Daisy Buchanan: The Portrait of Women's Oppression and Patriarchal Dominance in the 1920's

The 1920s were fascinating for people who saw World War I, there were great technological advancements and significant economic growth. All these developments led to increased consumerism and a noticeable relaxation of the old social mores. Most importantly, it formed the basis of the concept of the American dream. The seed of the idea was planted in the American Declaration of Independence in 1776; ‘’All men… are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights... [including] life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’’ However, The Declaration of Independence only extended the American dream to white property owners. After a time, laws were added to extend these rights to women, non-property owners, and slaves.

The perception of the American Dream was that an individual can achieve success in life regardless of family history or social status if they only work hard enough. This thought was very different from the class divide in some Western countries, that’s why many people immigrated to America with big dreams and expectations. However, only a few people obtained their American dreams. Those unfinished dreams were the subject of many novels, one of them being The Great Gatsby written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald.

Francis Scott Fitzgerald was born on 24 September 1896 in Minnesota. His family was an upper-middle-class family, his distant cousin is the writer of the poem that became the lyrics to the American national anthem afterwards. He spent his childhood in New York but when his father lost his job the Fitzgerald family had to move to St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1917 he joined World War I, and during military education, he met with Zelda Sayre in Alabama. In those days Zelda was popular in Montgomery society with her beauty and elegance. Meeting her and falling in love with her was an important turning point in Scott's life. However, they had a stormy relationship, Zelda was a difficult woman to compromise and share life with. Throughout their marriage, the fight had become the third person in their relationship. Besides the fact that they were both addicted to alcohol, it fueled their debate. Also, Zelda was a writer too, this situation dragged their relationship into a stalemate because both of them saw each other as a rival.

On the other hand, Zelda was the main source of inspiration for Scott and she knew her effect on his works. She claimed that the characters Scott created were copied from diaries she kept and some of his characters spoke just like Zelda’s words in real life. Zelda used to write in her diary how it is irritating that came across with her writings she kept by herself at home in Scott's stories. This "literary patent" debate between them went on for years. Actually, Zelda was right in a way, it is possible to see the shadow of Zelda in his works, one of these novels is The Great Gatsby.

F. Scott Fitzgerald started to write The Great Gatsby in 1923, but his editor convinced Scott that the novel was obscure and should be reviewed till next winter and eventually the novel was published in April of 1925. Among his works, The Great Gatsby is the best novel that reflects Scott Fitzgerald’s life. He inspired the magnificent parties set on the south side of Long Island. Also, his relationship with Ginevra King and his wife Zelda Fitzgerald affected him while he was creating Daisy Buchanan.

Daisy Buchanan is the main female character and also the most oppressed one throughout the novel. She is Gatsby’s past lover who currently becomes Tom Buchanan’s wife. She is characterized as a beautiful, lovely, and innocent woman who represents the feature of feminity. It is in contrast with her husband Tom whose appearance symbolizes masculinity. He is the character who embodies the common concept of the man, a figure who dominates other characters. Throughout the novel, his appearances and actions are portrayed as being superior to those of others, especially Daisy. The most notable of Tom's activities is his dominance over Daisy. In the novel, he is described as he is the one who can make Daisy obedient to him. Even, he restrains Daisy’s feelings toward Gatsby. But, he betrays Daisy, and he uses his dominance with a living love affair. Tom’s power is based on his social status, his possessions lead to his marriage to Daisy. In other words, he can buy Daisy’s will with his money and his status as an aristocrat.

However, the most important element in Daisy’s character is that she shows readers women’s social situation in society in the 1920s. Her life is dictated by the men around her. Though she exudes an air of independence and allure, Daisy’s choices are confined within the rigid boundaries of the male-dominated world she inhabits. She is forced to accept the system without being able to free herself. Daisy maintains her social status thanks to the wealth of her husband Tom Buchanan, but this addiction puts her under pressure both emotionally and physically. Daisy's love for Gatsby symbolizes her desire for freedom in a sense. While Gatsby represents a romantic escape and the possibility of liberation from his oppressive marriage, Daisy cannot free herself from the social restrictions that bind her. In the end, the fact that she chooses to stay with Tom despite loving Gatsby highlights the limited options available to women of that era. In many ways, Daisy comes across as a victim who was forced to submit to the social pressures of a life full of wealth and privilege instead of desire and happiness. Her relationship with Gatsby threatens Daisy's image of a “good woman”, which has gained a place in society. Women, due to the conservative values of the period, were quite limited in their sexuality and individual choices. Seen through The Great Gatsby, the women of the 1920s, although they seemed to be free from the outside, were facing serious restrictions in their inner world. The character of Daisy Buchanan symbolizes these contradictions and the tightness experienced by women of the period.

Daisy Buchanan is also a symbol of the degraded American Dream, which promised new opportunities to women in the post-war era, but often failed to fulfill these promises. Although Daisy, from the outside looking in, looks like a successful story as a rich and beautiful woman with all kinds of advantages, her life is defined by materialism and a lack of real fulfilment. Her fate reveals the limitations of the American Dream for women, who are often forced to put social expectations ahead of personal fulfilment.

The character of Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby offers an impressive critique of the oppression and patriarchal domination that women were subjected to in the 1920s. Although social change and the rise of the “New Woman” were prominent at that time, Daisy's story reminds us that many women are trapped in roles determined by a male-dominated society. Through Daisy, Fitzgerald reveals the enduring power of patriarchy and the limitations it imposes on women's lives, even in the age of so-called emancipation.

SOURCES CITED:

Person Jr, Leland S. “‘Herstory’ and Daisy Buchanan.” American Literature, vol. 50, no. 2, Duke University Press, pp. 250–57, doi:10.2307/2925105. Accessed 10 Aug. 2024.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Simon and Schuster, 2003.