The Women of Gatsby

The women of Gatsby are mostly flappers. Women had more freedom than they ever had and they were taking advantage of it. Marriage seemed to mean nothing to the men and women of the 1920’s. In the great Gatsby there are many of affairs that take place like one between Tom and Myrtle. In 1920 the 19^th amendment was ratified giving women the right to vote and they had some power over what was happening around them.

Even with these new freedoms, women were not thought of as equal to men. They were not paid as much and were still supposed to be dependent on their father or husband. Young women were still pressured to behave in the Victorian ways by their parents. Daisy had once said that " rich woman do not marry poor boys." This is why woman always wanted a richer man than the one they already had. They rebelled against this strict rule of their lives and the flappers were created. This is the time that woman partied and were very risky in the world.

The main woman in The Great Gatsby was Daisy Buchanans, Jordan Baker, and Myrtle Wilson. Daisy is married to Tom Buchanans and she is seeing Jay Gatsby secretly. Myrtle Wilson is married to as well and is cheating on him with Tom Buchanans behind their spouses. Jordan Baker is the only one that is not cheating on anyone, because she is not married. She is dating Nick Carraway. Daisy and Myrtle are both seeing men that are richer than their husbands. Jordan is seeing Nick, but he is not rich so she does not care about money.

Work Cited

"Women and Gatsby". Poca. 20 May 2010. http://boe.poca.k12.wv.us/pchs/Novels/gatsby/womenand%20gatsby.htm