The Great Gatsby Feminist Analysis

It comes to no surprise that women are associated with predominantly negative connotations such as death in most older works of literature. In the novels The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner, The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald, and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the main women of each novel are placed at fault for the death of characters and the American Dreams. Using the Feminist and Marxist Theory to analyze the previously listed novel will show a common trope of ‘bad girls’ becoming destructive to anyone around them, including themselves. Due to the commodification of women, ‘Bad girls’ are assigned the responsibility for either their own death or the death of other characters. These ‘bad girls’ are also seen as culprits for the destruction of the …show more content…
In the novels, all of the main women fit this objectification and commodification; Daisy is seen as a trophy wife and offers status to Gatsby and Tom; Curley’s Wife is only known as ‘Curley’s Wife’ which signifies that she’s just one of his possessions; Caddy is used by Jason to try and secure a job as well as financial stability for the family. As the women are commodified, they are portrayed as bad girls as they all do things that are not approved by the patriarchy. In the case of Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife is seen as a ‘bad girl’ for she wants to with anyone and is hated by the men on the farm. Upon finding Curley's wife’s dead body, Old Candy viciously says, ““You God damn tramp”, ... “You done it, di’n’t you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good. You ain’t no good now, you lousy tart.” (Steinbeck 47) Without any explanation as to what had occurred, Curley’s wife is given the heat for her own death as