Gender Stereotype in Tess of The D’urbervilles by Thomas Hardy and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Date
2024
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East African Journal of Education Studies
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 masculinityfemininity
stereotype; examine the language used in gender stereotype and
analyse the impact of traditional gender stereotype on female characters. The
study used the feminist theory to examine gender stereotype in the two maleauthored
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.
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Citation
Auma, K. & Okumu, C. N. (2024). Gender Stereotype in Tess of The D’urbervilles by Thomas Hardy and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. East African Journal of Education Studies, 7(4), 75-87. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajes.7.4.2222