Write an essay analyzing the role of women in The Great Gatsby, as represented by Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle. What kind of influence or power do they wield? Consider their social positions and interactions.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the oppression of the women, placed as they are in a society of male dominance where they apparently enjoy high social status, a position bestowed upon them by their male counterparts. The female characters, particularly Daisy, Myrtle and Jordan are divested of their personal identities as they adapt to please the men around them. Jordan is an important exception with her building her social positions on her own merit and yet this leads to her eventual isolation. Based after the Great War in 1922, the book picturizes the flapper culture of the Roaring Twenties when though women were portrayed to be morally permissive in short skirts and liberated social habits, they were actually expected to surrender to domestic demands. 

In The Great Gatsby, in describing the social interactions of the three female protagonists, Fitzgerald uses negative capability to convey the conflict between individual personalities and society. These women are compelled to behave in ways not their own and keep individual needs aside in order to comply with the demands of society. The usage of negative capability highlights the inherent conflict in the women as they are fragmented between their personal choices and the obligation they feel to appear pleasing in their social interactions. This is apparent when Daisy says, “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such – such beautiful shirts before.” (5,98) Daisy’s surprising outburst signifies her realization of the life she could have led had she married Gatsby. This moment speaks of Daisy’s materialism, where she emotionally breaks down at this conspicuous proof of Gatsby’s newfound wealth. But it also speaks of her strong feelings for Gatsby, and how touched she is at the lengths he went to to win her back. Similarly, Myrtle when she says, “I married him because I thought he was a gentleman. I thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasn’t fit enough to lick my shoe,” (2,37) she is torn between her husband George and the new life that Tom showcases to her. Thus, the two female characters are both bound to their social statuses because of their spouses and are not able to initiate any social elevation by themselves. In contrast, Nick comments about Jordan, “Instinctively, avoided clever, shrewd men, and now I saw that this was because she felt safer on a plane where any divergence from a code would be thought impossible.”(3,58) Jordan, aims to elevate her social position on her own without the support of men as she is aware that the men will impose restrictive duties on her, curbing her chances. Thus, in their social interactions, Daisy and Myrtle display negative capability as they are forced to choose between their personal desires and following the commands of their men in order to maintain their social positions. 

Having conveyed the lack of individual power among the female protagonists, Fitzgerald continues to depict that they draw the limited influence they have from the men who are besotted by them. He conveys through symbolism the powerlessness of these women, to which Jordan is an exception, and the limited influence that their social positions entail which is largely drawn from the male characters. Although both Daisy and Myrtle are portrayed to be beautiful women who exercise considerable influence on their male counterparts, in social situations they are depicted as completely powerless as they are not able to manipulate the situation to their own advantage. This can be seen when Tom and Gatsby confront each other over Daisy and the latter in utter helplessness keeps requesting that they should all disperse and go home. Ironically, though Daisy is the subject of the confrontation, both men refuse to take what she says into account. Similarly, when Nick, Tom, Myrtle and her friends visit New York City, just the mention of Daisy from Myrtle makes Tom erupt and he strikes her. Through this action, Tom proves that Myrtle is powerless compared to him and she holds less significance in his life than his married wife. 

The limited power that the female characters possess is derived from the male characters and is portrayed in symbols throughout the novel. Thus, in the fourth chapter, Daisy gropes “around in a waste-basket she had with her on the bed and pulled out the string of pearls. “Take ’em downstairs and give ’em back to whoever they belong to. Tell ’em all Daisy’s change’ her mine. Say ‘Daisy’s change’ her mine!’.” (4,74) In this flashback, narrated by Jordan, the reader learns about Daisy’s past and how she came to marry Tom, despite being in love with Gatsby. In fact, she seems to care about Gatsby enough that after receiving a letter from him, she threatens to call off her marriage to Tom. However,  despite this brief rebellion, for the sake of her public image, she is quickly put back together by Jordan and her maid in preparation for her wedding. The dress and the pearls symbolize Daisy fitting back into her prescribed social role. And indeed, the next day she marries Tom “without so much as a shiver,” showing her reluctance to question the place in society dictated by the men around her. Similarly, in the fifth chapter, Nick describes Myrtle as they make their way to New York,  “Mrs. Wilson had changed her costume some time before and was now attired in an elaborate afternoon dress of cream colored chiffon, which gave out a continual rustle as she swept about the room. With the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change.”(2,33) Through this, the reader can see how Myrtle transforms from her more physical persona into that of someone desperate to come off as richer than she actually is. The dress symbolizes the power that Tom can bequeath to Myrtle and how without his presents and association with her, she would be nothing. Again in contrast, there is Jordan who seems to enjoy considerable influence on the other characters as she moves the plot by her actions. She often leaves hints or exposes secrets like when she mentions to Gatsby, “The rumour is that that’s Tom’s girl on the telephone” (7,110) indicating that she is aware that Tom is unfaithful to Daisy. Such actions symbolize the power and influence Jordan has as an individual, to the point where the male characters, particularly Gatsby rely on her to gain personal information of others. With her reputation as a professional golfer, she holds Gatsby’s trust. Therefore, both Myrtle and Daisy do not have any personal power though they have a limited amount of influence over their lovers, while in contrast, Jordan holds power and influence over her male counterparts. 

