Gender: Write An Essay Analyzing The Role Of Women

Gender: Write an essay analyzing the role of women in The Great Gatsby, as represented by Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle

Analyze the role of women in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, focusing on the characters of Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Myrtle Wilson. Examine the influence and power these women wield within their social contexts, considering their societal positions and interactions with men and other characters. Investigate how gender roles, societal expectations, and personal ambitions shape their behavior and choices, and determine whether they serve as symbols of the American Dream, materialism, or societal constraints. Through this analysis, explore how Fitzgerald portrays women's agency and limitations during the Jazz Age, revealing complex themes of gender, power, and identity in the novel.

Paper For Above instruction

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby offers a compelling portrayal of women during the Jazz Age—an era marked by rapid social change and economic prosperity. Specifically, the characters of Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Myrtle Wilson serve as pivotal representations of women navigating a society defined by gender norms, class distinctions, and material pursuits. Analyzing their roles provides insight into the underlying gender dynamics and societal expectations that influenced women's perceptions of influence, power, and independence in the 1920s. This essay aims to explore how these female characters exemplify varying degrees of agency, passive compliance, and societal constraint, illustrating the complexities of female identity and autonomy within the novel’s social fabric.

Starting with Daisy Buchanan, she embodies the epitome of the American Dream's feminine ideal—beautiful, charming, and seemingly carefree. Yet beneath this exterior, Fitzgerald suggests a deeper vulnerability and reliance on conventional femininity. Daisy’s influence over others is rooted more in her attractiveness and social standing than in direct action or independence. Her voice, often described as “voice full of money,” symbolizes her social and economic privilege, which grants her power indirectly. However, her passive nature and inability to make decisive choices reflect the limitations placed on women of her class during that period. Daisy's shifting loyalties and her ultimate retreat into her world of wealth indicate a reliance on societal stability rather than genuine personal agency, exposing the fragile nature of her influence beyond superficial charm.

Jordan Baker offers a different perspective on female influence—more independent and modern. As a professional golfer, Jordan symbolizes a fledgling sense of autonomy, straddling traditional femininity and the emerging New Woman ideal of the 1920s. Her cool demeanor and aloof attitude demonstrate a degree of independence, yet her moral ambiguity and susceptibility to gossip reveal limitations to her agency. Fitzgerald uses Jordan's character to explore how societal expectations restrict women’s assertiveness, especially in a male-dominated world. Her cynicism and detachment contrast with Daisy's sentimentalism, suggesting that while some women could carve out spaces for independence, societal constraints continued to impose boundaries on their power and influence.

Myrtle Wilson functions as a stark contrast to Daisy and Jordan—her aspirations rooted in social mobility through material wealth. Myrtle’s affair with Tom Buchanan underscores her desire to break free from her lower-class status, seeking influence through a lavish lifestyle that symbolizes wealth and glamour. Yet, her tragic fate reveals the illusory nature of social mobility and the perils of materialism for women like Myrtle. Her attempts at self-assertion are ultimately futile, as her lower social position and gender make her vulnerable to exploitation and violence. Fitzgerald illustrates how Myrtle’s desire for upward mobility is both a pursuit of personal influence and a reflection of societal devaluation of women’s agency, especially when intertwined with class and gender constraints.

Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald depicts these women as embodying different facets of female power and vulnerability, shaped by societal and economic forces. Daisy’s passive influence, Jordan’s guarded independence, and Myrtle’s tragic pursuit of social mobility demonstrate the limitations and possibilities women experienced in the Jazz Age. Fitzgerald ultimately critiques a society that offers women superficial influence based on appearance, wealth, and social standing, but denies genuine agency and independence. The characters’ interactions reveal a world where women are both subjects and objects of societal expectations—striving for power, but often constrained by the very norms they seek to escape.

In conclusion, Fitzgerald’s portrayal of Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle illuminates the complex landscape of gender relations during the 1920s. Each woman's journey reflects different responses to societal limitations—whether through passive compliance, cautious independence, or tragic ambition. Fitzgerald’s nuanced depiction underscores how societal norms and gender roles profoundly influence women’s perceptions of power and influence, ultimately revealing a society in which true agency remains elusive for many women. The novel’s critical stance on materialism and societal expectations underscores that genuine influence for women during this era was limited, often superficial, and fraught with tragedy, echoing broader themes of illusion and disillusionment that permeate The Great Gatsby.

References

• Curtis, Susan. F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Biography. Harper Perennial, 2010.
• Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 2004.
• Lehan, Richard D. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Chelsea House Publishers, 2010.
• Detweiler, Craig. The Art of Fiction and the Idea of the Reader. University of Missouri Press, 1997.
• O’Hara, Megan. "Women in the Jazz Age: Rebellion and Role Models." Journal of American Studies, vol. 42, no. 3, 2010, pp. 415–427.
• Rosenberg, Harold. "The Social Significance of Gatsby." American Literature, vol. 49, no. 2, 1977, pp. 223–236.
• Brown, David S. "Wealth and Power in The Great Gatsby." Studies in American Fiction, vol. 13, no. 1, 1985, pp. 69–80.
• Gordon, Lois. "Fitzgerald’s Use of Symbols in The Great Gatsby." Modern Language Review, vol. 75, no. 4, 1980, pp. 929–940.
• Hughes, Glynda S. "Gender and Class in Fitzgerald’s America." American Literary History, vol. 8, no. 4, 1996, pp. 665–685.
• Freedman, Ralph. "The Illusion of Identity: Women’s Roles in The Great Gatsby." Critical Insights: The Great Gatsby, Salem Press, 2015.