This work is about the role and depiction of women in "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
When talking about "The Great Gatsby", you cannot omit the flapper, the New Woman of the Roaring Twenties, that is so typical for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s time and novel. This novel depicts young women, neither bound to the housewife role nor prudes. But still, the female characters of the story are under the power of a patriarchal society, even if it is a more subtle one than twenty years before.
So, the work will argue that in "The Great Gatsby" the author presents New Women but still fails to emancipate them. It will start by analysing to what extent the female characters meet the type of the flapper in terms of their lifestyle and writing their own story. Then it will investigate the limits of their liberation, by analysing Daisy’s association to the “golden girl” and how these women are objectified through men’s desire.
Daisy Buchanan, the female protagonist, is often described as a flapper: they wore short skirt and hair, had a lot of makeup on and lived a leisure-full lifestyle. We cannot tell from Daisy’s physical description that she meets the type of the flapper, since her description is based on character traits. But we can tell she is a flapper according to her lifestyle and personality.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The New Woman
2.1 A new way of being a woman
2.2 Own story, own desire
3. The limits of the “free woman”
3.1 Daisy: golden girl and child bride
3.2 Women as object of men’s desires
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Focus
This paper examines the representation of female characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" in the context of the "New Woman" of the 1920s. It explores the tension between the apparent independence of these women and their persistent objectification within a patriarchal society.
- The role of the "flapper" in the Roaring Twenties.
- The degree of autonomy and sexual liberation experienced by female characters.
- The construction of Daisy Buchanan as a "golden girl" and "child bride."
- The process of objectification through the lens of male desires and projections.
- The critique of patriarchal power dynamics in the novel.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Daisy: golden girl and child bride
Carol Wershoven argues in her essay “Insatiable Girls” that The Great Gatsby is a novel about deals:
“Tom Buchanan has bought his wife, and Jay Gatsby wants to exercise his prior option on the merchandise. Nick, the novel's moral centre, is learning to trade in stocks and bonds. Gatsby sells liquor in the guise of medicine, Tom Buchanan and George Wilson dicker over the sale of a car, Myrtle Wilson sells herself, and Meyer Wolfsheim bought the World Series.” (Fitzgerald 1)
In the centre of the trade, she says, is the golden girl, the “innocent” heroine: Daisy. The desiring, but mostly desired girl, who causes an “accident”, which the society helps covering up. Wershoven says that this society creates an atmosphere, in which the “child bride flourishes”, since those around her feel like she cannot be held responsible for killing Myrtle and so, Tom, Gatsby and even Nick conspire to protect her. Treating Daisy as if she were not able to handle the consequences of her deeds, infantilizes her and therefore comes in the way of her emancipation. “[…] High in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl…” (Fitzgerald 92): Daisy is high above the consequences, like an innocent child, only doing mistakes, never crimes. When Nick says “Dishonesty in women is a thing you never blame deeply” (43), it proves that there is this common thought, that a woman cannot be held accountable for what she says or does, as if she was too foolish or too naïve to know what she does.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The introduction outlines the central theme of the "New Woman" in the 1920s and sets the goal to analyze the extent of female emancipation in Fitzgerald's novel.
2. The New Woman: This chapter analyzes the characteristics of the flapper through the lifestyles of Daisy and Jordan, focusing on their modern traits and sexual autonomy.
3. The limits of the “free woman”: This chapter investigates how female characters are infantilized and objectified, contrasting their perceived freedom with their roles as "golden girls" and subjects of male desire.
4. Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes that while the characters appear modern, they remain trapped within patriarchal structures and male-dominated projections.
Keywords
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, New Woman, Flapper, Patriarchy, Daisy Buchanan, Objectification, Infantilization, 1920s, Gender Roles, Golden Girl, Feminism, Literary Analysis, Modernity, Sexuality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper explores how F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays women in "The Great Gatsby," specifically focusing on the tension between the image of the "New Woman" and their subjugation to patriarchal ideals.
Which specific themes are central to the analysis?
Central themes include the "flapper" lifestyle, female sexual liberation, the social construction of the "golden girl," and the dehumanizing objectification of women by men.
What is the primary research objective?
The primary goal is to determine if Fitzgerald genuinely emancipates his female characters or if he uses them as mere vessels for male desires and critiques of patriarchal power.
What scientific methods does the author use?
The author employs a literary analysis approach, drawing on academic criticism (such as Carol Wershoven and Leland S. Person) to interpret character development and narrative symbolism.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body examines the lifestyle of the "New Woman," the specific dynamics of characters like Daisy and Jordan, and how these women are constrained by male perspectives and economic status.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include "The Great Gatsby," "New Woman," "Patriarchy," "Objectification," "Flapper," "Gender Roles," and "Daisy Buchanan."
How does the author define the "golden girl" in the context of the novel?
The author describes the "golden girl" as an idealized, "innocent" figure who is protected by men, which paradoxically infantilizes her and prevents her from taking responsibility for her own actions.
Why does the author argue that Fitzgerald's female characters are not truly emancipated?
The paper argues that despite their "modern" lifestyle (driving, partying), characters like Daisy are ultimately reduced to objects—either as a possession to be bought or a projection of a man's lost past—thereby denying their full humanity.
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- Camille Simonin (Autor:in), 2021, Women's place in "The Great Gatsby" from Fritzgerald, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1187659
