The 1920s is a time of technological, economical, and social exploration. Myrtle, Daisy, and Jordan display the full image of what it is like to be a women in New York during the 1920s. They each have a personal struggle with society and the fight between what they want and what is expected of them. Each of these women wants to experience the glamor of the 1920s but has to maintain some of the traditional elegance of a woman. If the neglect to do so, they are treated harshly by society. Daisy shows her struggles with the social status of women through her daughter and relationship with Tom. Jordan proves that being a “new” women of the 1920s comes with a price of judgment and accusations of dishonesty. Myrtle seeks to become a member of the
In the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author uses many differnt retorical devices to add a personal flare to his work. He uses diction, symbolism, and irony to adress many different themes. These themes include Materialism, The American Dream, and includes a sharp and biting ridicule on American society in the 1920’s. The main point of Fitzgerald, arguement is one where he sharply criticizes the Society of the 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. Through use of comparison between Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s message about women and feminine power is that having a man deprives the women of their power, ranking higher in social standards deepens the wound of selfishness, and being deceptive
During the twenties the economy of the United States was changing greatly. Due to the establishment of the prohibition of alcohol the billionaires were those who would smuggle the goods to society. The Great Gatsby is a novel which portrays the different societies of the United States during the twenties differently. F. Scott Fitzgerald focuses on revealing the types of lives lived by each social group. Throughout the book we are exposed to the marginalization of women and the lower class during the time, since the important individuals in society were the wealthy people who impacted the economy of the country. The reader comes to the realization that the middle class was almost nonexistent since the poor were very poor and the rich were very rich during that era.
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
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.
2.2. THE GREAT GATSBY Considered as Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, The Great Gatsby offers a similar point of view about women in the 1920s. In this novel, there are three remarkable female characters. The first of them is Daisy Buchanan, the leading female character.
There’s been this burning question as to whether or not Nick, the narrator, is either straight or gay. The true answer to this question is that he falls under the asexual umbrella. More specifically under either asexual, the term for the lack of sexual attraction to others, itself or a little thing called graysexual, a term for lacking a sexual attraction to others with the occasion of feeling sexual attraction. One cannot say for sure that he is completely ace, however gray fits Nick Carraway like a glove. Throughout the book Nick describes characters in a detail that insinuates he focuses on the aesthetic appeal of most people, not just women and not just men. Add on the strange way his relationship with Jordan Baker flowed, his intense appreciation of Gatsby, and his uncomfort at the apartment Tom has for Myrtle, and you’ve got a recipe for a graysexual narrator.
Although my adventure into F. Scott Fitzgerald’s literature has just begun, I have, without a doubt, already been beguiled by his exceptionally well-written prose. The Great Gatsby, much like Fahrenheit 451, is filled with ideologies, literary devices and themes that reveal the deepest, darkness secrets of human emotion and expose – in this case - the fabricated fantasy known as the American Dream. If there is one thing this book is, it is eye-opening. This novel, which is set in New York City during the 1920s, depicts a scandalous society where sex, money, class, love, and morals (or lack thereof) govern the lives of people and the decisions made. As such, The Great Gatsby is a social commentary on American society following the large economic boom after the First World War [].
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.
As shown in The Great Gatsby, wealth and luxury has shown to result in ethical or moral corruption of one’s self. An example would be Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby: being the two richest men in the novel, they are shown to be corrupted in ways that are not what people expect. While Tom was born into the wealthy life in East Egg, Gatsby was originally a poor man named James Gatz and had to work his way into becoming a wealthy man in West Egg. Tom had strong power and importance in the book and that drew Myrtle out of the Valley of Ashes and she tried to obtain Tom in order to become wealthy. Both men have no regards for the other as displayed in chapter 7. “I suppose you’ve got to make your house into a pigsty in order to have friends in the
According to Helen Lawrenson, “If a woman is sufficiently ambitious, determined and gifted - there is practically nothing she can't do.” Women in history have been limited and bound in different aspects of their lives in the past. They are confined to meet certain and precise standards for marriage, to raise a family, and also in the work field. In The Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Myrtle Wilson, all women living during the flapper 1920’s style that embodied the real women of the time which F. Scott Fitzgerald (got?) his characteristics from. Ginevra King, Zelda Syra, and Edith Cummings influenced Fitzgerald’s view of the world and women throughout his life. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald emphasizes growing freedoms
The American Character is the fusion of many different qualities. In the year of 1776, America gained its freedom from Britain, guided towards the concept of freedom, rights, and equality that together create today’s American. One of the qualities that make an American character is that of hoping to live the American Dream. Hoping to live the American Dream means that a person living or coming into the US, has the hopes of living the dream of having wealth and freedom that is included in living the American Dream. This idea of the American Dream is what unites our “United States” of America; we are united in the dream and hope of achieving our individual versions of the American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald shows us in his novel of The Great Gatsby on
The Roaring Twenties Have you ever wondered what the stereotypes of women were in the 1920’s? Well, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, there are three major different types of stereotypes of women. In this book, a man named Nick Carraway moves near a millionaire who goes by the name Gatsby. Gatsby hosts frequent parties which include several different types of people, such as gold diggers, golden girls, and the new women. Throughout this book, Nick gets to meet all three types of these girls, and gets to spend time with them.
In this the year, which marks, the centenary in which, women won the right to vote; this essay will be to ‘Discuss the presentation of the women in ‘The great Gatsby’. One cannot understand the writing of ‘The great Gatsby’ without considering the era in which it took place. The role of women first started to change after the First World War in United States of America. Before this war, women did not enjoy universal suffrage. However, that was to change. In the decade of the 1920s, there was enormous social and economic change. In this change, great numbers of women went to work and earned their own income. With income comes taxation and in United States of America as James Otis U.S. politician once said, “Taxation without representation is tyranny” (Ratcliffe, 2014). Therefore, what followed was the right of women to vote; with this, the voice of women where now represented in public office changing forever the political life of the nation. This new independence marked a big step to social equality.