1. Women in The Great Gatsby March 10, 2014

2. “I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” – Daisy Buchanan Based on the video, personal inferences, and your knowledge of gender roles in 1920’s America, 1) explain what this means and 2) take a stand on this statement. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?

3. How does Fitzgerald portray women in The Great Gatsby? (think physical descriptions, personality traits, scandals, other characters’ commentary, and expectations)

4. Throughout the novel, women are portrayed in a negative light – their presentations are unflattering & unsympathetic. Fitzgerald appeals to: their voice, “ she had a voice full of money”, their looks “her face was lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes, and a bright passionate mouth”, and their behavior, rather than their feelings or emotions, for example, Daisy does not show genuine affection (not even to her daughter), however she is pointlessly flirtatious (even to Nick). Daisy is weak and superficial, Jordan is dishonest and arrogant and Myrtle is unfaithful and obnoxious.

5. “She was incurably dishonest...It made no difference to me. Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply.” (58)

6. This introduces the ideology of distrust of women in the novel. In 1922, American women were often trapped in oppressive marriages and seen as the inferior sex. This inferiority is reflected through the way in which women have a secondary role in this novel!!

7. “All women in the novel are presented as socially brilliant creatures who are morally and economically passive in a world which has no other role for them” Do you think these women empower themselves despite their inferior status? How? Or why not?

8. How do men treat women in the novel? How does Tom treat his wife Daisy and his mistress Myrtle? How does Nick treat Jordan? How does Gatsby treat Daisy? How does George Wilson treat his wife Myrtle? And how does the way that a man treats a woman comment on his character in this text?

9. Begin to think about... How do women behave at Gatsby's parties? Is this behavior "normal" or induced by alcohol?