The confrontation between old and new images of women in The Great Gatsby

Ⅰ.Introduction

Nowadays researches about The Great Gatsby mainly focus on its writing techniques and “the American dream” but rather the feminism in this novel. There are two major female characters in this book， Daisy and Jordan Baker. Daisy is the symbol of women in old society. By contrast， Jordan Baker is the symbol of new eras women. In this comparison of those two women and from the view of Marxist women-related theory， we can see the differences between Daisy and Jordan Baker. Although they are both from upper class and have something in common in some aspects， but there are obvious differences in them. The image of Jordan Baker is what the Marxist women-related theory advocates and the image of Daisy is what it opposes. At this points we can gain some enlightenment on feminism and the development of females.

Ⅱ.The Comparison of Daisy And Jordan Baker

Daisy and Jordan Baker represent different images of women. Daisy is the typical representative of traditional women. Just as Betty Friedan explains in the feminine Mystique“the highest value and the only commitment for women is the fulfillment of their own femininity.” For Daisy， who was born in a wealthy family， her education is traditional， her family education makes her a traditional woman，and her family education reflect the influence of patriarchal culture. As Friedan says “Sex-directed education is both the direct cause and the effect of the feminine mystique.” In the text， Daisy loves Gatsby so much but she has to marry Tom， because her family require her to do that， she doesnt have rights to decide which man she would like to marry. She cries and says：“Daisys change her mine！” but it makes no sense， she finally marries Tom and gives up Gatsby. After marrying Tom， her life is revolved round Tom， she doesnt have work， all she has to do is being a ideal wife， she totally depends on Tom.

By contrast， Jordan Baker is more like a man. “She was a slender， small- breasted girl， with an erect carriage， which she accentuated by throwing her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet.” Jordan，whose appearance is not fit for traditional aesthetic， is more like a man ，especially comparing with Daisy. What makes Jordan different from other women in this novel is that she has his own career， she is more independent， what she owns is by her efforts. And she is a professional golfer， in conventional ideas， more man rather than woman choose to be a golfer， but Jordan is different， she does what man does， and she refuse to meet mans appetite.

Ⅲ.The Analysis of Old and New Images of Women From Marxist Women-related Theory

Labour is important for women. The confrontation between old and new images of women in this novel is meaningful to feminism. As Engels points out that “woman can be emancipated only when she can take part on a large social scale in production and is engaged in domestic work only to an insignificant degree.” Jordans image is what Marxist feminism advocates， she has her own career and really take part on a large social scale in production， she does her labour in society and she has her private property. By contrast， Daisys image is what feminists opposed， she is a typically traditional female， she doesnt fight to be engaged into social production. She belongs to her family totally， she doesnt have her own job， her source of income is from her husband， all she has to do is to be a ideal wife even though her husband is not loyal to her. As she tells to Nick， she hopes her little girl to be “a beautiful little fool.” Which reflects her desperation.

To get self-liberation， females should have their own career. According to Engels， “the legal inequality of two partners is bequeathed to us from earlier social conditions， is not the cause but the effect of the economic oppression of the woman.” They should have economic independence like Jordan Bake rather totally depend on their husbands.

Ⅳ.Conclusion

From the comparison of Daisy and Jordan Baker ， we can get some inspirations on female liberation. From Marxist feminism view， women should make themselves back into public industry， just as Jordan Baker does. Although Daisy and Jordan both are from the upper class but their life are totally different， they are tow images of women in that era. The reason why Jordan has a much easier and freer life than Daisy is that she is independent. Daisy lives her life for man but Jordan lives only for herself. In order to have real female liberation ， Jordan Bake is a good example， women should fight to have their own career and get economic independence.

References：

[1]Engels， F.（1942）. The Origin of the Family， Private Property， and the State.New York International Press.

【作者簡介】秦婧婧，云南大學外國語學院。