Lastly, to further depict the emasculation of the female characters, Fitzgerald objectifies both Myrtle and Daisy through visual imagery, often connecting them to their social status. However, to contrast these two characters, Jordan is not objectified or described in any way which would  make her an image of a social class.  In the fourth chapter, Gatsby says, “Her voice is full of money,” (7,115) showing that he explicitly ties Daisy and her voice to wealth. This particular line is crucial, as the image it depicts is one connecting Daisy to the idea of the American Dream. Rather than an individual, she is portrayed as the exhilarating pursuit of wealth that all the characters are involved in. In comparison, Myrtle is sexually objectified due to her lower class, where in the last chapter, “Michaelis and this man reached her first but when they had torn open her shirtwaist still damp with perspiration, they saw that her left breast was swinging loose like a flap and there was no need to listen for the heart beneath. The mouth was wide open and ripped at the corners as though she had choked a little in giving up the tremendous vitality she had stored so long.” (7,131)) In her violent death, Myrtle’s physicality and vitality are emphasized even while the image remains overtly sexual. Through this moment, Fitzgerald portrays Myrtle as one who represents her social class and in presenting her mutilated body, he connects her to the idea of promiscuous sex. In contrast, descriptions of Jordan do not slot her into a social class. She is described as “polite reciprocal curiosity out of a wan, charming, discontented face.” (1,16). As an individual Jordan stands on her own and is not connected to her social class while Daisy and Myrtle’s individuality is often diminished as they are objectified by their social status. 

In conclusion, in the novel, there is no specific role for the women protagonists other than to drive the plot through their presence. Since they lack empowerment and have no or limited influence over the males, they are reduced to subsidiary roles of providing love interest to the men and a motivation for them to achieve their dreams. Their social interactions merely reflect their economic status and thereby these women provide a class structure rather than being strong individuals on their own merit. In the case of Jordan, though she is not objectified or disempowered like Daisy or Myrtle, but because of the harsh facade that she insists on maintaining, she ends up lonely and without a partner. Through her character, Fitzgerald expresses his opinion how these kinds of women would end up in the social structure that the American society of the time offered. In contrast, even in death George follows Myrtle while Daisy returns to Tom. Thus, through the roles of these women Fitzgerald concludes that it is powerful to be powerless.

Time and Obsession: F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the symbolism of relationships frequently to elaborate on how love, desire and sex are major motives for almost every character in The Great Gatsby. However, all the relationships mentioned are never depicted as healthy or stable. Focusing specifically on the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy, it is evident in the very first chapter that Daisy (without Gatsby’s character being revealed to the audience) perks up at the sound of his name, noticeably remembering him after many years. However, when the pair reunite in Chapter 5,  “We haven’t met for many years,” said Daisy, her voice as matter-of-fact as it could ever be. “Five years next November.”(Gatsby) (5.69-70) it is apparent that Daisy’s memories of Gatsby are more abstract and clouded, while Gatsby has been so infatuated with her that he knows the exact month they parted and has clearly been counting down the days until their reunion. There is another moment in the scene when Nick returns after the initial awkward re-introduction, he comes back to find them talking emotionally. However, Gatsby has transformed, as he is radiant and glowing, “He literally glowed; without a word or a gesture” (5.87). In contrast, Daisy is not so thoroughly transformed, except for her overflowing tears. Although the narrator, Nick pays closer attention to Gatsby than Daisy, it is apparent that Gatsby is more intensely engaged in the relationship. Their relationship also reflects the idea of change as much as Gatsby wants to repeat the past, he can’t. In the present, Daisy has moved on and he can never return to that beautiful, perfect moment when he kissed her for the first time and wedded all her hopes and dreams to her. Thus proving that over time, Gatsby’s affection for Daisy has transformed into obsession while Daisy has learned to move past and maintains her relationship with Tom, her husband. 

