The Image of Women as Victims in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

This paper sheds light on the image of women as victims in the male-dominant society of America in the 1920s through a critical analysis of Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. The three main female characters in the narrative—Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker—are products of oppressive forces and are treated by powerful men as objects rather than as thoughtful beings. The belief held by these characters that marriage to wealthy men is one of the few options available for women to achieve success and happiness makes them victims of the advances of morally corrupt men who seek to oppress and control them. The realistic depiction of women in America during that time can be interpreted by feminists as a catalyst for change and a call to resist the patriarchal system and traditional gender roles.