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Gender Lens In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

598 Words3 Pages

Gender Lens
Daisy, a high-status woman, is constrained by her position, which influences her actions and choices.
Due to her high status, she's constricted from society. In the 1920s, society put pressure on women to behave a certain way. Daisy was under more pressure than those in middle or lower classes due to her high status. High-class women in the 1920s needed to be ladylike, marry someone from their social class and comply with their husbands. Debutante was a way that wealthy families could present their daughters when of age, to find a husband who is suitable. Often times the suitors would have to be wealthier than the women’s family. In Daisy’s case “She was just eighteen…and by far the most popular of all the young girls in Louisville” (74). She was expected to marry someone extremely wealthy given her background. When more details emerged about …show more content…

Tom cheats on Daisy multiple times in the novel, even when he tries to hide it from her. Daisy, as a woman, is unable to express her true feelings to Tom; instead, she must keep them to herself. When Daisy failed to keep Tom from interacting with his mistress she tries to forget about it. According to Daisy, “It couldn’t be helped! …cried Daisy with a tense gayety” (15). Daisy is unable to pursue her desired actions because she must comply with her husband. Even though she despises that her husband cheats on her and wishes she could leave him she knows in her head and heart that she cannot. When Daisy was at Gatsby’s house and saw all of his beautiful shirts, she is described as sobbing. While sobbing she commented on the shirts “ It makes [her] sad because [she have] never seen such-such beautiful shirts before”(92). Daisy realized at this point that no matter what she did, she would never be able to leave her husband. No matter how much she despises him and is unhappy with her life, she cannot leave Tom without societal

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