Female Gender: A Social Perspective In The Great Gatspy And Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

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ms a skeleton for what gender a person should be and often does not allow anything outside of these guidelines. In being a part of a culture or society a person is exposed to specific information that bases the thoughts and actions of everyone involved. This means that one can only think and do something that is culturally ingrained in their subconscious. The expanse of thought is limited due the definitions of gender (During 347). Gender is considered an attribute at the beginning of life and as one gets older there is a point at which gender becomes a choice. One’s cultural identity can be formulated and changed to best fit the surroundings (During 348). Here is the difference between the biological definition of a person and the social identity of a person. Women, for example, are biologically capable of bearing children and through this we know that they are “women”, but are they necessarily “female” because of this? Butler argues that the answer is no. The gender of a person is not always parallel to the sex of that individual and it is society that can determine otherwise (During 347). Now, in comparing Butler’s definition of women and what they represent in society, to the women of The Great Gatsby and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes it can be seen that they all display an aspect of the socially created females she speaks of.
Daisy Buchanan and Lorelei Lee, the prominent characters of the two novels, are socially wrapped-up women of the 1920’s. They both support Butler’s argument that a society determines the gender of a person. Daisy is a delicate woman of high class who is married to Tom Buchanan. She had a rich upbringing and never had to work for a thing in her life. Being the focus of Gatsby’s life Daisy takes on a trophy-like importance in the novel. Gatsby, the protagonist of the novel, throws extravagant parties in the hopes of being reconnected with his true love, Mrs. Daisy Buchanan. Fitzgera...