of the novel in general. A book can be interpreted differently according to culture, ideology, and even gender. The novel, The Great Gatsby written and published by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, is faced with reader-response criticism by two different social groups; feminist, that want to achieve equal cultural and social representation for women, question the treatment the women in book receive by the men, yet view the novel as an example of the empowerment of females in during the 1920’s. Then Marxists, who analyse class relations, social conflict and social transformation, interpret the book by analysing the representation of a materialistic elite class and the struggle of the middle class to fit into their world.

Kaitlynn Arendall 1/10/23 Mr. Jefferson Dominating Gender In the 1920s, life for women was not as easy as it was for men. Women were restricted by many rules whereas men thrived as the dominating gender. The novel The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott tells a story about a man named Nick, who gets involved with a millionaire, Jay Gatsby.

During the 1920s women gained a freedom that they had not known before. Women were wearing new and shorter fashion styles (document 4). Before the 1920s women’s fashion included floor length dresses that were usually reworn every day. Wearing the same dress every day was seen as a normality during this time and owning too many dresses could have been considered frivolous. In the 1920s however many women owned multiple dresses that they did not have to wear every day or even week.

Women were able to wear pants to work, oftenly traditionally men’s work, and other daily activities. Despite the great change in the 1940s, the 1950s brought a decline in progress for women’s independence and opportunities. Their clothing

There was a decade of economic prosperity following the conclusion of World War Ⅰ. This time was called the “Roaring Twenties”, because of the ebullient, unrestrained culture of the decade. Before this era, the Victorian attitudes toward dress and etiquette were still prominent, and were the main influence on women’s clothing. Women’s bodies were fully covered, as floor-length dresses were the norm and waists were cinched, tight due to the corsets that were still an accompaniment to most women’s outfits. When the 1920’s hit, however, dresses got shorter, painful corsets were cast aside, and some women even began wearing sports clothes.

“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). This quote was said by Daisy Buchanan in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. Throughout the novel, women are very present and Fitzgerald created mesmerising and contradicting personalities for each character to draw in the readers. During the flapper movement, many women were cutting their hair, raising the hemlines on their skirts, smoking, drinking, and even driving (Kennedy, Cohen, Bailey 745). Nevertheless, many women were still afraid to speak their minds, even if they followed the fashion and social trends.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, is full of themes of wealth, love, and tragedy, as well as a subtle but powerful representation of gender. During the time this book was written, women’s suffrage had begun, so women were taking their first steps towards equality with men. The three main women characters in the novel - Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker- all have things in common but can be vastly different; they reflect both man and society’s view of women in the early 20th century. The Great Gatsby portrays the characters Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan as stereotypes of women during the 1920s, which is shown through their behavior, beliefs, and ultimate fates and their personalities display both powerful and potentially harmful stereotypes of women at this time.

Golden blonde hair falls on the cheeks of a pure face. A woman so accustomed to money and privilege, yet a hole in her heart prevents her from happiness. Meanwhile, sweat of poverty covers the skin of one who only has eyes for a man already wed to another. Betwixt them all is a dark haired, athletic woman who cares only for her own well-being. All three of these beauties walk down paths as different as lead is from gold, yet their similarities are uncanny.

Fitzgerald used positive characteristics from his wife, Zelda Fitzgerald, and negative characteristics from his first love, Ginevra King, as stimuli for the character of Daisy. His blend of the two women lead Daisy to be portrayed as a man’s ultimate downfall, much like Fitzgerald felt these two women were for him. Fitzgerald describes King as “the first girl I ever loved and I have faithfully avoided seeing her up to this moment to keep this illusion perfect” (Mangum). Fitzgerald’s wish to keep his fantasy in perfect condition correlates to Gatsby’s wish to immortalize Daisy in the goddess-like position his mind created for her. Fitzgerald shows similar emotions through the character of Gatsby when he says, “There must have been moments

The Great Gatsby Women in the 1920s “Inevitably, the daring clothes, the scandalous dances and sensual jazz, the late-night parties and cynical opinions of the young drew the wrath of many members of the older generation” (Britten 28). This is how women in The Great Gatsby attempt to live every day. Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle strive for a life of luxury. They embody various stereotypes in the 1920s through pleasure, desire, and greed.

In Scott Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ the 1920’s was a time of glamour and fame. Not only this but it was also an influential period for women and this also had a great impact on American culture. In the novel, Nick Caraway, the narrator uses women as a catalyst for the American Dream, showcasing their beauty and personality. In this essay, I, will explore the ways in which Nick Caraway represents women throughout the novel.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, is full of themes of wealth, love, and tragedy. Also during the time this book was written, women’s suffrage had begun, so women were taking their first steps towards equality with men. The three main women characters in the novel: Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker, all have things in common but can be vastly different; they reflect the view of women in the early 20th century. The Great Gatsby portrays the characters Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan as stereotypes of women during the 1920s, seen in their behavior, beliefs, and their ultimate fate.

Women in The Great Gatsby Throughout the 1920’s, the role women played in society was changing. Fitzgerald shows this in The Great Gatsby by the characters: Daisy, and Jordan. The morals and iimages of the woman changed. During this time period females began to go against the “norms” of society.

Eras are remembered by wars, civil rights, legislation, and popular culture. In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, the role of women in society are significant motifs. Little Women was written and set in the 1860’s at the same time as the development of the women's rights movement within the United States. The Great Gatsby and Their Eyes Were Watching God are both set in the 1920s when women gained the right to vote and therefore women's rights should have evolved from those featured in Little Women. The goal of this essay is to attempt to determine if literature arising simultaneously to the feminist movement parallels laws passed.