1- Does Fitzgerald write a romance novel, or is Great Gatsby a combination of genres?

Although romance is exhibited as a strong influence on the plot and its themes, I believe that
Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is not a romance novel. This being the case, The Great Gatsby,
amongst other genres, classifies as a historical fiction novel and a tragedy novel.

To start, The Great Gatsby is not a romance novel because it does not represent love, rather it has
more of an anti-love stance. Through the relationships that occur in the novel, a common theme
that is prevalent is love and its relationship to corruption. This is most prevalent in the way that
Fitzgerald displays the downfall of man because of love. One example of this is the death of Jay
Gatsby. 5 years before the book took place, Gatsby fell in love, a love that would further become
his main, if not only, life goal. As Nick expressed, “[Daisy] was the first “nice” girl [Gatsby] had
ever known.” (Fitzgerald 122). This quotation demonstrates Gatsby’s love for Daisy. In this
quotation, “nice” is both in reference to her personality and features, and her wealth and status. It
is because Gatsby was not of the same social standing as Daisy that he aspired to live the
American Dream in the first place, of living in a big mansion with a fancy car and lots of wealth.
The fact that Gatsby was able to achieve more than most within a few years shows his promise,
that if he directed toward another goal, he would have been more successful and happy.
However, he obsessed over Daisy for all those years, unable to let go of the past, leading to his
downfall. Gatsby’s version of corruption because of love was the obsession that came with it. He
was obsessed with the idea of her past self, and as a result, when they met again, he was unable
to accept her new persona. As Nick recounts, “‘Even alone I can’t say I ever loved Tom,’ [Daisy]
admitted in a pitiful voice, ‘It wouldn’t be true,’” (Fitzgerald 109). This quotation takes place
after Tom confronts Daisy about her love for him in front of Gatsby. Gatsby feels betrayed by
Daisy, but regardless, weakly says, “Daisy’s leaving you,” (Fitzgerald 110). His request is denied
by Tom, and the broken couple is dismissed by Tom to go back to the Buchanan mansion.
Despite Daisy’s disloyalty to Gatsby’s love, he was still in love with the idea of her, and couldn’t
accept the fact that Daisy loved Tom. This obsession with Daisy eventually led to his chivalrous
covering for her murder of Myrtle, and then, his death by Wilson. This anti-romance stance
coincides with Fitzgerald’s misogynist portrayal of women in The Great Gatsby as it shows how
a successful man’s downfall is caused by a woman’s fickleness in her emotions. Therefore,
Fitzgerald exhibits an anti-romance stance in The Great Gatsby through Gatsby’s strong love for
Daisy corrupting him and turning into an obsession, leading to his downfall.

