The 1920’s was a time of great growth for women in America. Women began to have short haircuts, wear shorter dresses, and smoke cigarettes. These were practically unheard of in the years before for women. They were liberated and installed with a sense of confidence, especially from their newfound suffrage. This also brought along criticism towards the new woman of the 1920s. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the female characters Jordan, Myrtle, and Daisy are seen in a negative way through their actions and color symbolism. In the story, Jordan Baker is depicted as having gray eyes.
This represents one of her biggest faults: her lack of compassion for others. This depiction is shown in the quote that says, “Her gray sun-strained eyes looked back at me with polite reciprocal curiosity out of a wan, charming disoriented face” (Fitzgerald 26). Nick’s observation of her gray eyes is foreshadowing her personality. The color gray is a representation of emptiness and lack of emotion. This emotionless aura can be related back to her lack of sympathy when she says, “You weren’t so nice to me last night” (Fitzgerald 135).
When Jordan said this she was discussing Nick’s manner on he night of Myrtle’s death. Instead of understanding his mourning, she thinks he should’ve been focused on her. This aspect of Jordan is her biggest flaw and is what eventually ends the relationship between Nick and Jordan. One of Myrtle Wilson’s deepest flaws is her greediness. Myrtle’s affair with Tom Buchanan leads her to moments of temporary wealth, such as her luxurious secret apartment in New York City. This momentary wealth can be represented by the color yellow as it contrasts from the color of actual wealth, gold.
The color yellow later comes back to haunt her and her husband when an nonymous man in the story says, “It was a yellow car’ he said. ‘Big yellow car. New” (Fitzgerald 123). The man is talking about the car that hit Myrtle and killed her. When Myrtle saw the yellow car she assumed Tom was in it and ran towards it. This represents her chasing after her false life of luxury and wanting more of it. This want ends up killing Myrtle as she is hit by the yellow car, actually driven by Daisy. This reality of Daisy driving the car also shows the irony of Daisy ruining Myrtle’s dream of running away with Tom and having permanent wealth.
This esire for a life with Tom can be seen in the quote, “Myrtle clearly aspires to a life of wealth with Tom, who humors her with gifts: a puppy, clothes, and various personal items” (Telegen 7). This quote shows her flaw of being willing to ruin other relationships and families just for her own gain. She is inconsiderate of other people, even her own husband. Myrtle’s character is also shown as being unapologetically involved in herself. Instead of settling for her unhappy marriage she starts an affair with another man which is shown in the quote, “Myrtle is the mistress of Tom Buchanan and wife of George Wilson” (Telegen 7).
This word mistress in itself alludes to a sense of rebellion and defiance. Prior to the 1920’s, women were practically slaves to their husbands and acted upon their husband’s wishes, not their own. The book is set in the time of change for women and Myrtle is apart of it. Her egocentric attitude is another example of her flapper-like tendencies and rebellion against old-fashioned traditions. Daisy Buchanan’s character is quick to change near the end of the book. At the beginning, she is characterized by white and being innocent. She is also characterized by her mysterious green light.
Later in the story the meaning of her green light is revealed and her character changes. This change is portrayed in the book when Gatsby and Nick are having a conversation and Nick has this realization: “Her voice is full of money,’ he said suddenly. That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money- that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it” (Fitzgerald 108). Her voice of money is representative of how in actuality everything she does is driven by money. Her life revolves around it and it also keeps her from iding with Gatsby during Tom and Gatsby’s argument.
Gatsby is a risk but Tom comes with the promise of eternal wealth. Gatsby’s worship of Daisy’s green light before realizing this is ironic because her greed is what ultimately ended their short- lived affair. This greed is what puts Daisy under the umbrella of being a woman of the new age. During the 1920’s, America was a very wealthy society. People began to spend more money on luxuries and less money on necessities. Daisy has let this new attitude overtake herself and her personality. This is Daisy’s biggest flaw and is connected to the character of women at the ime. Another flaw of Daisy’s is her betrayal of Gatsby and loyalty to Tom.
This is shown when Gatsby is waiting outside of their house in case something happens between Tom and Daisy. Gatsby is unaware of the nature of the couple but Nick can see them and describes them as “conspiring”. An analysis of this word is given when Richard Lehan says, “The word ‘conspiring suggests that Daisy does confide in Tom- and so the meaning of The Great Gatsby in some ways turns on one word. The narrative implications here are gigantic: if Tom knows that Daisy was driving Gatsby’s car when he sends Wilson to Gatsby’s ouse, then Tom kills Gatsby as clearly as if he pulled the trigger himself.
If he does not know, then Daisy is equally complicit in Gatsby’s death” (5). Lehan is showing that the story shifts from a love story between Daisy and Gatsby to a story of betrayal between them. This betrayal goes far enough to even end Gatsby’s life. Although no one can determine the exact nature of Daisy and Tom’s conversation, this word suggests that Daisy has changed sides. This changing of sides represents her lack of responsibility and how she is content with letting Gatsby take the blame for Myrtle’s death and not even saying goodbye efore she flees with Tom.
She relies on her money to fix everything and hide her past troubles. The characters of Jordan, Myrtle, and Daisy in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald are all depicted as having negative characteristics. For example, Jordan is self-centered, Myrtle is greedy and egotistical, and Daisy is betraying and also greedy. The women in The Great Gatsby are portrayed as women of the new age, but the characteristics that give them this label are all negative. Meaning that this new type of women is vicious and rebellious and inconsiderate, in the eyes of Fitzgerald.