The great gatsby gay

Home / gay topics / The great gatsby gay

In spite of these theories' varying levels of plausibility, their common element is Nick's homosexuality. Notably, Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan’s relationship serves as a centerpiece for exploring this theme.

  • Gatsby’s devotion to Daisy: Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy is reflective of his longing for an idealized identity – a common narrative in queer literature.
  • Daisy as a façade: Daisy could also be read as a symbol of socially accepted norms that Gatsby strives for, while his queer desire is projected onto other characters, primarily Nick.

Jordan Baker: A Break from Gender Norms

Jordan Baker, an independent woman and a professional golfer, goes against the conventions and expectations of her time, signifying the possibility of a gender non-conforming persona.

Role of Queer Themes in the Narrative

The suggested queer themes, characters, and relationships greatly contribute to the depth and understanding of the novel’s central themes.

the great gatsby gay

Yet, it cannot be coincidental that Jordan’s most masculine features are the features Nick chooses to describe to the reader, almost as if those are the features that he is attracted to most in the young woman. The other people at the apartment include Tom’s mistress, Myrtle; Jordan Baker; and a photographer named Mr. McKee. Nonetheless, it remains essential to consider these readings as interpretations based on textual analysis, subjectivity of perspectives, and evolution of societal understandings of LGBTQ+ identities.

Related articles

Categories Novels

.

Yet no other scene between Nick and another character in the story is as eluding to Nick’s homosexuality than the infamous elevator scene. 

The elevator scene is one of the most controversial scenes in the novel.

The time period and social context surrounding the composition of ‘The Great Gatsby’ then becomes relevant: the 1920s was a time long before the American decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967, and homophobia was largely widespread across the globe. Scott Fitzgerald weaves the theme of homosexuality everywhere throughout The Great Gatsby by outwardly displaying the narrator’s, Nick Carraway, homoerotic affect.

It certainly seemed so to Fitzgerald's wife Zelda, who accused him of being involved in a romantic relationship with Hemingway. This dull interpretation of female characters is best seen through Nick’s description of Jordan, where he illustrates her to be a “slender, small-breasted girl, with an erect carriage, which she accentuated by throwing her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet” (Fitzgerald 11).

F. Scott Fitzgerald incorporates aspects of homosexuality in The Great Gatsby through the narrator, Nick Carraway, and his interactions with other male characters throughout the novel. The most common, however, is homosexuality and homoerotica. The city of New York is in the midst of unbearable heat as the intensity of the story begins to rise.

Her favorite classes are English and studio art.

A critical examination of F. Here, The elevator lever represents male genitalia. Nick is enticed by the heat and this man’s “flushed lips,” and he is perhaps interested in kissing them himself.

THE GAY GATSBY

There are numerous different readings of and explanations for Nick's staunch, unyielding belief in Gatsby.

It is common to associate heat with sexual desires or actions, as the two often come hand in hand. Nick is influenced by this critical piece of his being so much so that his descriptions and interactions with other characters are often glazed with a touch of homoerotica. This sentence is the entire, and only, physical description of Jordan Baker in her introduction to the story.