Although the novel is not a romance novel, The Great Gatsby is a historical fiction novel for our
age because of its element of realism. The characters in The Great Gatsby exist on Long Island,
New York in the 1920s for most of the book. This is prevalent through the characters’ social
situations, interactions with geographical locations, and knowledge of historic events. Firstly,
The Great Gatsby’s accurate portrayal of its characters’ social situations is evident in the role of
women. In the 1920s, the concept of a more liberated woman was adopted by women working
during the war prior to the decade (Samkanashvili). This was demonstrated, not only by
Fitzgerald’s main female characters but also by the partygoers at Gatsby’s parties. Fitzgerald’s
main female characters, Myrtle, Daisy and Jordan all exhibit some type of behaviour of a
liberated woman. For Myrtle, she allows herself to enjoy her sexuality more, with Daisy, she
neglects her child, and Jordan casually dates and pursues her own goals. In addition, the female
partygoers at Gatsby’s parties were shown to mingle with men more and often come to the
parties single, something that would have been unheard of prior to the time. This ‘vulgarity’ was
the reason why Daisy did not enjoy Gatsby’s party. As Nick described, “[Daisy] was appalled by
West Egg… She saw something awful in the very simplicity she failed to understand,”
(Fitzgerald 88-89). This quotation demonstrates Daisy’s contempt for the people of West Egg for
their social boldness as women. It further allows the reader to understand Daisy’s character,
someone who is emancipated, but still living in older societal values because of her upbringing.
Therefore, Fitzgerald demonstrates The Great Gatsby’s accuracy to its time through its portrayal
of women’s roles in the 1920s. Furthermore, the book’s accuracy to its time is displayed through
its geographical location. One prominent example of this is the West Egg Village and the East
Egg Village. These divisions of Long Island are, according to BBC, “Based on real settlements
called East and West Hampton,” (Setting). The East and West Hampton settlements are both on
Long Island and are separated by the bay, a characteristic that was featured in The Great Gatsby.
As Jordan tells Nick, “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay”
(Fitzgerald 65). The following quotation shows the geographical feature of the West Egg and the
East Egg being parallel to that of West and East Hampton. Like its respective ‘real’ form, the
West and East egg are separated by the bay, the only reason why Gatsby could get a house across
from Daisy’s that way. Therefore, through this detail, it is clear that Fitzgerald’s 1920s world
mirrors our own from the time. Lastly, the portrayal of The Great Gatsby’s historical fiction
genre is presented in the way that the characters are intimate with events of the 1920s. This is
demonstrated by the prominence of the Great War and prohibition throughout the book. These
historic realities are established early on in the book. As Nick tells the reader, “I participated in
that delayed Teutonic migration known as the Great Ward, I enjoyed being the counter-read so
thoroughly that I came back restless… so I decided to go East and learn the bond business,”
(Fitzgerald 6). As can be seen from the quotation, the Great War, a reference to World War I,
played a prominent role in The Great Gatsby. It was the thing that get Nick involved with Daisy
and Gatsby in the first place, and without it, the novel would cease to exist. Therefore, through
the accurate portrayal of society, historical events and geographical elements, Fitzgerald
demonstrates the genre of historical fiction.

Lastly, much like Shakespeare’s plays, The Great Gatsby proves itself to be a tragedy, with
Gatsby as its tragic hero. To think back on the list of ‘What makes a tragic hero?’ from the earlier
unit, a tragic hero should: have a fatal flaw, be the reason for their downfall, be a good person, a
person of high stature, show promise in the future, have an altered perception of reality, elicit
pity and fear from the audience, and must die. Gatsby suits all of these categories. As
aforementioned, Gatsby is demonstrated as a good man. He is charming, well-mannered, loyal,
and generally good-hearted. Few of these qualities were demonstrated when Gatsby took the
blame for Daisy’s murder: “‘Yes,’ he said after a moment, ‘but of course I’ll say I was,”
(Fitzgerald 118). This quotation occurred after Nick asked Gatsby if Daisy drove the car. The
fact that he would take the blame for Daisy in something that could ruin his life shows his devout
loyalty to the people he loves. This leads us to his fatal flaw, not being able to let go of the past.
As aforementioned, Gatsby fell in love with the Daisy of the past, and in this novel, ruins himself
trying to get back what they had instead of moving on. His love for Daisy is so strong that it
turned unhealthy, and by wishing to protect her, Gatsby only leads himself to his downfall. This
is demonstrated when Nick tells Gatsby to flee to another city, knowing that someone will seek
him out, Gatsby refuses to go. Instead of protecting himself first, Gatsby waits for Daisy’s call,
telling Nick, “I suppose Daisy’ll call too,” and in doing so, putting himself in Wilson’s path of
wraith, his downfall (Fitzgerald 126). This incident was unfortunate as Gatsby was also seen as
driven, and passionate because of his ability to gain so much wealth within a few years. He could
have been successful had he moved on from the past. This fact demonstrates Gatsby’s willful
blindness, and therefore distorted view, towards reality. Gatsby is unable to accept the fact that
Daisy had moved on from him and is comfortable with Tom since he has been living in his own
reality where Daisy was dutifully waiting for him still. From this, pity or fear is elicited from the
reader when Gatsby wakes up from his dream and realizes Daisy’s change. As Nick recalls, “he
must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a
single dream,” (Fitzgerald 132). From this quotation, pity is elicited from the fact that he realized
his life-long dream turned out to be fake, and fear is spread from the question of what he would
do next. A passionate man who was just derived from his passion could spiral into a deep
sadness or madness with mental health problems. For this extended suffering of himself and
others, Gatsby had to die. Therefore, by creating a tragic hero and including them as the main
character in his novel, Fitzgerald presents The Great Gatsby as a tragedy.

