The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Introduction
Originally, the Great Gatsby was published on 10 April 1925. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby. It is a novel that explores the pattern of relationships among a small group of people. The characters of the novel are people who lived between poverty and wealth. The novel was written at a time when the world was driven by inequality in gender roles. However, it is during this time that women were liberated from inequality (Haarsma, 2018). Female characters of the novel indicates the revolution of women from being oppressed to making personal decisions. Jordan Baker, Myrtle Wilson, and Daisy are the female characters in the novel.
Jordan Baker is a representation of new women. She is androgynous in that she party male and partly female in appearance. She is athletic, as she is a professional golf player. Baker was in a relationship with Nick. According to Nick, Baker was a slender and a woman with small breasts. As she walked, she threw her body towards the shoulders like cadets (Fitzgerald, 1925, p.26). This description is not for the feminine nature of a woman. It is noted that Baker has no issue with directing, and she is in charge of her life. When she attends a party with Nick in Gatsby’s house, she demanded that she wanted to leave the party and explore the home. She does not like direction from men. Baker is independent as she drives her car. Baker is of relevance in the novel, and she represents the independent women. Through her, it is clear that society had shifted from the traditional era when men made decisions for women.
Unlike Jordan Baker, Myrtle Wilson is entirely merciful at her husband. Her husband is a poor mechanic with a shop in Queens. She is in a complete struggle with her life, and she notes that what is valuable to her is her sexuality. She is in an affair with Daisy’s husband, Tom Buchanan. She engages in the affair to escape from dismal life. She is attracted to powerful and wealthy men. She tries to be in control of her marriage life, and she even commands her husband to get chairs for Tom and Nick when they come to their shop. She instructs him, “Get some chairs, why don’t you” (Fitzgerald, 1925, p.37). Unlike the androgynous looks of Jordan, Wilson is blatantly sexual a slim. She is a curvy woman whose curves are accentuated by her dresses. Wilson is an example of the women who use their beauty to act practice immoral behaviors.
Daisy’s character, on the other hand, is not dependent like Wilson and not as openly independent as Baker. She is the wife of Gatsby. According to Tom, only men are allowed to have more than one affair, not women. She confronted her wife for having an affair with Gatsby. Even though daisy did not appear free-spirited and independent at an early age, Gatsby said that Daisy is the only nice girl he has ever met (Fitzgerald, 1925, p.130). Daisy is faithful and had no sexual relations outside her marriage. Sadly, in this era, women were viewed as the property of men. Hence, Gatsby merely looked at Daisy as his property. When other men’s interest in Daisy increased, her value, according to Gatsby, increased. According to Daisy, women are valued by their looks. As such, she hopes that her daughter will be a beautiful little fool (Fitzgerald 1925, p. 30). She is a representation of women who are not driven by wealth but dignity.
Conclusion
Initially, published in 1925, the Great Gatsby novel explores the relationships between a small group of people who lived amongst the wealth and poverty. Jordan Baker is a representation of new women. She represents the independent women who can make their own decisions. Myrtle Wilson engages in the affair to escape from dismal life. She is beautiful, and she represents women who use their beauty to act practice immoral behaviors. Daisy is a faithful woman who did not engage in sexual relations outside her marriage. She is a representation of women who are not driven by wealth but who are driven by dignity.
References
Fitzgerald, F. S. (1995). The Great Gatsby (1925). na.
Haarsma, R. E. C. (2018). The Portrayal of the’New Woman’in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (Bachelor’s thesis).