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Roles Of Women In The Great Gatsby

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There were three very influential women in the novel, The Great Gatsby. Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle all played key roles in shaping other characters into the characters that they were. In doing so, many “flaws” or things that were not socially accepted at the time, were revealed about each woman. These so-called imperfections led each woman through so many different conflicts such as murder, affairs, and true love being ripped away. When society has different expectations, there are many different conflicts that come with it. How those conflicts are negotiated also adds onto how society views people. Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan all fit into society in different ways and all have something that society doesn’t necessarily find “attractive”. The …show more content…

After Nick invites Daisy to tea at his house, Gatsby makes an appearance to show Daisy who he has become, and the feelings and relationship between Gatsby and Daisy revitalizes itself. While Nick is having tea with Daisy, Gatsby invites Daisy and Nick over to his house so that he can give Daisy a tour. Gatsby was showing Daisy his shirts and on page 92 Daisy says, “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such beautiful shirts before”. Daisy is not really sad about the shirts, but is actually sad about the fantasy life she could have had with Gatsby. Soon enough Daisy and Gatsby are having an affair. Since affairs were looked down upon for married women, Daisy kept it a secret and Gatsby fired all of his servants so that rumors would not be spread. Daisy finds herself in a difficult situation when Daisy tells Gatsby that she loves him right in front of Tom. Gastby is a bootlegger, but Daisy is unaware of his occupation, until Tom reveals this during the confrontation. Daisy tells Gatsby she cannot be with a bootlegger, and she then stays with Tom. At this point Daisy’s conflict is resolved, but she and Gatsby can never have a relationship again because at the end of the novel, Gatsby is murdered by George …show more content…

Myrtle Wilson is George Wilson’s wife, but she is also Tom’s mistress. Myrtle conflicts with the society of her time because she is a married woman having an affair. Myrtle shows great jealousy of Daisy. While Myrtle was with Tom, she kept repeating Daisy’s name until Tom broke her nose with his bare hand. Once George Wilson realizes his wife is having an affair, he becomes physically ill. Mr. Wilson wants to move her far away so that the affair is forced to end, but before that happens, tragedy

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