2- Consider how the female characters are portrayed and how the males respond to them. How
are women portrayed throughout the novel thus far? How are Daisy and Myrtle different from
Jordan?

Women in The Great Gatsby are portrayed negatively and powerless against the patriarchy, a
theme that is depicted through Myrtle, Daisy and Jordan’s treatment by men. Firstly, this is
shown when Nick, the narrator, is disgusted by a woman’s ‘nature’, and breaking up with Jordan
for it. As Nick says, “Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply,” (Fitzgerald 49).
This quotation is said after Nick expresses his interest in Jordan and analyses her character. It
shows that, although Nick is attracted to the woman, he can’t rid of his perceived understanding
of women being that women are dishonest and manipulative since it’s in their nature to do so
(Strba). This demonstrates one aspect of The Great Gatsby’s negative portrayal in women. In
addition to their dishonesty, women are portrayed to be shallow, and lust for power, wealth
and/or sex. For example, Myrtle Wilson married her husband, George Wilson purely because she
believed him to be good with “breeding” but, he was not (Fitzgerald 31). Furthermore, upon
describing her wedding night and finding that he was finanially inept, she cried “to the beat of
the band all afternoon” (Fitzgerald 31). As a result of her husband’s low class, Myrtle cheats on
him with Tom, a higher class man, and spends time with him every weekend, pretending to be of
a higher class. When Myrtle is with Tom, she wants to fit in with the upper class, shedding her
lower-class clothing, throwing parties, and looking down on lower-class people like the McKees.
Myrtle’s situation is introduced to the reader early on into the novel (in the second chapter) and it
sets the tone that women are greedy for wealth, power and will use any means to achieve it, even
breaking the heavenly marriage vows. It is an attack on both the prospect of the “New Woman,”
who was more liberated in the 1920s, as well as the old-fashioned woman, who is a submissive
housewife (Samkanashvili). For wanting to express her sensuality and using it for her benefit t0
being higher up in the social ladder, but also expressing submissiveness to the man who she
seduces (by coming back to Tom after he breaks her nose), Myrtle is punished for her actions-
ultimately killed by Daisy. Therefore, in this way, The Great Gatsby demonstrates its negative
portrayal of women and their powerlessness to men- if they liberate themselves but still bend to
the will of men, they will be doomed.

Likewise, this connects to the way that men respond to the women in the novel. As Fitzgerald
presents his main female characters as shallow, greedy, and powerless, the men in the novel treat
them as such. For example, it is clear that Tom is a representation of the patriarchal society in his
oppressing nature. As such, Tom has a strong presence and being that dominates most situations.
He controls the women in his life, and does so at his own expenses. This is shown early on into
the novel when Mrytle expressed her opinion about Daisy while she was drunk, and with a “soft
deft movement, [he] broke [Myrtle’s] nose with his open hand,” (Fitzgerald 32). Myrtle is sad
over Tom’s relationship with Daisy, as she would be, and instead of talking to her about it, or
warning her, Tom violently strikes out at her to shut her up. This not only demonstrates Tom’s
disrespect for the women in his life, but also shows his oppressiveness- he can’t handle other
peoples’ opinions, and his word is final. This is further shown when Gatsby and Tom fight over
Daisy’s love, neither of them give her a say in if she wants to stay with Tom or leave with
Gatsby. At last, when Daisy begs the men to stop fighting, Tom, always with the last command,
instructs Daisy and Gatsby to go back to the Buchanan mansion. Tom knows her unhappiness
when he cheats, especially from this first-hand experience, but he would not let go of Daisy
because he is possessive and oppressive, not letting her make her own decisions and fighting for
her. As a result of Tom’s representation of the oppressive patriarchal society, he also
demonstrates how the patriarchy, either intentionally or unintentionally, hurts the women that it
affects. This is shown both through how Tom intentionally hurts Myrtle at the party (by breaking
her nose), and unintentionally bruising Daisy’s finger, something that Daisy talked about as if it
was a big deal when it happened, demonstrating its weight. Therefore, men in Fitzgerald’s novel
treat women based on their wants and needs, disregarding the women’s feelings.

