Taboos Surrounding Gender and Sexuality in The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an American classic set in New York during the summer of 1922. The book follows the social elite. Following these characters, readers can learn lessons about how to move forward as a society. Throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows that the taboos of the 1920s were preventing Americans from moving forward and becoming modern. He shows this through gender norms, how these gender norms limit women and hints at queer folks in his writing. 

During the 1920s, Fitzgerald demonstrates how the taboos of the 1920s were preventing the idea that gender norms were changing. Jordan and the McKees are both examples of this in the book. Fitzgerald describes Jordan as being less feminine in her appearance. She is described as "... a slender, small-breasted girl, with an erect carriage" (Fitzgerald 11). When people think of women and feminine figures, the words often come to mind are curvy, petite, thick, or complete. Women tend not to be described as being erect. This word choice by Fitzgerald starts to help build a tomboy image in the reader's head for Jordan. We later learn that Jordan is a golfer and that she plays professionally. Even today, it is uncommon for women to become famous for athletic endeavors; it would have been complicated in the 1920s. Jordan isn't the only example of characters breaking gender norms. During chapter two, during a party at Myrtle and Tom's apartment in New York City, we are introduced to the McKee couple. When Nick first meets Mr. McKee, he states, "Mr. McKee was a pale, feminine man from the flat below" (30), and then when he meets Mrs. McKee, Nick says, "His wife was shrill, languid, handsome and horrible ̈(30). Fitzgerald chose to flip the language usually used to describe men and women. Jordan breaks the gender norms in the way she acts by being more of a tomboy, while the McKees break the gender norms by the way they present themselves. Fitzgerlad uses these characters to show progress in moving toward a better society. He also uses negative experiences to show why we need to change. 

Fitzgerald uses Toma and his relationships with women to show how 1920s society limited women. Daisy and Tom Buchanan, from the outside, seem to have a picture-perfect marriage. When the book starts, the two have been married for five years and have a young daughter. Despite how things look from the outside, the marriage between Daisy and Tom is not as perfect as one might think. Throughout the book, we watch Tom cheat on his wife with Myrtle Wilson, who is also married. After the party, in chapter two, Tom and his mistress get into a verbal disagreement, which leads to Tom becoming physically violent with her. Nick tells us about that incident, "Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand." (37). This interaction shows us that he is an abusive man. Cheating was not an isolated fault of Tom's; physical abuse was also in his character. The reader later learns from Jordan that Tom cheated during his honeymoon. Jordan tells Nick, "A week after I left Santa Barbara, Tom ran into a wagon on the Ventura road one night and ripped a front wheel off his car. The girl with him got into the papers, too, because her arm was broken-she was one of the chambermaids in the Santa Barbara Hotel." (77) Just days after they said their vows, Tom is caught cheating on his wife. The reader can also tell that Daisy feels trapped in her marriage based on what she says when her daughter is born. After she learns that her husband never showed up, she says, "I hope she'll be a fool; that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool" (17 ). This statement could lead the reader to believe that Daisy thinks the only way a girl could survive is if she is pretty enough to get a man's attention. However, a girl would need to be foolish not to be hurt when her husband cheats. Looking at Bucanhan's relationship and Daisy's hopes for her daughter, it is clear that Fitzgerald is trying to tell us that gender norms limit women's choices. Social norms weren't just affecting women during this time; they also often forced queer folks to keep their sexuality hidden.

It would be very uncommon for someone to be out as gay during 1922; Fitzgerlad chooses to write about potentially gay characters and the limitations they faced. The book never explicitly said that Nick Carraway isn't straight. However, many think that Fitzgerald hinted at Nick as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Throughout the book, there is sexual intimation. One example of this is after the party in New York City. As Nick and Mr. McKee go back to Mr. McKee's apartment, a conversation happens between Mr. McKee and the elevator boy. The elevator boy says, "'Keep your hands off the lever"' and Mr. McKee responds with,"'I beg your pardon, I didn't know I was touching it."' (37). The reader later learns that Nick spends the night with Mr. McKee. Nick tells us, "...I was standing beside his bed, and he was sitting up between the sheets, clad in his underwear with a great portfolio in his hands." (38). This quote has raised questions about Nick's sexuality because it is unclear what happened that night, along with the conversation in the elevator. Other minor remarks could raise questions about whether Nick is straight or just in the closet. Towards the end of the book, Nick realizes that he is now thirty and there are fewer single men his age. He has this thought on his birthday: "The promise of a decade of loneliness, a thinning list of single men to know, a thinning briefcase of enthusiasm, thinning hair. But there was Jordan beside me, who, unlike Daisy, was too wise ever to carry well-forgotten dreams from age to age. As we passed over the dark ridge, her face fell lazily against my coat's shoulder…" (135). Nick seems to consider still himself a single man even though he and Jordan were going out together. Nick could feel lonely because most men are getting married, and he feels he won't be able to do that. Nick admitted to not truly having feelings for Jordan, "I wasn't actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity." (57). It was not socially acceptable to be openly queer in 1922. This could be why Nick chooses to be in a heterosexual relationship even though he doesn't feel he is in love with Jordan. Fitzgerald alludes that because of the pressure of 1920s society to be heterosexual, Nick is unable to be his true self. 

Most of The Great Gatsby's characters try to fit society's social norms for gender and relationships. They also end up trapped in relationships with people they don't want to be with, with people who do not treat them respectfully. Fitzgerald clearly shows that these social norms were limiting to American society. To help society progress, we must accept how people express themselves and their identities.