Essay About Similarities and Differences Between Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan

The 1920s were a time where women could express themselves in a way they never could before. Women embraced new freedoms, enjoyed parties, and conducted themselves in a more promiscuous way. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald distinguishes many similarities and differences between women in the novel. Daisy Buchanan was a beautiful and charming girl. She was married to Tom Buchanan who was an arrogant, but incredibly wealthy man who came from a family with “old money.” Myrtle Wilson was married to George Wilson but had an affair with Tom Buchanan. She was impulsive, desperate, and part of the lower-class but was still attracted to wealth. Jordan Baker was an unmarried woman but went on several dates with Nick Carraway. She was easily bored and dishonest but was considered a modern woman who had money. All three women have a similar view of wealth and used their sexuality to captivate men. On the other hand, the three women have different social standings within their groups and value the different roles they play in society.

Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan all share the same materialistic mindset. They all lust over the idea of having money. Daisy married Tom Buchanan for the sole purpose of being wealthy. When Gatsby came back into her life, she did not seem to look at him for love, but for his expensive and luxurious possessions. She even broke down in tears and cried that she had “never seen such beautiful shirts” (Page 92) when she went over to his house for the first time. Myrtle, on the other hand, was not handed nearly as much as Daisy. She had an affair with Tom for the sole reason of him being well-off financially. When she spoke about her marriage to George she said, “I married him because I thought he was a gentleman” ... “but he wasn’t fit to lick my shoe” (Page 34). Myrtle wanted to come off as sophisticated and wealthy even though the man she was married to did not provide much for her. She yearned for the upper class lifestyle but ultimately was let down. Jordan, just like Daisy, came from a family with “old money.” Jordan flaunts her wealth in the form of being a free woman. She claimed she was in no rush to be married which was a luxury she was blessed with due to her money. The novel does not explicitly mention the amount of money she has but, nevertheless, she was a rich woman who symbolizes the new type of woman the 1920s gave birth to. 

 Another similarity the women shared was using their sexuality to draw men in. Daisy is probably the best example. She had two men, Tom and Gatsby, fight over her. She was characterized as beautiful and charming. Her beauty immediately lured Gatsby to her, and later Tom was captivated by her as well. She was viewed by Gatsby as his entire world and radiated an aura of pure perfection in his eyes. Even though Tom had an affair with another woman, he never wanted to lose Daisy. He said it himself, “I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time” (Page 131.) While what he said was incredibly manipulative, it shows that he truly did not want to lose Daisy. In both Gatsby’s and Tom’s eyes, Daisy was a prize to be won. Myrtle also had two men interested in her. However, it was not in the same way. Myrtle drew Tom in due to her desperateness to become more than she was as a lower-class citizen. When Nick first described Myrtle he said, “there was an immediately perceptible vitality about her as if the nerves of her body were continually smouldering” (Page 25.) Myrtle being described this way shows the type of energy she gave off which allowed her to attract Tom. Lastly, Jordan was described by Nick as being “slender” and had a “charming face” (Page 11.) This description gives the readers insight into Jordan’s attractive physical appearance. She was a single woman and seemed content in that way as she enjoyed her freedoms. Nonetheless, she would have no trouble at all finding a suitor. 

A key difference between the women was the role they played in each of their social groups. Daisy was not the most well-liked person from a social aspect. Nick described Tom and Daisy as moving “with a fast crowd, all of them young and rich and wild, but she came out with an absolutely perfect reputation” (Page 77). Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald characterizes her as desperate for something or someone. Jordan was also her only close friend other than Nick which is telling to the number of true friendships in her life. Myrtle, on the other hand, was quite popular within her friend group. She frequently held parties and many women seemed to look up to her. At the garage party, Fitzgerald writes, “With the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change” ... “Her laughter, her gestures, her assertions became more violently affected moment by moment and as she expanded the room grew smaller around her” (Page 30-31). Myrtle was admired by her friends which ultimately gave her power within her friend group as well as a greater sense of confidence in herself. Jordan was also fairly well-liked. She attended parties regularly and knew many people there. When Nick and Jordan went to one of Gatsby’s parties, Fitzgerald writes that “[Jordan] held my hand impersonally, as a promise that she’d take care of me in a minute, and gave ear to two girls in twin yellow dresses, who stopped at the foot of the steps” (Page 42). Jordan seems to be social and friendly and to have a higher status within her social group. Additionally, the contrast between Daisy and Jordan in this sense shows more of their differences as a whole.

The women have different views on how their lives should be lived and what gives it value. Daisy follows a society’s ideal prescribed life. She chose to get married and have a child and is characterized to value material objects over everything else. She did not dream about her future and kept a pessimistic attitude throughout the book. She said herself that she hoped her daughter would be a fool and that it is “the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Page 17). By saying this, it shows how Daisy does not want her daughter to know what society is truly like and how it has affected her in a negative way. On the flip side, Myrtle is part of the working class. She is not happy with her current life and wants to be more and have more. She finds validation through having an affair with Tom and is given a sense of hope that her place in the lower class will soon change. Tom told Myrtle that Daisy was Catholic and could not get a divorce. Yet, “Daisy was not Cathloic” and Nick was “shocked at the elaborateness of the lie” (Page 33). In the end, there was no real chance for Myrtle as it was all manipulation from Tom. The woman with the most freedom and opportunities was Jordan. She was a single woman with her whole life ahead of her. Fitzgerald characterizes her as cynical and as someone who gets bored easily. Despite this, she keeps an open-mind and is not quick to judgement. She said, “life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall” (Page 118). This quote shows Jordan’s optimistic attitude towards life in contrast to Daisy. 

Fitzgerald does an excellent job of defining the key differences between the women through what they value as well as their attitudes towards life. He emphasizes the hold they had over the men in the novel and how they have strong motivating factors and desires. In the end, they were all left unsatisfied in some aspect. They all retained the same view of wealth and use of their sexuality. They continued to have the same social status and kept the role they played in society.