F. Scott Fitzgerald and Great Gatsby Essay example

Submitted By tjmclamb
Words: 825
Pages: 4

Thomas Mclamb
Mr. Evans
AP English 110
29 October 2014
The Great Gatsby Analysis Essay
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald presents in his story two distinct female characters that are represented as “modernize” women during the Jazz Age. Those two women are Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker. Each has their own unique personality and way of life. However, both show the type of woman that escapes from the traditional role and become more progressive. Daisy Buchanan represents the women in the 1920’s that is materialistic and only cares for herself, whereas Jordan Baker, the perfect model for the new age women, represents women who are independent from men but still able to find success and very self-determining.
The first female character and also one of the main characters of The Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, was first described as a very gleeful and happy woman by Fitzgerald. She seemed to be enjoying her life; living in a big mansion with many servants and money and the finer things in life; in fact Fitzgerald expresses through Daisy that life as a female is easier and filled with bliss living oblivious or dreamy. Later throughout the rest of The Great Gatsby the audience learns more of this whimsical woman in the Jazz Age, and how her materialistic personality hurts people. Daisy’s materialistic personality is also what leads to the death of Jay Gatsby in the end of the story because she is the object of Gatsby’s love. Due to the selfish actions of Daisy, not only does Jay die but also the mistress of Tom Buchanan; who was killed in a car accident after an argument had broken out, and Daisy chooses Tom over Jay. Daisy though she believed life was better to live just to be something to show off in the end is revealed as a very selfish person who cares only about the money; and now that she had that and a family she did not care who she caused emotional pain to.
The second female character and also another main character of The Great Gatsby, Jordan Baker, who was set apart from Daisy who is hard and direct. She is also described as a very close friend to Daisy as the audience is introduced to the backstory of the 2 women being close in their girlhood, and classy while at the same time beautiful,cynical, and also self-centered. Jordan also throughout the story begins to become romantically involved with Nick who is cousin to Daisy. Though Jordan becomes involved with Nick she still presents herself as the independent woman, or a “flapper” who could be successful without the need of a man. Jordan throughout the story is used to show to comparisons between the two, which helps the audience understand more about the characters as The Great Gatsby progresses.
After looking at these two women Jordan and Daisy and how they are presented throughout the story they were both different sides of the feminist lifestyle, however for both women its a negative outlook because even though the two women are different and go about life differently they are still self-centered and when