IndexIntroductionDiscussionWorks Cited IntroductionSince the beginning of time there have been gender roles. Men and women have never had the same responsibilities and daily routines. Men were generally considered the “breadwinners,” while women were housewives and stayed at home, working only to please their husbands and take care of their families. Of course, as time went by these norms did not become socially acceptable as women wanted more from their lives. This idea of ​​gender norms was explored in both Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. The way gender norms are explored is different in both stories as they are set in different time periods, economic conditions were different, and they focus on different ethnic and racial groups. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Discussion The Great Gatsby is set in the 1920s. It is the story of an eccentric millionaire named Jay Gatsby and his love ambition as told by narrator Nick Carraway. Women in this period were finally able to begin to express themselves as they were finally granted the right to vote. Many of them were considered “flappers”. These were women who smoked in public, wore more conventional clothing, and moved away from old gender norms. They were much more expressive than women of previous generations. Linda Simon wrote an article discussing the state of "flappers" during that time period. She quoted "In the stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald, who summed her up as 'pretty, sassy, ​​superbly confident, as worldly wise, as briefly dressed and 'tough' as ​​possible." Flappers were more expressive than any other generation of women before them. This era of growth for women really set the tone for their future freedom from gender roles and norms professional golfer and is completely happy not to get married if she can keep playing. Jordan even states that “I like big parties. They are so intimate. There is no privacy” (Fitzgerald 54). larger social situations so they can converse with lots of people at once and act as they like. Smaller situations would have felt forced to act differently and have boring conversations. For example, Jordan Baker avoided smaller gatherings and was only rarely seen outside of parties. If he wasn't playing golf, he was at a party. She was the complete opposite of a character like Daisy, who can be seen wearing elegant clothes and filling a more stereotypical female role. She was much less expressive than Jordan and stuck to traditional home activities. Daisy was much more feminine than Jordan and preferred elegant dresses and singing to golf and short skirts. The Great Gatsby was not only able to explore the flappers of the time, but also all the roles of women. A Raisin in the Sun is set in the 1950s. Hansberry tells the story of an African-American family who receives a check for $10,000 and their struggles with where the money will go and what to spend it on. “The dilemma that most American women faced in the 1950s, feeling the need to project an ideal image of themselves, but suffering internally from the lack of coherence with reality” (Barker Ellsworth). The women in this story seemed to take a controlling role in the family. Since Walter was the only adult male in the house, he heard theneed to follow in his father's footsteps and be the "man" of the house. However, because there were so many women with different opinions, she found it very difficult to realize this idea. Mama and Beneatha were two important women in the novel. Mother, being the eldest, had the most influence on important decisions in the story. Beneatha represented the young woman of the time trying to get a good education and a good job. In the 1950s, men and women finally seemed to be on equal footing. As this playing field has become normalized in society, it has come back to affect Walter and Beneatha's relationship. Walter dreams of opening a liquor store, which is inherently a good investment. Walter is happy to have realized this dream and wants to realize it by any means. He was more than willing to use the family's $10,000 to his own advantage. However, the family had conflicting views on how to use the money. With the changing dynamics of today, it would be a wise investment to spend money on Beneatha medical school. In turn, he would also be able to support his entire family with the support of his career salary. Before this time, Walter could use the money however he wanted because the patriarch of the family had more say in financial decisions. Now, he must be held accountable and possibly lose his dreams for the rest of the family to benefit, especially his sister. It's honestly more stable for Beneatha to become a doctor instead of a liquor store as her main source of income. Gender norms were greatly affected during the 1920s due to the fact that the economy was booming. “The U.S. economy entered a period of unprecedented expansion and higher living standards that continued until the fall of 1929. Industrial production nearly doubled during that time – the result of more efficient management, greater mechanization and a more intense search for new products. Thanks to numerous infrastructure improvements, some entrepreneurs and businessmen have managed to make fortunes. Unfortunately, not everyone prospered thanks to the economic boom of this period. In the 1920s there were three social classes: lower, middle and upper. Lower-class citizens consisted of the unemployed and low-income workers. The upper class is the richest of the rich, and their occupations usually have high status. The middle class is made up of everyone in the middle. This system is very similar to today, however, the population in the 1920s seemed to be more evenly split between the lower and upper class. The middle class population was much smaller than it is today. Surprisingly, the economy of the 1950s was not much different from that of its predecessor in the 1920s. Both economies existed after the world wars. TIME magazine wrote an article on the history of the American economy. They used newspaper headlines to summarize the economic conditions of each decade. For the 1950s they wrote: “The United States and the dollar reign supreme. The boom economy fuels the construction of homes, schools and highways.” Both periods prospered economically due to increased consumer spending. Post-war countries require repairs and maintenance to return to previous conditions. None of these wars were simply regular wars. Both were global and required a lot of materials and resources to make. In turn, post-war economies would be booming due to all the consumer spending; making the economy prosper and create furthermore jobs for both men and women. The Great Gatsby focuses primarily on white culture in New York City. In the 1920s there was a much higher population of whites than blacks, so it makes sense that the story is about whites. The Great Gatsby contains many rich white people who only care about themselves and how much money they have. Jay Gatsby is probably the richest character in the entire novel. He earned his money through illegal means just to get closer to Daisy. He is only interested in himself and his love for her. Nick Carraway gave a brief description of Gatsby's daily parties. He recalls: “There was music from my neighbor's house during the summer nights. In its blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whispers and the champagne and the stars. At high tide in the afternoon I watched his guests dive from the tower of his raft, or sunbathe on the warm sand of his beach while his motorboats glided across the waters of the Sound, dragging aquaplanes over cataracts of foam. On weekends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bringing parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and well after midnight, while his station wagon raced like a lively yellow bug to meet all the trains” (Fitzgerald 43) . Gatsby has all this wealth, but he is still not happy because he only wants to rebuild his relationship with Daisy. A Raisin in the Sun focuses on the opposite end of the spectrum. The story focuses on a poor African-American family. The Youngers are much more focused on family and the American dream. Mother asked Walter why he always talks about money; “Mom: Oh…so it's life now. Money is life. Once freedom was life, now it is money. I guess the world really changes. . . Walter: No, it's always been money, Mom. We just didn't know. Mom: No. . . something has changed. You're something new, boy. In my time we were afraid of not being lynched. . . You are not satisfied or proud of anything we have done. I mean you had a house; that we kept you out of trouble until you grew up; that you don't have to ride to work on the back of anyone's streetcar – you my children – but how different we have become” (Hansberry). By questioning Walter about money, Mom helped the reader realize that money is indeed a problem for the people in this story. When the $10,000 check comes into play, all the characters have conflicting opinions on how it should be spent. As for the ever-changing dynamics of dreams and social struggles, the Younger family has been greatly influenced. Originally, the Youngers and all other African American families simply wanted the freedoms afforded only to whites. Nowadays, in 1950s Chicago, freedoms were slowly being granted to African Americans, as demonstrated by Walter's attitude towards his own goals and aspirations. Mom protected her family from the social prejudices she faced growing up. In doing so, Walter was able to develop a more independent perspective on his own success. He got to the point where he no longer needed help building on anyone else's successes. Walter wanted to be able to earn money to support him and his family. These ideals were not present in The Great Gatsby because all the characters already possessed some sort of wealth. None of them even had a family to support, only money for their own entertainment. For example, Gatsby didn't have to worry about supporting a family or achieving the American dream. He was a white male and was already wealthy unlike the Younger family. The socioeconomic struggles and cultures that each character adheres to are.