Scott Fitzgerald clearly shows the different social roles of women in 1920's society. Feminist readings of the novel are concerned to examine the issues of power and equality. There are tree main characters in the book, all three are shown in different social positions, and all three have different attitudes towards life and their position in society. Daisy, who is rich and dependent on men; Jordan, a feminist, and represents the new movements and attitudes of women of the Jazz Age, and Myrtle, who represents the lower class of society. These three female characters represent the women of the 1920's, their beliefs and attitudes at the time.
Daisy, the main character of the book, is a typical representative of women of the upper class of the 1920's, the type of woman that has two values in life, acquiring a rich partner and maintaining a wealthy lifestyle, and as Gatsby has remarked:.
"Her voice is full of money".
(Fitzgerald, 1926 p.115).
She has the aura of charm, wealth, sophistication, grace, and aristocracy, but on the other hand she is also fake, shallow, sardonic and ignorant. She likes life without difficulties and always tries to stay in her comfort zone. All she cares about is her social status, what place she takes in the eyes of society and money. Due to her values, she is highly dependent on men. She allows men to buy her love. Her view of live makes her careless even to her own feelings, as she chooses to marry a rich aristocratic representative of the society rather then her beloved one, who could not provide her a wealthy lifestyle. Her dependence on men, reveal the attitudes of the society of the 1920's. A feminist reading of Daisy's character would reveal a paradox of herself, as even though she is a manipulator, she also is being manipulated, by both, her own believes and values and by societies attitudes. .
Jordan is the other female character represented by Fitzgerald in the book.
