The Great Gatsby - How female characters are presented
The Great Gatsby
Nick Carraway says, ‘Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply’.
In the light of this comment, discuss ways in which Fitzgerald presents female characters in The Great Gatsby.
The quote ‘Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply’ is very important in particular to two of the female characters. Daisy and Myrtle are both women who fall under the category of being dishonest however it is looked over and they both are able to get away with what they do.
Daisy is a good example of the quote in two ways; she has an affair and although she is the person who murdered Myrtle, the blame is passed on to Gatsby. The affair is not blamed on Daisy and Tom in fact is in a lot of denial. In chapter 8 when the affair between Gatsby and Daisy is revealed, Tom is adamant that Daisy does not really love Gatsby and that she doesn’t know what she is doing. The blame is actually passed on to Gatsby even though Daisy is guilty too. “Daisy loved me when she married me and she still loves me now,” is Tom’s defence. He doesn’t feel like Daisy would so such a thing because they have been married for so long. Even once Daisy admits she doesn’t love Tom but she did once he immediately jumps in and says “She didn’t even know you were alive. Why-they’re things between Daisy and me that you’ll never know, things that neither of us can ever forget.” This shows us that Daisy is not blamed and that Tom is forgetting that it is said because he loves his wife.
Love for Daisy is also shown after Myrtle’s death when Nick asks Gatsby if Daisy was driving the car, he replies with a yes “but of course I’ll say I was.” This statement shows that Gatsby cared for Daisy so much that he wouldn’t want to see her get into trouble and hurt. In this case as well she is not blamed and the blame is passed onto someone else, Gatsby again. Despite this Daisy is shown as a strong woman who is loved by two men in different ways. Nick’s comment is proved to be
Nick Carraway says, ‘Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply’.
In the light of this comment, discuss ways in which Fitzgerald presents female characters in The Great Gatsby.
The quote ‘Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply’ is very important in particular to two of the female characters. Daisy and Myrtle are both women who fall under the category of being dishonest however it is looked over and they both are able to get away with what they do.
Daisy is a good example of the quote in two ways; she has an affair and although she is the person who murdered Myrtle, the blame is passed on to Gatsby. The affair is not blamed on Daisy and Tom in fact is in a lot of denial. In chapter 8 when the affair between Gatsby and Daisy is revealed, Tom is adamant that Daisy does not really love Gatsby and that she doesn’t know what she is doing. The blame is actually passed on to Gatsby even though Daisy is guilty too. “Daisy loved me when she married me and she still loves me now,” is Tom’s defence. He doesn’t feel like Daisy would so such a thing because they have been married for so long. Even once Daisy admits she doesn’t love Tom but she did once he immediately jumps in and says “She didn’t even know you were alive. Why-they’re things between Daisy and me that you’ll never know, things that neither of us can ever forget.” This shows us that Daisy is not blamed and that Tom is forgetting that it is said because he loves his wife.
Love for Daisy is also shown after Myrtle’s death when Nick asks Gatsby if Daisy was driving the car, he replies with a yes “but of course I’ll say I was.” This statement shows that Gatsby cared for Daisy so much that he wouldn’t want to see her get into trouble and hurt. In this case as well she is not blamed and the blame is passed onto someone else, Gatsby again. Despite this Daisy is shown as a strong woman who is loved by two men in different ways. Nick’s comment is proved to be