O’Malley 1

Hope O’Malley

Mr. Smith

E Block

12 January 2023

Progressivism and Traditionalism in the 1920; an Analysis of the Inequality of the

Genders in The Great Gatsby

The 1920’s are typically remembered as a turning point in the battle for women's rights,

but there were many obstacles during this time that are seldom remembered. The way in which

these women were treated was dependent on how much they adopted the modern ideals of the

decade. In The Great Gatsby the treatment of male characters versus their female counterparts is

a shocking difference, even though several of these characters have similar traits. In the novel, F.

Scott Fitzgerald portrays a pessimistic view of the 1920’s by writing women who are

progressive, but in actuality are still constrained to traditional ideals as seen through the

misogynistic views of the male characters.

As the century advanced the Progressive Era was in full effect, allowing women several

new benefits, helping to improve their power socially and politically. The new opportunities

given to women completely changed their economic contributions, “The decade kicked off with

passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave white women the vote. Women also joined the

workforce in increasing numbers, participated actively in the nation’s new mass consumer

culture, and enjoyed more freedom in their personal lives.”(Pruitt). “Women's role” in society

and old traditions also changed overtime, “It wasn’t just their fashion that made flappers; It was

also their behavior and attitude. Flappers were young, fast-moving, fast-talking, reckless and

unfazed by previous social conventions or taboos. They smoked cigarettes, drank alcohol, rode in
 O’Malley 2

and drove cars and kissed and “petted” with different men.” (Pruitt). The progression in several

different aspects of womens life is what made this period so crucial to women's advancement to

society. Earning the right to vote was another monumental step towards gender equality that gave

women not only the ability to gain political power, but also economic power. Rates of

employment for women increased as well as their individual income, giving them more respect

in society. Although the political and economic changes were vital to the women's role, social

advancements were arguably the most important to women in the Progressive era. Through

external changes in appearance or an internal change of ideals, women around the country

embraced the “flapper” lifestyle, paving the way for future generations of women to gain respect

in society. Although the wave of progressive thinking and actions provided women with a list of

freedoms that greatly improved their social standing, not all freedoms came into place

immediately. The 1920’s was a period filled with change in a short span of time but it lacked any

substantial progress, “Despite the heady freedoms embodied by the flapper, real liberation and

equality for women remained elusive in the 1920s, and it would be left to later generations of

women to fully benefit from the social changes the decade set in motion.”(Pruitt). On paper the

“Jazz Age” provided women with all sorts of new freedoms, and while this is partially true it is

nowhere near the entire story. The “behind the scenes” control of traditionalists who didn’t want

women to advance in society held them back from progressing for generations, despite the

constant battle for women's rights. This understanding of who the “modern women” were, how

they were seen and treated by society, is an important part of not only understanding Fitzgerald’s

The Great Gatsby, but also understanding his characters better and how they display the reality

of the “Roaring Twenties”. Fitzgerald uses the juxtaposition of progress and traditionalism in

order to portray his pessimistic view of the 1920’s.

 O’Malley 3

The modern age of the 1920’s brought new progressive ideas that completely changed

past societal expectations, traditions and gender roles. New freedoms and opportunities created

to repair gender inequality created a more powerful and independent generation of women. This

new era of modern ideals, and the female characters who took advantage of them are portrayed

by Fitzgerald in a negative view through the seemingly impartial narrator, Nick Carraway. Nick,

a more traditional man, is critical of Bakers lifestyle yet he makes exceptions for more traditional

women which is supported by Strba’s analysis, “Nick makes a very strange statement at one

point regarding the ethical standards of women, which is certainly not the recognized truth he

pretends, though it is endorsed by the actions of all the women in the novel. He is referring to

Jordan Baker when he slips in this comment, deliberately making the reader an accessory to his

way of thinking by the use of the pronoun ‘you’: “Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never

blame deeply” (Fitzgerald. 48). Nevertheless he does judge Jordan and throws her over in the

end. Daisy, however, is permitted to survive within this ideology – though at the price of her

freedom.” (Strba). Before realizing she was an intelligent woman hiding behind a persona in

order to climb to the top of her field, Nick was attracted to Jordan. Although in the beginning

Nick saw her as a sophisticated woman, he was lying to the reader about his true feelings. He

saw her as a truly special and successful woman, but a woman nonetheless meaning her

accomplishments must be diminished by his inflated ego. Similarly to Strba’s view of how Nick

treated Jordan, he points out the obvious favoritism Nick showed towards Daisy. On the surface

this closer relationship may be brushed over since the two are cousins but it's more likely that

Nick favors her because she is a less modern or “controversial” figure, opposite of Jordan who is

the stereotypical “flapper”. Daisy, having conformed to more traditional ideals that Jordan didn't,

she got married young, had children, and accepted poor treatment from men in her life, was seen
 O’Malley 4

as less threatening, therefore Nick treated her better. This correlation between the female

characters' degree of modernity and the way they were treated by men around them shows how

even while progressing into more powerful citizens, women were constantly being held down.

