Gender Roles in The Great Gatsby :: F. Scott Fitzgerald

G polish offer Roles In some respects, Fitzgerald writes about gender roles in a quite conservative manner. In his fiction, men work to earn notes for the maintenance of the women. Men are dominant over women, especially in the case of Tom, who asserts his physical strength to subdue them. The only hint of a role reversal is in the pair of chip off and Jordan. Jordans androgynous visit and cool, collected style masculinize her more than both opposite cleaning ladyish character. However, in the end, Nick does exert his dominance over her by end point the relationship. The women in the novel are an interesting group, because they do not give into the traditional groups of Mary Magdalene and Madonna figures, instead, none of them are pure. Myrtle is the some obviously sensual, but the fact that Jordan and Daisy wear white dresses only highlights their corruption. Whats Fitzgeralds implicit views of modern women in this novel? Daisy and Jordan dress the partition of flappers, yet Daisy also plays the role of the Louisville rich girl debutante. A adept question to ask is perhaps just how much Daisy realizes this is a role, and whether her designation of that would in any sense make her a modern woman character. How significant is Nicks final repudiation of Jordan Baker to the novels larger critique of modernity? Why is the novel so intrigued by Myrtle Wilsons immediately perceptible vitality (30), on the one hand, yet almost viciously cruel in its scoffing of her upper class pretension on the other hand? (see for example, pp.29-35 where Nick contrasts Myrtles intense vitality with her and her sister Catherines besotted attempts to posture themselves as modern society women. Indeed, Nick twice remarks Catherines plucked and redrawn eyebrows as affronts to her nature (see p.34, and again at the very end on pp.171-172). Whats up with that?)Even if they disagree about other issues, all feminists believe patriarchal ideology w orks to keep men and women confined to traditional gender roles so male dominance may be maintained. Utilizing the precepts of Feminist criticism, it could be argued The Great Gatsby promotes a thinly hide patriarchal agenda. Through Fitzgeralds treatment of the three women in Gatsby, as well as masking the possible homosexuality of a aboriginal character, the novel seems to promote only the traditional gender roles, swaying uncomfortably from any possible variance.