Significant Connections

Money, Beauty, and power are the things Fitzgerald uses to convey the illusion of the golden girl. Fitzgerald uses money beauty and power to portray the idea that they are perfect but in reality, there’s no such thing as being so perfect. In the 1920s every girl aspired to be the ‘golden girl’. Golden girls are seen as these immaculate women who get chased by men. But being the ‘Golden Girl’ is too good to be true. The Great Gatsby, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Winter Dreams and Babes In The Woods. These four texts all represent the false idea of the Golden Girl by using women as their lead characters. Throughout reading these texts you learn that things arent always what they seem and to not judge a book by its cover because these texts give us proof of that.

The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Daisy Buchanan is seen as the main ‘Golden Girl’ who lives a lavish lifestyle and is wanted by many men. Daisy lives in East egg which is where all the Old money lives. Since Daisy has inherited all her money and also married into wealth to Tom Buchanan. Daisy has created this status that her life is perfect and there isn’t a worry in the world. But this turns out to be an illusion. “High in the white palace the king’s daughter the golden girl”. Everyone sees Daisy as a queen and puts her on a petal stool. Daisy Lives in a private estate in a massive mansion where the garden is perfect and you can play Polo. Not only Jay Gatsby but many other men want to be with Daisy because of the high status she has created for herself. The close friends to Daisy know that she isn’t anywhere near being perfect and her high status is an illusion. Throughout the novel, we learn that Daisy has many problems. Daisy’s marriage was falling to pieces as Tom was having affairs with many different women on a constant occasion. “Neither of them can stand the person they’re married to…. What I say is, why go on living with them if they can’t stand them? If I was them I’d get a divorce and get married to each other right away.” This quote clearly states that Daisy and Toms’s marriage isn’t working. This is why both of them keep having affairs. Having the status of the golden girl makes you feel like you need to get with different men and play around with them. Although Daisy is a married woman she still decided to flirt and play with Jay Gatsby. A thing I Learnt from this to not judge a book by its cover. Even though people have a great appearance or even a bad one, you have to get to know them first to fully know what they are like. Things aren’t always what they seem and this idea of the golden girl is too good to be true.

Winter Dreams, A short story written By F.Scott. Fitzgerald tells us about a man named Dexter who was a caddy for the rich but ends up chasing after a young and ideal woman for him. Judy Jones is looked up to by other women and checked out by men everywhere she goes. Judy Jones is seen as the Golden Girl and perfect. She has the wealth, looks and the status just like Daisy from the Great Gatbsy. Judy also turns a lot of men’s heads at the golf course. “My god she’s good looking”, is said by Mr Sandwood after seeing her for the first time. Just like Daisy, she knows that she is good looking and men are after her but she doesn’t respect and overlooks the men who sit in the lower class. Dexter is so caught up in chasing Judy that he decides to quit his job as a caddy and become wealthy. “I’m more beautiful than anybody else,” she said brokenly “why can’t I be happy”. Judy says this and it tells us that being the golden girl and having everything in the world doesn’t always mean happiness. Judy’s status turns out to be an illusion. Judy obviously isn’t satisfied with the status of being the golden girl. Gatsby and Dexter get caught up in believing what they want to believe they don’t see what’s happening in reality like them believing the golden girl is perfect and everything they want but it’s just an illusion. Dexter believes everything is perfect and sorta rolls into being in a relationship with Judy without realising and facing reality about who she really is. After just a month of Dexter and Judy being engaged with each other, they decide to split because Dexter finally realises and sees who she truly is. This shows us not to judge a book by its cover and not always believe what people say because it’s not always true and also to face reality and some things are too good to be true.

Babes In The Woods is also written by F.Scott Fitzgerald. Babes in the Woods is about a good looking young lady names Isabelle. Isabelle has grown up with men and older boys keeping an eye on her since she is seen as potential and the typical type for a golden girl. “She was a pretty bird, worth keeping an eye on.” All of the men were keeping an eye on her and waiting till she turns 16. Isabelle had just turned 16 and was ready to go to a party where all the boys who were after her were there. Isabella was seen as the Golden Girl, she had all the looks and all the men thought she was immaculate. In other stories written by Fitzgerald, the women/Golden girls are seen and talked about as objects, but in Babes, in The woods, Isabelle is talked and seen as a woman. Although Isabelle is seen as the golden girl she is quite different from the other golden girls like Daisy and Judy. Isabelle has a chance to get with one man called Kenneth Powers. They are at the party together and they both scarper off to someplace quiet. “Cant I kiss you, Isabella.” Isabella and Kenneth are about to kiss when Isabelle realises she can’t kiss him because she cares about her standards and her reputation. She realises the golden girl isn’t as good as it is talked about and she realises she doesn’t want to have the label of the golden girl. The golden girl is just an illusion. If Judy was in this situation she would probably hook up with Kenneth as she doesn’t really care about her reputation and like to get with people. Isabelle had been talked up for a while before she was 16 and when she had the chance to become the golden girl who was ‘perfect’ she decided to step away because she saw the reality of the golden girl. Isabelle is similar to Judy because they both can get away with things since they are seen as the perfect women. “Don’t think so? She said suddenly turning to him innocent eyes.” Isabelle is able to get away with stuff like Judy because of the reputation they have. The Golden Girl isn’t always what it seems and is just an illusion. Never judge a book by its cover is what I learnt from reading Babes in the Woods.

In the Film ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ directed by David Fincher and inspired by one of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short stories, we see the same theme where the men try to chase after the golden girl. In this film, Daisy who was the ‘golden girl’ wasn’t the typical type. She didn’t have the wealth like Daisy and Isabelle. But she did have the looks. Daisy was a ballet dancer who travelled to New York to pursue her dream of becoming a professional. Benjamin and Daisy meet in a retirement home. The first time Benjamin saw Daisy he knew he wanted to her to be his. Throughout the film, we see Benjamin trying to spend quality time with Daisy and obtain a relationship with her. Benjamin and Kenneth are very similar because they both want the ‘Golden girl’ and try to chase after them but are never able to achieve the fact that they want these women. “I wanna remember us just as we are now”. During the movie, Benjamin and Daisy sometimes hit it off and have a romance but it never lasts because Daisy moves on. Which is similar in Babes in the Woods when Isabelle and Kenneth start to hit it off and go to someplace quiet but then Isabelle doesn’t end up kissing Kenneth and moves on because she realises the golden girl is an illusion. Everyone had talked about this perfect lifestyle and being the golden girl but this wasn’t the lifestyle for Isabelle and she finally realised it is an illusion. Sometimes things are too good to be true and you have to check things out yourself to find the truth.

Throughout these 4 stories/movies we see that the Golden Girl is actually an illusion and isn’t possible to achieve in reality. In the Great, Gatsby Daisy is seen as the perfect beautiful women but has many problems and her marriage falls apart, In Winter Dreams Dexter chases after his ‘dream’ but realises it was fake and Judy jones wasn’t who he thought she was, In babes in the Woods Isabelle finally turns 16 and has the opportunity to become the Golden girl but she sees the reality of it and decides to not be the Golden Girl and lastly in Benjamin Button Daisy Benjamin chase after Daisy but they can never achieve the perfect lifestyle because Dasiy wants to keep the status of the golden girl and carry on getting with different people. We should all learn from this to not judge a book by its cover because these stories are proof that things arent always what they seem and you have to take your time to get to know someone before knowing who they really are.