gender aspect in the great gatsby
‘Fitzgerald’s novel displays an ambiguous attitude towards the 1920’s greater freedom for women’ how far is gender an important aspect of the novel
Scott Fitzgerald’s novel was set in the 1920’s, where the role women had was moving on to make a drastic change, The Great Gatsby portrays the change in female roles through the two main female characters Daisy and Jordan. Both characters show the different characterises that many of the woman growing up in the 1920’s held, as Daisy is presented as domesticated and somewhat immobile while in contrast Jordan was shown as more independent and emancipated. Life in the 1920s was important for women, as their image was changing massively as they began to challenge society and government to be free of stereotype and gain independence and respect; however this upset the men as they felt they were losing dominance over women. Typical relationships in the 1920’s were similar to the one Daisy and Tom hold in the novel. Daisy is unhappy and immobile as she doesn’t get a voice in her relationship and is completely dependent on her husband, women were dominated and controlled and often fairly unhappy. Women were seen as objects that were to be domesticated and constantly under control of their husband; because of how poorly they were treated it was around this time that women wanted change, to make a stand to gain power over men. On August 18th 1920 the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, this meant women got the chance to speak out in government, following to the American nation’s first female governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross who was elected in 1922. Women getting the right to vote gave them a step to emerging from ‘out of the shadows’ of a previously male dominated society, helping them break free from the reign males had over their lives. The context behind the novel makes the women important as they are portraying the freedom and independence of American women in the 1920’s.
The women who attended Gatsby’s parties
Scott Fitzgerald’s novel was set in the 1920’s, where the role women had was moving on to make a drastic change, The Great Gatsby portrays the change in female roles through the two main female characters Daisy and Jordan. Both characters show the different characterises that many of the woman growing up in the 1920’s held, as Daisy is presented as domesticated and somewhat immobile while in contrast Jordan was shown as more independent and emancipated. Life in the 1920s was important for women, as their image was changing massively as they began to challenge society and government to be free of stereotype and gain independence and respect; however this upset the men as they felt they were losing dominance over women. Typical relationships in the 1920’s were similar to the one Daisy and Tom hold in the novel. Daisy is unhappy and immobile as she doesn’t get a voice in her relationship and is completely dependent on her husband, women were dominated and controlled and often fairly unhappy. Women were seen as objects that were to be domesticated and constantly under control of their husband; because of how poorly they were treated it was around this time that women wanted change, to make a stand to gain power over men. On August 18th 1920 the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, this meant women got the chance to speak out in government, following to the American nation’s first female governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross who was elected in 1922. Women getting the right to vote gave them a step to emerging from ‘out of the shadows’ of a previously male dominated society, helping them break free from the reign males had over their lives. The context behind the novel makes the women important as they are portraying the freedom and independence of American women in the 1920’s.
The women who attended Gatsby’s parties