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De La Rosa 1 Isabella De La Rosa English III AP Mr. Dehart/ Ms.

Hickey February 24, 2012 The Three Gs: Great, Gatsby, and Gender Gender plays a pivotal role throughout literature; it helps define the way characters act and are perceived by others. Gender is a relatable concept to everyone because there are certain sets of universally "unstated codes". Gender is a very prominent theme throughout the novel Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is both a metaphorical and a physical device. This novel helps describe men's dominance over women as it actually was in the 1920's, and it also describes how some people are dominant in social status. There were certain unspoken expectations for men and women of this time. Since the novel mostly deals with the Upper Class of West and East Egg, New York, the reader can see these expectations through the character actions here. Some of the mens expectations of the Upper class were to work, provide for the family, competitive, and be intimidating. The prime example of this would be Tom Buchanan. He is the provider for his family due to his wealth, he is a competitive man competing Gatsby for materialistic things, and he works as a broker. Womens unspoken expectations of this time were to be the nurturer of the family, support her husband, and be beautiful. Daisy Buchanan only fulfills one of these qualities. She is beautiful, there is no doubt about that, but she doesnt really sound like a nurturer for her family because of the way she talks to her child. Daisy doesnt act like a mother when she is around Pammy, her daughter, she just shows of Pammy like she is a material good that looks pretty. Daisy tried to be

De La Rosa 2 supportive of Tom but since he had cheated on her in Chicago there was a sense of lost respect for Tom. There are some major undertones of irony in the Great Gatsby. With the help of this literary device, gender was put on a whole new level. Even though there are many prominent women in the Great Gatsby, few possessed the stereotypical qualities (i.e. "the Flapper") expected of women during the Roaring Twenties. (Stereotypical qualities of having bobbed hair, taped breasts, shorter skirts, et cetera...) Daisy Buchanan is a prime example of this description because although she is motivated to marry the wealthiest man, she feels no obligation to work towards the newly emerging women's movement. Another literary device that supports gender in the Great Gatsby is juxtaposition. Jordan Baker juxtaposes Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson, the other two main women in the novel. Jordan represents the new women of the Roaring Twenties while Myrtle and Daisy represent the stereotypical women of the time. Jordan has her own job and has a more boyish quality to her compared to the ultra-feminine qualities of Daisy Buchanan. Juxtaposition helps the reader compare characters and understand distinct differences of characters and personalities within a gender. Yet another literary device that helps support gender in the Great Gatsby is the use of imagery. Imagery in the novel not only described the scenery and background of the novel, but also the depiction of characters physically. In the novel, all the character from the Upper Class are described as physically attractive. This helps promote the theme of gender and societal unspoken codes of being wealthy and attractive. All in all, numerous literary devices throughout the Great Gatsby promote gender. It helps to define social norms and characteristics that mold the characters.

De La Rosa 3 Works Cited Fitzgerald, Francis Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: C. Scribner's sons, 1925. Print.

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