Women Partake In The Great Gatsby Essay

Contrary to society 's belief that women are just care takers and that women should partake in the same activities as men, the women in the Great Gatsby seem to defy these beliefs and take on an even bigger role in the book than the men. These women in the book partake in activities that only men were seen to do. "I 'm not a feminist-I think women should be able to stay at home and raise children if they want to!,"(Feminist Criticism, pg1). This quote basically states that women should be able to stay at home, but also have the options to do other things. They partake in activities such as partying and dancing, rather than stay at home and do what society says is womanly. They also play a large role in the development of the plot of the
book. All together women are seen as significant figures in the book and have taken on a non traditional role. Jordan, defines these ideals the best and is a unique character that follows no guidelines. Jordan stands out amongst all the other characters portrayed in the book. She is a professional golfer who partakes in many of the same activities as the men. Her character also doesn 't really match the characteristics of a regular women. Unlike daisy who is this fluttering and giggling outgoing women who is really outgoing, Jordan is this secretive deceitful character who we do not know much about. "At any rate, Miss Baker 's lips fluttered, she nodded at me almost imperceptibly, and then quickly tipped her head back again—the object she was balancing had obviously tottered a little and given her something of a fright. Again a sort of apology arose to my lips. Almost any exhibition of complete self-sufficiency draws a stunned tribute from me,"(Gatsby, pg. 9). This quote was spoken by Nick who describes Jordan and how she is able to draw a different character from him. She has been described as a cheat in life by Nick Carraway who is known as being quite truthful in his judgments. She is also known for spreading rumors and is seen attending many of Gatsby 's Parties. She is not the ideal women. Daisy is also different from society 's ideals in that she is a character who should probably most fulfill those ideals , but defies them anyway.
Daisy bears a child, but all throughout the novel she is seen as being the caretaking mother she should be. She basically ignores the fact that she had ever even birthed a child into the world, instead prioritizing other things ahead of that. Her affair with Gatsby also shows how she can 't settle down with one man, which is against what society says about marriage. While she may not usually partake in activities similar to men such as Jordan does, she does sometimes take part in activities usually not associated with men. She is a fine example of how a women, even after becoming a mother, does not follow the guidelines that society have set for her. Myrtle also has a great influence and power in the novel. "Some time toward midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face discussing, in impassioned voices, whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy 's name."Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!" shouted Mrs. Wilson. "I 'll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai –– "Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand,"(Gatsby, pg 37). This quote taken out of the novel proves how a women in the novel can influence a man to do something. Tom Buchannan is usually a passive character who usually doesn 't usually resort to
violence. Also traditionally women have not really seen as being prime suspects in the building of a novel 's plot, but in the Great Gatsby it is very different. All the women in the book in some way play a part in the development of the plot. Myrtle plays the biggest part in the plot in that she basically initiates the issue in the book. Myrtle is cheating on her husband with Tom Buchannan and when her husband finds out of this, he is outraged. Myrtle is then hit by a car, which leads her husband to search out and kill Gatsby. The one who was driving that vehicle was none other than Daisy who 's inability to stop basically brings the life of Gatsby to an end. Women in this novel play a bigger role in the development of the plot than men and its clearly indicate. The Great Gatsby is a novel that switches the normal gender roles of men and women. Women go against society 's standard belief that women should stay at home and also not partake in activities that only men are seen to do. Also women play a crucial part in the novel, for development of the plot, without them there would be a gap in the story and it would all be thrown off. The main point here is that women aren 't just caretakers and aren 't restricted by society 's view, but go far beyond those views. Women should not be taken lightly as they have been shown to be strong symbols.

Work Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print. (Gatsby)
Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today a User-Friendly Guide, Second Edition.. 2nd ed. Hoboken: Routledge, 2006. Print. (Feminist Criticism)