Consider how women are presented in The Great Gatsby
and The Whitsun Weddings
In The Great Gatsby, no matter how women are presented, although for the
most part negatively, they are presented in relation to or from the
perspective of men. The juxtaposition between Daisy, Nick’s cousin, and her
husband Tom, is blatant – she is described as, ‘a floating balloon’,
‘anchored’ by Tom’s ‘boom’. In comparison to Tom, Daisy is ‘fluttering’ and
passive, whilst her partner is hard-headed and grounded. An impression of
Daisy being useless because of her naivety is created, when, this is not the
case; Tom is forceful and abusive, causing Daisy’s reserved persona.
Similarly, in Wild Oats, the two women in the poem are characterised
through the eyes of the male perceiving them. Dubbing one woman as,
‘bosomy rose’, and her ‘friend’ as ‘specs’, the narrator has already alluded
to a stereotype that women who are ‘beautiful’ are unapproachable,
whereas those ‘easy to talk to’ somehow forfeit appearance. This
assumption is derogatory, and we, as the reader, do not get further insight
from the women themselves.
Furthermore, women who are in these situations are often passive and
helpless as oppose to their male oppressors. When Nick is at the
Buchanan’s, Tom leaves the table to answer his mistress’, Myrtle’s, phone
call, much to the embarrassment of his wife, Daisy. As she is frightened of
Tom, her reluctancy to stand up to him is clear, instead she ‘extemporises’
by overpowering her charm and extravagance. His ‘absence quickened
something within her’, showing Daisy’s uncomfortable demeanour through
the verb ‘quickened’ and the noun ‘something’. The unspecific noun
‘something’ indicates Daisy is confused with her emotions towards Tom –
she is evidently unhappy in their relationship and situation, but too
‘passive’ to confront her husband. Tom knows that Daisy would never
question his actions or morals, hence continues his questionable married
lifestyle. The fast-paced verb ‘quickened’ indicates both Daisy’s flustered
nature, but also the flustered nature of the Buchanan’s relationship. To
Daisy, she married Tom and suddenly, their relationship is no longer a
relationship; emotionally, physically, and mentally. Again, outwardly, this
may present as a wife who is passive in personality, but truly is a wife who
is helpless in her own home. Similarly, this continuous helplessness is
displayed in Sunny Prestatyn, where the woman in the poster is passive to
her objectifying oppressors, albeit unbeknownst to her. Focussing on solely
her physical attributes, ‘huge tits’, ‘breast-lifting arms’, the narrator, like