The way Nick treated people he deemed immoral seemed to only apply to female characters and

not any of the male figures who were much more openly suspicious. Nick's blatant judgment of

women who didn't fit in with his morals would suggest that he would impose the same scrutiny

on the male characters, but that wasn’t the reality. Nick’s relationship with Gatsby was often

pressured by the mystery and deceit surrounding Gatsby and his past, but Nick still worshiped

him regardless, “They’re a rotten crowd,” I shouted across the lawn. “You’re worth the whole

damn bunch put together.” (Fitzgerald, p.116). This action shows an obvious double standard that

puts the women of the book in an unfavorable position. This critique of Jordan by what the

reader assumes is an unbiased source forms an unconscious pessimistic view of the modern

women and their lifestyle, similar to the reality these women would have faced. This

manipulation of looking down on women and worshiping the male characters sways readers into

trusting Nick's judgment of Gatsby and looking past his shady character.

In conclusion, F. Scott Fitzgerald used the reality of the 1920’s to portray a pessimistic

view of the reality of women's lives despite them gaining new freedoms. This historical

information and primary source show that the 1920’s brought along seemingly endless amounts

of change, but there was very little true progress that improved women's social standing in

society.

Works Cited
 O’Malley 5

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. “The Great Gatsby.” Https://Www.wsfcs.k12.Nc.us/, Wsfcs, 7 Dec.

2008,

https://www.coursehero.com/tutors-problems/English-Literature/37422731-httpsw

wwwsfcsk12ncuscmslibNC01001395CentricityDomain79/.

Pruitt, Sarah. “How Flappers of the Roaring Twenties Redefined Womanhood.”

History.com, A&E Television Networks, 17 Sept. 2018,

https://www.history.com/news/flappers-roaring-20s-women-empowerment.

Strba, Ivan. “Emancipated Women of the Great Gatsby .” Emancipated Women of The

Great Gatsby, University Library of Prešov University , 19 Oct. 2011,

https://www.pulib.sk/web/kniznica/elpub/dokument/Kacmarova2/subor/strba.pdf.

Skill Not Foundational Proficient Advanced

Yet
Identifies a topic Appears in first Thesis establishes a
paragraph complex claim
 O’Malley 6

Thesis establishes a
topic and a claim

Thesis Comments:

Includes two or Includes evidence Includes specific,

fewer sources from scholarly and meaningful, and
informational well-chosen
Some evidence sources that connect evidence that relates
relates to the thesis to the novel and to the thesis
support the thesis

Evidence

Comments:

Summarizes sources Explains how Explains

evidence supports well-selected points
topic sentence of of comparison
individual among sources and
paragraphs evidence and their
connection to the
Analysis Explains how details thesis
in the novel are
significant in
regards to context,
character, plot, or
theme

Comments:
 O’Malley 7

Little connection Explains how the Clearly explains

between texts; texts/sources are relationships among
difficult for the related, though texts (how they
reader to see how points could be confirm or challenge
the texts are related more selective or each other, build on
better developed each other, provide
Synthesis differing
Includes multiple perspectives, etc.)
sources in each body
paragraph

Comments:

Some elements Heading is correctly No errors in MLA

missing or some formatted format
errors in MLA format
Pages are numbered

In-text citations are

correctly formatted

Works Cited format:

hanging indent,
MLA Format double-spaced,
alphabetized, starts
on a new page

Works Cited: each

source entry is in
correct MLA format
Comments:

Shows evidence of Most quotes are All quotes are

basic proofreading correctly integrated correctly integrated

Follows essay Shows evidence of

Conventions organization careful proofreading

Shows evidence of
 O’Malley 8

proofreading

Comments:

Hope,
This turned out really fantastic in the end, and structurally it resembles a much longer essay.
What I mean by that is the historical first body paragraph paves the way for the in-depth
analysis in the second. I think next steps to push yourself further would be to add more depth
(even if it means going beyond the assignment. You easily could have fit a body paragraph or 2
more to really dig into the various characters and dynamics.

Great job: A