“Discuss Fitzgerald’s Portrayal of Women”The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts a picture of the JazzAge in the America of the 20’s.
His portrayal of the careless way of lifeof the wealthier members of society is most striking. Daisy, Jordan andMyrtle are all similar in some way. They are all very deceitful and selfishas Jordan cheats at golf and Daisy and Myrtle both deceived their husbands. Daisy is a beautiful young woman who is in love with money, ease andluxury that she gained from marrying Tom Buchanan. She is the object ofGatsby’s affection and Nick’s cousin. To Gatsby, Daisy represents a modelof perfection – she has the aura of charm, wealth, sophistication and gracethat he longed for as a child and that first attracted him to her.
Inreality, however, Daisy falls far short of Gatsby’s ideals. She isbeautiful and charming, but also fickle, shallow, boring, and scornful. Nick characterises her as a careless person who smashes things up and thenretreats behind her money. Daisy regards herself as a victim of her marriage with Tom, as he isaggressive and dominant and she also knows about the affair he is having soshe therefore seeks attention from others. She is very flirtatious andspeaks quietly so that people will lean towards her.
Daisy is verychildlike and she proves this when she leads Gatsby on, having no intentionof leaving Tom. Daisy was caught up in Gatsby’s dream as she denies herlove for Gatsby when he declares it in front of Tom in the hotel room inNew York. Even though she may have loved Gatsby in the past, she cannotbring herself to leave the luxury and wealth she already has. Myrtle’s death seems almost like an anticlimax because it sealsGatsby’s fate, but he had already lost Daisy forever.
His decision to takethe blame for her in the car accident shows how deeply he still feels forher but she does not return his love. Daisy proves her real nature when shechooses Tom over Gatsby, then allows Gatsby to take the blame for killingMyrtle even though she herself was driving the car. Finally, rather thanattend Gatsby’s funeral, Daisy and Tom move away, leaving no forwardingaddress. Daisy’s marriage seemed threatened by a quiet desperation beneathits attractive surface.
Much like the Buchanans marriage, Jordan’s surface glamour covers upan inner emptiness. Daisy’s friend, Jordan Baker is a competitive golfer. She is cynical and self-centred. Jordan is beautiful but also dishonest asshe cheated in order to win her first golf tournament and continually bendsthe truth.
Jordan was very insensitive on the night of Myrtle’s death andonly thinks of herself. She is arrogant, deceitful and careless. Daisy and Myrtle are contrasting characters as they are both trappedand tricked into marriage. They love the idea of an affair and escaping outof the life they hate so much. Both characters are very strong, determinedand focused. Myrtle possesses a fierce vitality and desperately searchesfor a way out.
Unfortunately for her she chooses Tom, who treats her as anobject of desire. He feels no guilt for betraying Daisy with Myrtle, butfeels compelled to keep Myrtle in her place, breaking her nose when shementions Daisy’s name. Myrtle is only attracted to Tom and the lifestyle helives. I feel Myrtle ended the her own life and Gatsby’s. If she had nothad the affair with Tom, daisy would not have known and killed Myrtle, andthen Wilson wouldn’t have made wrong accusations, resulting in the death ofGatsby. Fitzgerald portrays each woman in a different way but they all havesomething in common.
Daisy and Myrtle are both linked with Tom, unhappy andvictims of their marriages. Jordan is very deceitful as she cheats at golfbut so are Daisy and Myrtle because they both had affairs.
