Gender Stereotype in Tess of The D’urbervilles by Thomas Hardy and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Abstract

This study focused on gender stereotypes in Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles (1891) and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925). The objectives of the study were to: examine the portrayal of masculinity-femininity stereotype; examine the language used in gender stereotype and analyse the impact of traditional gender stereotype on the female characters. The study used the feminist theory to examine gender stereotype in the two male–authored novels to show how they have positioned and portrayed women in their literature in the Victorian period both in England and America The literary analysis was to ascertain whether or not the gender stereotype was a global notion in literature or a misrepresentation of the women not as persons but as sexualized figures. Gender stereotype in these novels was examined using the descriptive research design and data was collected using literary analysis. The findings indicated that both novels portrayed the female gender with discrimination, injustice, dishonesty and exploitatively. This was done with the use of symbolism, imagery, similes and metaphor. The conclusion drawn points to the fact that the quest for a masculine identity is a common theme as male characters are seen struggling to become real men with traits such as: power, strength and robustness whereas female characters were portrayed as sexualized figure used for social status in the male dominated societies. With regard to language stereotype, the male characters employed language to paint negative image in line with the accepted image in the male dominated society. The researchers recommend that detailed and comprehensive studies be conducted in the area of gender and culture and gender and literature in the novel as a genre generally