Lastly, Myrtle and Daisy are different from Jordan in that way that Jordan is more self-sufficient
than the other two. Like Myrtle, Daisy also takes advantage of the “New Woman” prospect while
engaging in a submissive relationship. Daisy marries Tom and relies on his wealth and social
status, as does Mrytle, however, the difference between the two is that Daisy exploits her
liberated advantages less than Myrtle does. In fact, Daisy is “appalled by West Egg” when she
was invited to Gatsby’s party because of its ‘vulgarity’ in the way that women expressed their
sexuality to freely. Daisy’s use of a more liberated role is shown in her neglect for her child.
However, Jordan is alright with these concepts and best demonstrates the idea of a more liberated
woman of the 1920s. Jordan lives a detached lifestyle, making her own living. As Ivan Strba
analyses, “Jordan has achieved sexual freedom through means of lying or concealment,” (Strba).
Jordan lies to maintain her power over others and, in that way, achieve liberation and sexual
freedom as she “instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men,” (Fitzgerald 49). In this way, Jordan is
never physically hurt by the oppression of the patriarchy (by Tom). She decides where she wants
to cut her relationships and doesn’t need to rely on anyone for her happiness and status, as
Myrtle and Daisy do. However, although Jordan is successful and independent, she is still
oppressed by the male-dominated society, a fact that is shown as Jordan is able to make it to the
finals, but loses as soon as she gets there. It is often remarked that Jordan is androgynous, and
aloof, unlike the other women who are feminine and charming. The fact that she lost as she was
in the finals shows how, although women like her can be successful (after giving up her
femininity), she could not be fully successful without a man’s presence. Therefore, Myrtle, Daisy
and Jordan are different in the way that Jordan is more independent than the two, but she is still
oppressed by society.

Works Cited

“East Egg v West Egg - Setting - Higher English Revision - BBC Bitesize.” BBC News, BBC,

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z48cqp3/revision/3#:~:text=Based%20on%20real%20sett

lements%20called,Island%2C%20separated%20by%20a%20bay. Date accessed July 25,

2022.

Samkanashvili, Maia. “The Role of Women in the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.”

Citeseerx, HumF,
 https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1026.7731&rep=rep1&type=p

df. Date accessed July 25, 2022.

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

https://studylib.net/doc/8123332/emancipated-women-of-the-great-gatsby#. Date

accessed July 25, 2022.

Hello, your response is excellent! Very well-thought-out and detailed. Firstly, I agree with your
opinion that The Great Gatsby is not a romance novel, if anything, it would be an anti-romance
for its depiction of how love is your destruction. I found what you said about Gatsby’s initial
love for Daisy interesting: “...'increased her value', which at a base level is an awful way to think
about a person in an almost monetary way”. Although in the book, it is mentioned that Gatsby
fell in love with both Daisy’s character and her social status, this quotation demonstrates how
much of him fell for her social status. This is important because Gatsby put his life aside for a
relationship that was mostly materialistic, a factor that is presented when it is revealed that Daisy
fell in love with Gatsby for his ability to take care of her in the future (since Gatsby gave her a
false sense of financial security). However, I feel as though a romance novel does not always
have to have an optimistic relationship, despite what RWA tells us, since there are many
subcategories that romance novels can fall under. For example, there were romantic tragedies,
satries, etc. which do not call for a ‘happy ending’. This being said, I agree with everything else
you said regarding The Great Gatsby’s status as a romance novel. Very well-planned answer!
Additionally, regarding your second question, I like how concisely you worded your answers,
providing a clear-cut opinion and explanation. I agree that Fitzgerald did not present women in
the msot positive light in The Great Gatsby, and he highlights their submissiveness and reliance
on men. This is also shown when Daisy wished for her daughter to grow up as “a fool” because
“the best thing a girl can be in this world [is] a beautiful little fool,” (Fitzgerald 17). In this
quotation, Daisy shows how she believes that women would only be successful if she could
attract men and not be clever enough to want to leave, or make her own living. Which is a
philosophy that is reflective of the 1920s, also demonstrating the historical fiction genre, to add
onto the first question of The Great Gatsby’s genre. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your post. It
was very well thought out and executed. Very interesting to read.