Stereotypes In The Great Gatsby

What aspects of gender roles have changed from the past to the present? How are the gender stereotypes different? In the past, men were stereotyped as having more power over women in terms of marriage and citizenry. As time has gone forward, there has been more gender equality and fighting for women’s rights, so men have lost power and say in relationships and as citizens. The sources The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Our Deportment, or the Manners, Conduct, and Dress of Refined Society,” by John H. Young, and, “HeForShe: Gender Equality is Your Issue, Too,” by Emma Watson emphasize differences in gender roles and stereotypes as time has progressed. Based on the novel, essay, and speech, genders are stereotyped differently and their
roles are not the same as they were in 1881 in marriage and citizenry, due to the growing impact of women’s rights. Previously, society stereotyped women as powerless and cowardly in relationships or marriage, but the feminist movement has caused gender roles in this aspect of life to be fairer. This quote from The Great Gatsby shows this concept, “‘Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!’ shouted Mrs. Wilson. ‘I’ll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Daisy--’ …Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand,” (Fitzgerald 37). According to this excerpt, Tom was not only cruel and showing power over Daisy by cheating on her with Myrtle, but also causing difficulty for Myrtle to have a voice in their relationship without being afraid. That is because Myrtle was just teasing Tom by bringing up Daisy, and he punched Myrtle in the face. John H. Young states in his essay, “While he should give his wife his perfect confidence in her faithfulness, trusting implicitly to her honor at all times and in all places, he should, on his part, remain faithful and constant to her, and give her no cause of complaint,” (Young 6). According to the words of John H. Young, men were always considerate of their wife’s say in the relationship, and acted respectfully and considerately to them, treating women as equals. However, The Great Gatsby and life in the 1920s contradicted Young’s points, because Tom is neither respectful nor considerate to his wife or his mistress. He treats them horribly, causing them to feel afraid. However, Emma Watson’s speech relates more to gender roles in 1881 than 1920. “I’ve seen young men suffering from mental illness unable to ask for help for fear it would make them look less macho,” (Watson 21). Based on that excerpt from the speech, it is not only women that have felt insecure in marriage, but also men who are currently experiencing this emotion. With the women’s rights movement, the tides have turned since 1920; it is now the men who feel weaker in relationships, and the women who are gaining strength and voice. As shown through the sources, gender roles and stereotypes have changed through relationships and women have gained strength, and they have also gained confidence in citizenry. Gender stereotypes have evolved in terms of citizenry from the 1920s to present times.
This is seen in The Great Gatsby, “Daisy began to move again with the season; suddenly she was again keeping half a dozen a day with half a dozen men, and drowsing asleep at dawn…She wanted her life shaped now, immediately – and the decision must be made by some force – of love, of money,” (Fitzgerald ). Based on that quote, women as citizens were insecure and stereotyped as lazy in the 1920s, just going into relationships because they needed money, and not because they actually loved the man. Daisy was going on dates with so many men, but did not feel comfortable with any of them. She would only feel confident when marrying someone with a lot of money, so she married Tom. Emma Watson’s vocalizes, “the more I have spoken about feminism the more I have realized that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating,” (Watson 4). Emma Watson’s point proves that in terms of citizenry, women are so truthful with their feelings and honest with their opinions that it has frightened the men. Emma Watson later states boldly, “In 1997, Hilary Clinton made a famous speech in Beijing about women’s rights…But what stood out for me the most was that only 30 percent of her audience were male,” (Watson 17-18). Men are insecure while hearing speeches by women fighting for their rights, but men misunderstand women as citizens. They do not hate men; they just want gender equality. Women like Watson have significantly different stereotypes from women in the 1920s, which people stereotyped as weak, fearful, and unequal to men. According to the novel from the 1920s and Emma Watson’s speech, the gender stereotypes in citizenry have turned
tides. As shown by F. Scott Fitzgerald, John H. Young, and Emma Watson, gender roles in marriage and citizenry have evolved from 1881 to current times. Society used to be stereotype men as more powerful in relationships and as citizens, but have lost power due to passionate women who fight for gender equality. Therefore, people should care about gender roles because they really influence society, peoples’ opinions, and are often misunderstood by the other gender. Men and women create a chain in reactions to one another’s behavior. In order to feel thought of pleasantly by their spouses, men would act offensive, causing women to respond in a reserved way. So how are the roles of gender different in marriage and citizenry? Gender equality has reached its peak, to the point the both genders have equal say in relationships, and sometimes men pull back in fear by the honest, bold words of women.