Many of the occurrences in The Great Gatsby produced far-reaching effects for several of the characters. Of these occurrences, one of the most influential and important incidents was the death of Myrtle Wilson. While her life and death greatly affected the lives of all of the main and supporting characters, her death had a very significant effect on the lives of Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby. Tom knew Myrtle better than any of the main characters. He had met her on a train headed for New York. When the train reached the city, she went with him in a taxi, and their affair began. Tom never made much of an effort to keep their relationship secret. In fact, he almost paraded her around in the presence of his acquaintances. They made frequent trips into New York so that they could be together. Myrtle was Tom's escape from his own life in East Egg. While Daisy provided him with a wealthy, acceptable social image, she was not much more to him than a mere possession. His affair with Myrtle offered him a chance to defy his social expectations. Their relationship was important to him because of this opportunity to escape. When Myrtle died, it shook him deeply, especially because he believed Gatsby had been driving the yellow car. After leaving George Wilson's garage the night of the accident, he managed to drive slowly until he and Nick were out of sight. Then he slammed his foot down on the accelerator, driving much faster. He began quietly sobbing, privately mourning her death. He immediately blamed Gatsby for bringing their relationship to an abrupt halt. "That God damned coward!" he cried. "He didn't even stop his car." His feelings of anger and hurt were greatly intensified by the day spent in New York.... ... middle of paper ... ... Great Gatsby. While it meant something different for each of the characters, it had the greatest impact on Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby. Works Cited and Consulted Eble, Kenneth, ed. F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Collection of Criticism. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1973. Gross, Dalton, and Maryjean Gross, eds. Understanding "The Great Gatsby": A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood P, 1998. McAdams, Tony. “Ethics in Gatsby: An Examination of American Values.” In Readings on The Great Gatsby. edited by Katie de Koster. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press. 1998. 111-120. Mizener, Arthur, ed. F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1963. Pelzer, Linda Claycomb. Student Companion to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Westport, CT: Greenwood P, 2000.
Myrtle eventually had similar goals as Gatsby, but her life did not begin the same way. She was of the lower class of society and married a simple man. The two pursued a poor life, but Myrtle’s husband George was a decent man. Nevertheless, Myrtle became unsatisfied, and when the opportunity arose to better the quality of her life, she took it. Daisy’s husband Tom, an unfaithful, rough man not very committed to his marriage, began an affair with Myrtle.
Gatsby, Myrtle and Tom lie to themselves and others through their words and actions. Gatsby and Myrtle attempt to be social climbers; Gatsby loves the idea of Daisy and Myrtle loves the idea of Tom and what he can provide for her. They both try to appear as someone they are not: Gatsby tries to appear as a successful man who comes from a wealthy family while Myrtle longs to appear as an upper class woman. Their lies have tragic results since Myrtle, Gatsby and Mr. Wilson all die needlessly. However, Tom, who seems to be successful, lies because he is selfish and thinks only about fulfilling his personal needs. Clearly, The Great Gatsby demonstrates that deceiving others, for any reason, inevitably leads to tragedy for the individual and others who touch their lives.
...ald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
Their choices led to the death of Myrtle, Gatsby and Wilson. Myrtle wouldn 't have died if Tom didn 't cheat on Daisy. Tom 's choice to stray from his wife caused Myrtle to run out into the road because she thought Jordan was Tom 's wife so she ran to stop the car. The car was actually being driven by Daisy who was accompanied by Gatsby. This accident also put Daisy at fault because if she hadn’t of cheated as well, her and Tom never would have had the argument about her love for Gatsby. This would have prevented the accident altogether. Tom was also at fault for telling Wilson who the owner of the car was which was Gatsby. Although Gatsby wasn 't the one driving, he ended up with the blame for it. Wilson wasn 't in the right mindset and went to Gatsby 's house and shot him. Gatsby was found floating in the pool on an air mattress looking up at the sky. Wilson was found not too far away on the grass. All of these deaths were a result of Tom and Daisy not thinking through the choices they made, knowing that they had their money to fall back on if anything were to ever go
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.
Mizener, Arthur, ed. F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1963.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
Bruccoli, Matthew Joseph, ed. (2000). F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby: A Literary Reference. New
The Millau Viaduct Connects two limestone plateaus (the Causse du Larzac and the Causse Rouge), crossing above the Tarn valley below, who’s small winding country roads around the town of Millau used to be heavily congested in holiday seasons as it was the only way across the valley. The Bridge is situated in the communes of Millau and Creissels, in the south of France.
Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.
I have read many books during my life. The Great Gatsby was the only novel that I found to be magnificent. F. Scott Fitzgerald has made me realize that there are many aspects in life that need to be taken seriously. The Great Gatsby has struck me emotionally as well as physically - it contains both physical and emotional pain.
Desert Morning News (2004, November 11). Desert Morning News Editorial [Television Broadcast]. Salt Lake City: The Desert News Publishing Co.
Aftir Tramen doscuvirid thet hi wes on e muvoi sit end thet nuni uf hos lofi hed biin spunteniuas hi os govin e chuoci, lievi ur stey.