Manipulation and Materialism: The characters in The Great Gatsby are enraptured by materialism and manipulate their surroundings to satiate their needs and maintain their social status. This elaborates the hollowness of the upper class which is one of the most important and more explored themes in the novel. It emphasizes the sociology of wealth and specifically how the characters manipulate their position in society to move up the social ladder. In The Great Gatsby, the West Egg represents the newly rich (such as Gatsby) whereas the East Egg represents the old aristocrats (The Buchanan Family). The significance of these two ends represents the difference in lifestyle and consumerism. The author portrays those in West Egg to be vulgar, pretentious, gaudy and lacking in social grace and constantly. This is evident in the novel as Gatsby himself lives in a monstrously adorned mansion, hosts extravagant parties every weekend, drives expensive cars and intentionally rejects invitations from upper-class families just to appear to have more important engagements. “And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties, there isn’t any privacy.” (Jordan, Chapter 3) Gatsby throws his parties in honour of Daisy, they also represent the life the pair could have had together, in a big house with lots of money and friends and luxuries. By inviting all the wealthy people from the area, Gatsby aims to manipulate Daisy into leaving her wealthy husband Tom and start a new life with him. He even makes a point of inviting some of Daisy’s best friends, but due to her aristocratical lifestyle, Daisy never comes. Gatsby’s rapid consumerism and manipulating tendencies eventually lead him to his demise in the last chapter where George Wilson shoots him as he believes that Gatsby killed his wife Myrtle. Gatsby in his willingness to manipulate every situation to his own benefit took the blame for Myrtle’s death so that Daisy was not held responsible.

Weather: The author also utilizes the weather as an affective backdrop in The Great Gatsby to match the emotional narrative tone of the story. Gatsby and Daisy’s genuine relationship starts in the pouring rain, proving the awkwardness of their refound affection. Their love reawakens just as the sun beings to come out and Nick returns to the scene. To contrast, Gatsby’s climactic confrontation with Tom occurs on the hottest day of the summer, under a scorching sun, “The next day was broiling, almost the last, certainly the warmest day of the summer” (pg 114). Daisy exclaims, “But it’s so hot,”, on the verge of tears, “And everything’s so confused. Let’s all go to town!” as an excuse for them to make their ill-fated journey into the city. Here, the heat operates and oppresses on both a literal and a symbolic level. It causes irritability and fractiousness in the characters. The weather also symbolizes Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship. It is when the weather is at it’s hottest that Gatsby’s and Daisy’s relationship reaches a climax where Daisy decides to chose Tom (who has a better social status) over Gatsby. What started on a rainy day with a great promise of romance comes to an end on this hot day on an abrupt note.

Today in English, we had the first page of our new text The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald as an unseen practice paper. It was difficult to adjust to the sudden change, as we had to analyse the text academically (as we would have to in the exam). My mind felt fragmented as I was able to explain my points verbally to my classmate, but was unable to write the ideas down in a (proper) paragraph form. My point was that the use of point of view has a large impact on the audience’s understanding of the story. As The Great Gatsby is written in the third person, it is in the perspective of Nick, who (although portrayed to be as the protagonist) is simply a bystander in the story which is actually about Gatsby and Daisy. The perspective of Nick (the narrator) is essentially flawed, as it exposes his personal opinions, thoughts and experiences to the reader, which influences their perception of the conflict (However, the same could have been said for all of the characters assuming the that book was written from the other characters’ perspectives as well). For example, in this text, Nick mentions something his father said, “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” – this line makes the reader self-conscious about the way they perceive people. This also conveys that Nick is going to maintain an impartial stance in his narration of the story. Yet, as the passage progresses, this perspective changes as Nick first claims “I’m inclined to reserve all judgments” but later says, “I come to the admission that it has a limit”. This change in opinion as the narrator is unsettling as the audiences’ opinion changes in accordance with Nick’s. The use of point of view has a large impact on audiences as, if there is only one point of view, the audience is forced to follow the narrator’s thoughts and look through a single lens. Whereas, if there are multiple perspectives, the audience is allowed to witness the same scene through various standpoints. Hence to improve my writing skills in structured timed essay forms, I will have to practice more regularly with the texts I have now.