The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald - 1681 Words

The 1920’s, a pre-depression age of jazz and modernism, were a retreat from traditional ideas and values. On the east coast of New York, the setting of Fitzgerald’s â€Å"The Great Gatsby†, Fitzgerald shows an economic disparity in Long Island. The different â€Å"eggs†or rich neighbourhoods on Long Island, sit on either side of a â€Å"Valley of Ashes†. That being the poor neighbourhood between the â€Å"Old Money† and â€Å"New Money†. Besides the warring social classes, Fitzgerald touches on another important, typically overlooked, issue: Gender Roles. In the Great Gatsby, women are treated as fragile beings that need to be cared for by a man. Even though women are submissive, their submission is less because they are inferior, and more because they’re†¦show more content†¦Fitzgerald’s attitude towards 1920’s gender norms is that women are submissive not because they are inferior, but because it gives t hem power and keeping that power results in conflicts between the genders. Daisy Buchanan, Nick’s cousin, is in an unhappy marriage with Tom Buchanan; who comes from â€Å"old money† but who s also physically and mentally abusive to her. Everyone is aware of the affair, especially Daisy, yet she continues to stay not only because of public opinion but also because of Tom’s wealth. Daisy loved Gatsby when he was poor but because of his poverty she didn’t want to be with him, so she married Tom. Daisy is the typical â€Å"southern belle† in that she is a stock character representing rich white women of the south in the 1920s. Gatsby has always been deeply infatuated with Daisy; she represents all the things Gatsby wants: wealth, social status, glamour. Fitzgerald develops a character best compared to a Siren from the Odyssey. Nick describes her voice as â€Å"[...] a thrilling voice. It was the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down, as if e ach speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again[...]excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget: a singing compulsion[...]† (Fitzgerald, 33). Daisy has a â€Å"singing compulsion† and