Materialism in the Flapper Era

In the Great Gatsby and The Diamond as Big as the Ritz, the depiction of women as objects is reflective of the viewpoints of the 1920s and the flapper era. The flapper era marked a time period in which women were viewed as sexual objects and a wave of demand for women's rights resulted.

In both of Fitzgerald's pieces through the depiction of its female characters, the image of a woman in the flapper era is illustrated as one of selfishness and greed; the women are viewed like porcelain dolls in display cases: they are to be admired and confined into their display cases. In The Diamond as Big as the Ritz, Kisamine is shown to have fallen in love with John even though she knows that he is going “to be put away” in the end. She is then described as selfish when it is discovered that “[she’d] rather [have him] be put away than ever kiss another girl.” In addition, Kisamine is illustrated as “the most beautiful person he had ever seen… and the incarnation of physical perfection.” John is attracted and mesmerized by her physical beauty and her appearance, and his attraction to her appearance further demonstrates his view of her as a desired sexual object. He views her as an object to be admired or to be fought for, but not as an equal partner.

This is shown in The Great Gatsby also. Daisy is described as "the king's daughter [who lives] high in a white palace" and as a "golden girl". Daisy is described as an object that is locked away with no power of her own. Also, the manipulative nature of Daisy is frequently revealed through her obsession with monetary value. She had never inquired about Jay Gatsby or James Gatz until she found out about Gatsby’s wealth and reputation.

This is evident when Gatsby claims that "'her voice is full of money"'. Daisy herself is connected with money and wealth, which allows the reader to see Gatsby’s desire for her as his desire for wealth, money, and status. While Daisy is materialistic and is drawn to Gatsby due to his wealth and high status in society, it is shown that Gatsby also is drawn to Daisy physically as well as to the monetary value that she represents.