Paste your essay in here…Looking at F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby through a feminist perspective, it seems apparent that the text supports and challenges the assumptions of a patriarchal society. Interrogating this text with a critical feminist viewpoint reveals that the men and women appear to be victims of social and cultural norms of the 1920s that was almost impossible to change. However, some of the character’s attempt to redefine society and culture, more so the women in the text in order to renegotiate the gender norms. Jordan resists social pressure to conform to feminine expectations and, despite Daisy and Myrtle being more traditional in the way they live, they are both willing to have affairs. The female characters’ approach feminism in a multitude of ways, representing different layers of narrative voices through a time of a feminist movement.
Throughout the text, F. Scott Fitzgerald reflects on societies opposing principles through very different women in order to display various aspects of the feminist philosophy. Each of the three predominant female characters, Daisy, Jordan and Myrtle, represent feminism in contrasting ways. These women challenge the roles of traditional house wives, especially that expected of women before WW1. Before the war, women had limited freedom and had to live by male ideals, however in the 1920s, they had much more freedom with drinking and smoking like men, which was demonstrated by these female characters preferring the night life of parties. Jordan is more direct in her feminism, as she is a more masculine character who takes charge in moments where expected to hold her tongue. Although Jordan is held back by the social standards women were forced to live in, she proves that she can be successful and independent on her own, which opposed the male ideologies of females. Jordan engaged in pre-marital sex, which is similar to how Daisy and Myrtle engaged in extra-marital affairs. Contrasting to Jordan, Daisy appears to demonstrate subversive feminism, as she has two sides. At first she shows anti-feminism, as she couldn’t make her own choices and lacked the independence to not marry Tom. She hoped her daughter to be a “beautiful little fool” because “that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world”. On the other hand, she understands how others view her and plays directly into the social standard of women by marrying a rich and successful man for her own security. Myrtle displays feminism, but nothing like Jordan or Daisy; she perceives herself as an equal and treats everyone with the same respect. Although these women demonstrate strong feminist tendencies, they are prone to be dominated by the men in their lives. Tom appears to be the pinnacle of the patriarchal society, taking ownership over Daisy but at the same time showing hypocrisy, as he sneers at unconventional marriages yet has an affair with Myrtle. Gatsby, also a powerful male character, assumes his wealth will automatically win Daisy back. These instances show that within the text, the patriarchal society regard women as objects to be bought, rather than to be treated and respected like a human. In the novel, it appears as though women aren’t the only one’s subject to feminine discrimination. Nick is also controlled by Tom and Gatsby, being ordered around and told what to think, much like how the women traditionally are. Looking at The Great Gatsby from a feminist perspective shows that there are instances where both females and males are dominated by the patriarchal men in society, although the women were beginning to push these expectations. The roles these females played demonstrates an accurate representation of the rise of feminism during the 1920s.
During the 1920s, when The Great Gatsby is set, the amount of money one owned defined the class they belonged to. Through F. Scott Fitzgerald’s representation of the different classes, the characters are shown to portray Marxist ideas. This interpretation ultimately defines the character’s experiences. The theory of Marxism is the perception that society has ‘consisted of a series of struggles between classes – the oppressed and the oppressing’ aka, bourgeois and the proletariat. Even within the aristocracy, those with ‘old’ money who pride themselves on generations of wealth were suspicious of and frowned upon those with ‘new’ money, which was the case with Tom and Gatsby. Fitzgerald focuses the novel around either the abundance or lack of money and how each affects the actions and thoughts of the characters. As seen through a Marxist lens, it is shown how the existence of classes and the stress placed on the importance of money coincide with a constant state of discontent.
Although The Great Gatsby appears to be celebrating the post WW1 economic boom of the 1920s with vibrant parties and other displays of wealth, the text has an underlying message that reveals the darker side of this society. F. Scott Fitzgerald appears to criticise the upper classes, such as Gatsby, Tom and Daisy, as they all live unhappy lives; ultimately highlighting how the pursuit of money can demoralise one’s values. This is demonstrated through Gatsby’s actions of losing everything of importance to him, all with the goal to reach the top of society and ‘win back’ Daisy. Fitzgerald not only portrays the rich as being discontent, but the lower classes also. The only class represented in a positive light is middle class, which Nick comes from; reinstating ideals of Marxism. Various social statuses are represented throughout the text, such as Tom and Daisy, who inherited the wealth from previous generations, Gatsby who started in the low class and became wealthy and Myrtle who represents the lower class. An obvious contrast is depicted between Nick and Gatsby through their living situations; “[Gatsby’s house] was a colossal affair by any standard – it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy.” Considering Nick is the only character who represents the middle class, this allows him to view the other classes objectively, which provides an insight into what they are truthfully like. The downsides of each class that has been highlighted by Fitzgerald leads to the conclusion that society would benefit if there were no classes, which reinforces the Marxist view that classes should not exist. The upper class is selfish and rude in the treatment of less fortunate people, and if Gatsby admitted his lower-class childhood, he would never have been as popular or wealthy as he was. The Marxist view that the upper class holds all the power is also reinforced in the way Gatsby believes money will gain Daisy’s affections, which succeeds momentarily until the class above Gatsby (Tom) wins, as security and money is more important to her than love. Gatsby displays the ideas of Marxism through the struggle to be accepted as upper class and to rid himself of the past. In the text, it seems as though no one is happy in their classes, even if they appear to have everything; they either want to become richer, or if they are rich, they aren’t content. From a Marxist perspective, this symbolises that despite how much money one has, nobody is truly satisfied; life is a continuous struggle between the bourgeois and the proletariat. Despite extreme wealth, Gatsby is never satisfied without Daisy, and Tom isn’t satisfied with his ‘golden girl’ of a wife, and takes a mistress. In this society, the rich are held up on a pedestal, particularly Daisy, who makes it seem as though the upper class are better than the working class, such as Myrtle. This is displayed through the depiction of Daisy’s voice described as though “it was full of money”, whereas Myrtle was ‘fairly stout’ with a ‘coarse’ voice. Looking at The Great Gatsby from a Marxist perspective shows that in society there are always the rich, whom are depicted as fun and lavish, and the poor, whom are shown to be depressing and gloomy. Despite this, the rich are ultimately never content with their lives, which demonstrates that society would tremendously benefit from the non-existence of classes.
The Great Gatsby can be approached through various perspectives and feminism and Marxism prove to be two of the most predominant. Although the feminism in this novel is slightly ambiguous in its representation, it is demonstrated that both women and men are shown to be victims of social and cultural expectations that were almost impossible to change. However, in the text, women do try to redefine society in order to redefine the rules of gender stereotypes, which is an accurate depiction of women in the 1920s. These changes were not necessarily successful, as although Daisy wanted to be with Gatsby, who was ‘new money’, she conformed to the social norm and went back to comfort and stability with Tom. This is similar in the depiction of Marxism, as it appears as though it is almost impossible to rise above one’s class. Gatsby attempted to rise above his poor origins in order to gain Daisy’s affection and although it appeared to work in the beginning, she stays with Tom who gave her wealth and security. All of the characters within the text were stereotypes of the classes they belonged to, and all were portrayed negatively except Nick’s. Although the highest class seemed attractive it was mocked and the lowest class was sneered at, which reinstates the Marxist perspective. The murder of Gatsby may be seen as a step towards a more equal society, but through both a feminist and Marxist perspective, it becomes apparent that no one will ever be content within society.