Power In The Great Gatsby

Words: 540
Pages: 3
Open Document
The Power of a Woman
The Great Gatsby, written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, portrays the carefree display of life in the 1920's. It represents the way money complements power, they seem to go hand in hand. In this book, there are three main characters. The narrator, whose name is Nick, Jay Gatsby, who is infatuated with another man's wife, and Daisy who steals the hearts of many. Jay Gatsby battles for the attention of a very desired woman, Daisy Buchanan. Jay drags the willing Nick through his journey in winning back the love of his life from five years prior. At this time, Gatsby is unaware that Daisy has created a family, but he insists that he can turn back time. He is completely devoted to granting Daisy with any dream, desire, wish, …show more content…
Daisy has both her husband, Tom, and her long term admirer, Gatsby at the tip of her fingers. Daisy Buchanan is the most powerful character in this book.
The Great Gatsby revealed the true desires of the 1920's. Men and women were hungry for power, and constantly seeking ways to become content with themselves. A conversation between the narrator, Nick and Gatsby unveils the exact secret behind the power that Daisy carries. "'Her voice is full of money,' he said suddenly...I'd never understood it before... -that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it...High in a white palace the King's daughter, the golden girl..." (Fitzgerald 120). This was the meaning behind her strong, indiscreet voice. It contained money, that was all she needed to possess this controlling power. Throughout this time, men hunted for this trait; the ability to simply speak with an overwhelming amount of power, particularly with a dominant voice. Daisy also has an overcoming presence about her. It seems to take control over Gatsby. As Nick states, "...I think he reevaluated everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes...once he nearly toppled down a flight of stairs"
Show More

Related Documents: Power In The Great Gatsby

Examples Of Power In The Great Gatsby

Power has been known to be the one things to build people up, or tear them to shreds. Although there is power in love and there is power in money too, and these two components often collide in society. In the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Daisy Fay, a wealthy southern bell has done the unthinkable; she has fallen in love with Jay Gatsby, a handsome young penniless soldier in WW1. When Jay Gatsby had to leave for war, Daisy’s mother would have absolutely nothing to do with her daughter…

Words 780 - Pages 4

Comparing Power In The Great Gatsby And Angela's Ashes

Knowledge is power. This is a philosophy both held in the books, The Great Gatsby and Angela’s Ashes. In Frank McCourt’s case in Angela’s Ashes, knowledge will give him the power to escape poverty and starvation. It will allow him to get a job that will feed his family unlike his father who spends most (if not all) his wages on liquor. On the other hand, in Great Gatsby, knowledge is a tool that is used to distinguish between the working class and the upper class. It’s education that differentiates…

Words 583 - Pages 3

Gatsby American Dream

"The Great Gatsby ", besides being a great literary piece, is a metaphor for a whole society, the American society. "The party was over" (Fitzgerald), which signifies a level of prophetic vision within the American society and its history. An essential part of this American characteristic of the novel, and its historicity, is about the American Dream. At the center of how Gatsby is a metaphor for a whole society, is the relationship between Europe, the The Great Gatsby Man dreams of living the…

Words 494 - Pages 2

Key Images In The Great Gatsby

masterpiece The Great Gatsby, one of the most prominent key ideas is that Jay Gatsby is great. Fitzgerald creates and incorporates various images within his book to convey this idea that Jay Gatsby is great. Wealth and power, two huge images that are created within the book by Fitzgerald, and are relatable to the period. Gatsby demeanour is another factor that contributes to this idea. However often like all hero’s, they have flaws and Gatsby is no exception as seen in the book. Gatsby is incredibly…

Words 823 - Pages 4

Masculinity In The Great Gatsby

with the sorrow, excess, power, and pleasure found throughout The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The woman’s empty face on the cover of this novel signifies the empty success and consequential sorrow, represented by the tear, many characters experience in the novel. Furthermore, the pearls represent the pleasure and excess of Gatsby’s parties, home, car, and lifestyle, reflecting the excess of the 1920s. The female's large face over the small city skyline shows her power, as she is “above” the…

Words 1354 - Pages 6

The Role Of Corruption In The Great Gatsby

To be able to do what you want to do is incredible freedom. ” (Maya Lin). The roaring twenties delivered times of great optimism, wealth, and corruption. In The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, The American Dream is established as the perfect recipe for achieving wealth and success, but later on turns into a force that inspires corruption. In the book we observe that the path to great wealth is not always a linear or moral one. It is also apparent that The American Dream does not just have one definition…

Words 723 - Pages 3

Women In The Great Gatsby

The female characters in The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night introduced the images of the "New Woman" and the liberated status and equality of women. There are many female characters in these novels that are no longer bound by traditional archetypes and show independence from their male counterparts. In The Great Gatsby, we are presented with contrast between the multiple women characters in the novels. For example, Jordan and Daisy have very opposing characteristics. Daisy is a very dependent…

Words 2065 - Pages 9

The Great Gatsby Compare And Contrast

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a story that is typically associated with hopeless romanticism, eerie stalking, wealthiness, and grand parties. In simplest terms, the story takes place during the roaring 20’s and is about a poor man who falls in love with a rich girl and spends the rest of his life becoming rich to impress her. However, no matter how wealthy he is or how many lavish parties he throws, he’s never good enough for her and dies utterly alone. Tom Buchanan and Jay…

Words 1141 - Pages 5

Gatsby: F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gatsby Essay

The Great Gatsby Essay The Great Gatsby is a novel of pure early 1900’s literature. It directly explains the roaring twenties and how America was changing during that time. This novel exemplifies all of that change through F. Scott Fitzgerald’s point of view whether through Gatsby’s parties or the characters in the book. The Great Gatsby also shows the underling struggles of American people and shines a light on the American dream during that time. The prompt I have chosen is a direct comparison…

Words 1021 - Pages 5

Essay The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby does not adequately reflect the American Dream. Everyone has a dream. In the book The Great Gatsby the American Dream revolves around money. Money is very important on an Americans image at this period of time. One of the main characters was Daisy. She loved her husband Tom, but she also loved Gatsby. There was a big difference in “old” money and “new” money. Gatsby was new money, and Daisy was old money so because of that, if people would have found out about Daisy and Gatsby, her…

Words 535 - Pages 3