What Are Gender Roles In The Great Gatsby

Erin Danielson
Ms. Johnson
Literature of the Americas
28 January 2018
Gender Within the Great Gatsby
The beginning of the 1920s meant a new decade, and with that came new rights and freedom for the women of this country. Suffrage, prohibition, and cultural freedoms were the three biggest women movements of the 1920s. However, despite the fact that the women of this country were finally starting to fill their shoes, there was still a power struggle between the two genders. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's book, The Great Gatsby, women such as Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle play an extensional role in being key pieces throughout the plot.
Daisy Fay Buchanan fell in love with Jay Gatsby during the war and after, she promised that she would wait for him, but

In Jordans case, the upper class. Joran is a professional golfer that is young and single and always sought after by men, including Nick until later on in the book. Nick describes Jordan as “incurably dishonest” and as a cheat on life and says that she cannot live life with a “disadvantage”, thus she always has to have the upper hand. In the beginning of the book, Jordan tells Nick that she “hates careless people”, but sooner than later, Nick begins to see through all of her lies and he takes a step back. Jordan Baker plays a pivotal role in reuniting Daisy and Gatsby, after all, Daisy would never have known about Gatsby and his parties had it not been for Jordan’s party life. Jordan is a rantipole, a wild and reckless young person. In the 1920s, wealthy women were expected to get married and stay at home, the exact opposite of what Jordan chooses to do. She spends her time defying

At first, Myrtle is just the woman helping Tom Buchanan cheat on his wife, until it is revealed that Daisy is also cheating on Tom. Myrtle is disgusted by her husband and his lack of riches and wealth and prosperity. It is stated in the book that she always felt that she was born to be sophisticated and wealthy and a participant of the upper class. Because of this, she doesn’t complain when Tom, a rich city boy, pushes himself upon her. Tom does not try to hide his affair by any means, which makes Myrtle think there is more there than really is. In the end of the book, Daisy hits, and kills, Myrtle with her car. Though it never says if Daisy knew Myrtle was the mistress or not, it could be inferred that that was the reason that she killed