Femininity in American literature is more often seen as curse rather than a gift. In the novels The Great Gatsby and My Antonia, men are the very essence of women’s beings. The female identity in the novels is virtually nonexistent as they are seen through skewed perceptions. The complexity of the characters of Daisy and Antonia is compromised by their portrayal from the male gaze, limiting their ability to serve as anything more than idealized symbols with the sole purpose of pleasing men.
Critics have consistently painted a picture of Daisy Buchanan of The Great Gatsby as an evil being whose lack of morals lead to the descent of Gatsby. This perception is due in part due to her lack of accurate portrayal by the narration of Nick. Daisy’s behavior has led her to be referred by critics such as Marius Bewley as having “no substance” (234), as well as “an emptiness that we see curdling into …show more content…
Gatsby continuously romanticizes the past and ignores the present in order to carve his future. Jim as well looks to his past as an ideal, and lives an unfulfilled present. Jim eventually settles down with a woman he does not truly love because he never tries to move forward. Blanche Gelfant discusses how “His failure to seize the palpable moment seems to one critic responsible for the emotional vacuum of Jim’s life” (72). Although Jim continuously expresses his love for Antonia, he chooses to never attempt to have any deeper relationship with her. He spends his whole life chasing an outdated past which he values more than his present. Gatsby as well repeatedly shares his obsession with the past with his belief that it could easily be repeated. Gatsby and Jim both choose to never get to know their supposedly loves in the present, but rather only truly feel affection to them through memory. Daisy and Antonia are both not allowed to move forward because they are stuck in the past by their
Critics have consistently painted a picture of Daisy Buchanan of The Great Gatsby as an evil being whose lack of morals lead to the descent of Gatsby. This perception is due in part due to her lack of accurate portrayal by the narration of Nick. Daisy’s behavior has led her to be referred by critics such as Marius Bewley as having “no substance” (234), as well as “an emptiness that we see curdling into …show more content…
Gatsby continuously romanticizes the past and ignores the present in order to carve his future. Jim as well looks to his past as an ideal, and lives an unfulfilled present. Jim eventually settles down with a woman he does not truly love because he never tries to move forward. Blanche Gelfant discusses how “His failure to seize the palpable moment seems to one critic responsible for the emotional vacuum of Jim’s life” (72). Although Jim continuously expresses his love for Antonia, he chooses to never attempt to have any deeper relationship with her. He spends his whole life chasing an outdated past which he values more than his present. Gatsby as well repeatedly shares his obsession with the past with his belief that it could easily be repeated. Gatsby and Jim both choose to never get to know their supposedly loves in the present, but rather only truly feel affection to them through memory. Daisy and Antonia are both not allowed to move forward because they are stuck in the past by their