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Alex Welsh
Mrs. Dill
American Literature
26 April 2016
Misogyny in The Great Gatsby
In F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, there is a clear difference in the portrayal of
female and male characters. F. Scott Fitzgeralds negative experiences with women may have
prompted him to represent his female characters in a misogynistic way; he was rejected by
Ginevra King, a striking debutante with whom he was infatuated because of his poor financial
status (A Misogynistic Tale). He later entered a marriage muddled by cheating and arguing
(A Misogynistic Tale). The Oxford Dictionary defines misogyny as dislike of, contempt for, or
ingrained prejudice against women. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald represents male and female
characters differently to convey a distinct misogynistic tone that permeates the novel.
Through the glorification of Tom Buchanan as the quintessence of the successful man, F.
Scott Fitzgerald indirectly minimizes the female characters of the novel. F. Scott Fitzgerald
provides ample detail surrounding Toms dominant body a body capable of enormous
leverage a cruel body (Fitzgerald 11). He also describes Tom as a forceful man with a "rather
hard mouth and a supercilious manner" (11). Since Tom is depicted as the ideal man, Fitzgerald
implies that Toms treatment of women is acceptable. He is known for considering women to be
property; Tom was not unusual in regarding women as objects to be possessed either
temporarily, as in the case of Myrtle, or permanently, if like Daisy (Donaldson). Additionally,
Tom is known for his infidelity, though he barely receives any retribution for his actions, as his
beautiful wife and child do not leave him (A Misogynistic Tale). F. Scott Fitzgerald represents

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Tom Buchanan in a way that reflects negatively on women, which provides evidence that
supports the presence of misogyny in the novel.
In addition to favoring Tom Buchanans behavior towards women, F. Scott Fitzgerald
emphasizes the idea of uniformity in women. Nick profiles some characters that regularly attend
Gatsbys parties; one of the regulars, Benny McClenahan, would arrive to a party with women
that were never quite the same ones in physical person, [but were] so identical one with another
that it inevitably seemed they had been there before (Fitzgerald 67). The description of Benny
McClenahans women illustrates women as insignificant and replaceable. The women of The
Great Gatsbys era followed an unspoken, deep-seated social code that [demanded] conformity
and [left] many female characters indistinguishable from one another (Spangler). Pammy, Daisy
and Toms daughter, only has one line in the entire novel where she comments on Jordans white
dress and its similarity to her mothers. Her statement highlights the fact that the garments
connoting innocence are, in fact, a self-consciously adopted uniform of an idealized feminine
purity and innocence (Froehlich). Fitzgerald conveys idealized femininity via white clothing
throughout many parts of the novel. Nick also contributes to the implication of women as a
uniform group by denoting a feminine handicapdishonesty in a woman is something you
never blame deeply (Fitzgerald 63). By describing women as indistinct beings, Fitzgerald
conveys a tone that generalizes and dehumanizes the women in the novel.
F. Scott Fitzgerald represents Daisy Buchanan, who is arguably the novels most
important female character, in a way that reflects poorly on women. The men in Daisys life,
especially Tom, dominate her. Tom Buchanan treats his wife as property; he gifted her a string
of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars in exchange for her hand in
marriage (Fitzgerald 80). Additionally, Gatsby expresses his supremacy by declaring, Daisys

