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  • Essay / Gender Roles in The Great Gatsby - 1097

    Exploring Fitzgerald's use of gender roles in the novel requires a certain amount of scholarly research. Including text searches throughout the book, reading scholarly reviews of the novel, and reading articles presenting new ideas about Fitzgerald's work. Gender definition and patriarchal values ​​are the main topic of Bethany Klassen's article "Under Control: Patriarchal Gender construction in the Great Gatsby." The quotes and ideas in this article are profound and bring a whole new meaning to the events, conversations, and actions that take place in the book. For example, she notes: "To place Daisy and Myrtle in the passive position necessary for Tom's ego, Fitzgerald uses images that deny them their humanity and transform them into objects defined by their goal of displaying wealth and power of Tom” (Klassen). This passage from the article refers to the way Tom values ​​women not by their personality or love but as a material trap. Not showing emotion towards his wife adds to Tom's personality. The article also includes opinions on female roles in the novel. Daisy and Myrtle personify the typical wife who lives primarily to meet her husband's needs instead of getting a degree and earning a living. The article continues to explain how, during this time, not fitting into gender roles even had consequences. Referring to the tragic car accident, Klassen writes: "Because Daisy's affair with Gatsby places her in the car with him that night and because Myrtle's rebellion against her husband leads her to rush out onto the road, both cases of women's empowerment structurally precipitate disaster. » (Klassen). This quote is extremely interesting because it states that when women try to overcome the trap of female stereotypes, it ends in disaster. This article is obviously beneficial to anyone exploring gender roles in the novel. “That’s what I get for marrying a real brutal man, a very large, imposing physical specimen” (Fitzgerald 16). This phrase is not just a phrase Daisy uses to describe her husband Tom, it describes the typical man. According to scholar Bethany Klassen, Fitzgerald presents Tom as the archetypal male figure, a modern prototype of the ancient patriarch residing over his family and possessions. The typical man is what every boy dreams of being and every father dreams of his son becoming.