The Great Gatsby: Theme & Key Quotes: Gender

Themes: Gender

Gender roles are distinctly defined in The Great Gatsby, harkening back to the societal norms of the patriarchal 1920s era. Men are portrayed as dominant, controlling, and wealthy. Women, in contrast, are often depicted as commodities or prizes to be won.
Masculinity is often related to dominance, power, and wealth. Characters like Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby embody these traits.
Femininity is linked to beauty, passivity, and dependency. Daisy and Myrtle are examples of this portrayal.
Women are often referred to as objects. This dehumanising portrayal reflects the lack of gender equality present during the time period in which the novel is set.
The relationships between male and female characters in the novel often feature power imbalances. Daisy is regularly overshadowed or controlled by the male characters in her life, particularly her husband, Tom.

Key Quotes: Gender

“Her voice is full of money,” Gatsby says of Daisy, suggesting that her appeal is tied not to her personal qualities, but to her association with wealth and status.
“Daisy! Daisy! Daisy! I’ll say it whenever I want to!” Tom’s repeated assertion of control even over the use of Daisy’s own name reveals the gender power imbalance at the heart of their relationship.
“Tom’s got some woman in New York,” highlights the double standard of gender during the time, where men could have infidelities and it was considered a norm, while women were expected to remain demure and faithful.
“She never loved you, do you hear? She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake.” This quote from Gatsby, aimed at Tom, encapsulates his idealised vision of Daisy, who he casts not as an independent woman with agency, but as a prize to be won or lost.
“I married him because I thought he was a gentleman…I thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasn’t fit to lick my shoe.” Myrtle’s contempt for her husband George Wilson underscores her desire for social mobility, which she believes can be achieved through the men in her life, thereby highlighting the gendered limitations of the era.