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leaving [Tom] which reveals that not only is Tom able to manipulate Daisy, but that Jay has
the ability to control her as well (Fitzgerald 140; A Misogynistic Tale). The reader may also
recognize Daisys awareness of her role as a woman. Following Pammys birth she wept and
thought, I hope shell be a foolthats the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little
fool (Fitzgerald 21). Daisys statement about the birth of her daughter suggests that Daisy is
critically aware of her own feminism, and the place that femininity holds in the particular
historical context. It seems like Daisy has begrudgingly accepted the lifestyle that she has been
dealt, yet there is a faint nostalgic glimmer of hope in her heart (Spangler). Through this
evidence, it is clear that Daisy is depicted as a subjugated, foolish being, which is very different
from the portrayal of the male characters in the novel.
Like Daisy, Myrtle is a female character whose representation differs greatly from that of
the male characters. Myrtle and Gatsby are both important characters that are killed by the end of
the novel; however, the severity and gruesomeness of their deaths contrast tremendously.
Myrtles life was violently extinguishedher left breast swinging loose like a flap and there
was no need to listen for the heart beneath, while Gatsby was shot and killed instantaneously
(Fitzgerald 145). Myrtle and Daisy are similar in that they are both depicted as possessions of
Tom Buchanan. For Myrtle, the dog of indeterminate breeding best symbolizes her own
situation. She is, for Tom, a possession to be played with, fondled, and in due course ignored
(Donaldson). Myrtle is also seen as Toms victim, specifically when Tom physically hurts her
at the mention of Daisys name (The Great Gatsby). Tom is not the only man in Myrtles life
to overpower her; George Wilson, Myrtles husband, is portrayed as a possessive man, like Tom
and Gatsby, when he tells Tom, My wife and I want to go West. Shes been talking about it for
ten years. And now shes going whether she wants to or not (Fitzgerald 123). Myrtle Wilson is

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represented in a way that displays her inferiority to men, which supports the misogynistic tone in
the novel.
Finally, Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson both play roles in the downfalls of Tom
Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald illustrates that Myrtle and Daisy both block out light,
which foreshadows their role in the demise of the men in their lives; Daisy extinguishes a candle
and Myrtle blocks the light of a doorway. Because Daisy hit Myrtle in Gatsbys car, Tom directs
an infuriated, dangerous George Wilson to Gatsby. Gatsby is then killed by Mr. Wilson, which
directly implicates Tom as an accessory to murder (The Great Gatsby). Since Daisy killed
Myrtle, she was the catalyst for George Wilsons thirst for revenge; therefore, Daisy can be
blamed for Gatsbys death. Consequently, Myrtles death also leads to Gatsbys death, indirectly,
through Wilsons quest for vengeance. The women, Myrtle and Daisy, are represented as
destructive forces capable of the ultimate downfall of men, which contributes to the negative
characterization of women throughout the novel.
In conclusion, The Great Gatsby reveals F. Scott Fitzgeralds misogyny through his
representation of female characters as ignorant, subjugated, and toxic beings; while some might
argue that The Great Gatsby portrays women as free, progressive characters, it is impossible to
ignore the fact that females are shown in a particularly bad light throughout the
novel...Therefore, The Great Gatsby negatively depicts females by making their existences
revolve around pleasing and submitting to men (A Misogynistic Tale). Whether it was
achieved purposely or inadvertently, Fitzgeralds depiction of men and women in The Great
Gatsby creates a misogynistic tone throughout the novel.

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Works Cited
Donaldson, Scott. "Possessions in The Great Gatsby." The Southern Review 37.2 (2001): 187.
Literature Resource Center. Web. 7 Apr. 2016.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1995. Print.
Froehlich, Maggie Gordon. "Jordan Baker, Gender Dissent, and Homosexual Passing in The
Great Gatsby." Space Between 6.1 (2010): 81-103. Rpt. in Children's Literature Review.
Ed. Jelena Krstovic. Vol. 176. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Literature Resource Center. Web. 4
Apr. 2016.
The Great Gatsby. Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 64-86.
Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 7 Apr. 2016.
The Great Gatsby A Misogynistic Tale English Literature Essay. UK Essays. UKEssays.com,
November 2013. Web. 6 April 2016.
Misogyny. Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Web. 08 April 2016.
Spangler, Ian. The Role of Women in Gatsby: Cultural Context and Scratching the Surface of
Feminist Criticism. Methods of Advanced Literary Studies. Dr. Scanlon, 31 Aug. 2013.
Web. 07 Apr. 2016.