The Role Of Myrtle In The Great Gatsby

452 Words1 Page

In chapter seven, Myrtle had “her life violently extinguished” by Daisy and Gatsby, who had hit her with their car (Fitzgerald 145). Myrtle thought it was Tom in the car, but the “yellow car” he was driving earlier wasn’t his (Fitzgerald 148). This is significant because George, who seems to be the most honest and hardworking character, has lost it all because of Tom’s affair. This supports how The Great Gatsby is criticizing the social structure of the 1920s because the rich are stepping on the poor, and the poor are working hard with little or no reward. After Daisy hits Myrtle with the car, Gatsby tells Nick that he will “say I was” driving (Fitzgerald 151). This is significant because even after Daisy had admitted that she once loved Tom

Show More
Related

  • Who Is Myrtle's Power In The Great Gatsby

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    From early civilizations to modern day social systems, economic status has always been a determining factor of power. Kings, queens, dukes, princes, and princesses possessed the greatest amount of wealth and thus the greatest amount of power over others. By having large amounts of wealth, royalty could control the actions of others below their economic status. This fact even applies the functions of modern American society. For instance, regardless of the specific circumstance, wealthy individuals have power over the actions of those below them. They control others by buying their loyalty or simply through others’ envy of them. Such principles can be applied to both men and women of wealth. The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald,

    Read More

  • Daisy And Myrtle In The Great Gatsby

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    While comparing and contrasting Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson, I will be focusing on all aspects of the characters. Physically they are very different, but by demonstrating their distinct physical differences, Fitzgerald is allowing us to pick favorites early on. Daisy and Myrtle share a number of similarities and many differences in their daily lives, such as how they look, act, and handle conflict.

    Read More

  • Essay On Same Goal, Different Route In The Great Gatsby

    621 Words  | 2 Pages

    Same Goal, Different Route in The Great Gatsby        A more thorough investigation of The Great Gatsby is necessary to uncover a well-disguised theme by Fitzgerald in this work.  Upon a simple read through one would probably not notice the great similarities of Jay Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson, but the two characters seemed to have the same agenda for their lives.  While Gatsby took the route of acquiring money at all costs to join the upper class of society and to be acceptable in the eyes of a woman, Myrtle chose to make her way up in society at the cost of her marriage by attaching herself to money.  The underlying question is who had the most success.     As a young man, Jay Gatsby was poor with nothing but his love for Daisy.  He had attempted to

    Read More

  • Importance of Myrtle in The Great Gatsby

    1190 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Contribution of George and Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby

    817 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is about the rise, the promise and the failure of American Dream. Some minor characters such as George and Myrtle Wilson have contributed to the development of the novel by providing us a contrast of their society that they are living in to the richer society in Long Island as well as a contrast of ideas in terms of modern American Dream.

    Read More

  • Jay Gatsby Is To Blame For Daisy's Death

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    On the night Myrtle was killed, Gatsby revealed to Nick that Daisy was behind the wheel, “yes he said after a moment, but of course I’ll say I was” (Fitzgerald, 1925, p. 143). Without hesitation, Gatsby took the initiative to take blame for what occurred and flee the scene of the accident with Daisy. If Gatsby would have stayed or returned to the scene and let Daisy deal with her legal responsibilities, George would not have had the chance to be misled and seek

    Read More

  • How Does Myrtle Change In The Great Gatsby

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    The roaring twenties was a time of fame and glamor, where the rich got richer, and the rules of society were changed. New exposure to fame and riches made people change the way they act, displaying more greedy, and less truthful behaviors. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald multiple behaviors are exhibited but the trait of loyalty shows the connection of characters, such as Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, lastly the connection between Myrtle Wilson and George B. Wilson.

    Read More

  • Violence Within The Great Gatsby

    375 Words  | 1 Pages

    Themes of violence and carelessness are found throughout the text of The Great Gatsby. A violent act is portrayed in every chapter of the novel but one; often, the episodes are the products of passion, but they are also frequently due to carelessness. Myrtle Wilson’s tragic death perfectly embodies the sort of negligence, passion, and power that hangs about calamity throughout the novel. The driver, Daisy, appears suddenly, kills Myrtle, and leaves suddenly, without taking responsibility for damage done. "The ‘death car,’ as the newspapers called it, didn’t stop; it came out of the gathering darkness, wavered tragically for a moment and then disappeared around the next bend" (Fitzgerald 144). The accident that killed Myrtle Wilson was a senseless and reckless act- the result of frayed nerves and a distracted mind. Daisy did not watch out- nor did she stop, investigate, or try to explain herself. The fact that her confession could have saved Gatsby’s life is infuriating and typical of the character. This idea of carelessness seems common to women within the novel; Jordan Baker is another classic example of violence by negligence. She is breezy, carefree, and completely irresponsible, a striking impression made crystal clear in every situation, most notably when discussing her driving. When Nick scolds that she is a rotten driver, and that she should be careful, her blithe excuse for her negligence is that, "Well, other people are" (Fitzgerald 63). This flippant answer is an accurate glimpse into Jordan’s nature. Jordan Baker’s reckless abandon is just one example of the careless natures that contribute to violence within the novel. This thread of irresponsibility permeates throughout the novel. Tom and Daisy themselves are, in the end, deemed to be careless and dangerous. As Nick says, "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made…" (Fitzgerald 188).

    Read More

  • Messages In The Great Gatsby

    712 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book shows character such as Gatsby, the Buchanan 's, and Jordan Baker that are on the upper-class economic scale, then there are characters like Nick Carraway who are more middle class, and then there are characters like Myrtle and George Wilson who are the lower class on the economic spectrum. These characters are all intertwined together throughout the book however to show the varying economic stances and viewpoints in the 1920s. As stated previously, the book is like life to the stereotypical 1920s upper-class social elite class. And it shows throughout the book, not only at the lavish Gatsby parties but throughout a majority of the book through dialogue and most every scene in the book. This helps to show the lifestyles that are represented in the book to show the judgments about social and personal relationships between the characters. For example, the characters are always gossiping about another main character or some other minor character. This shows the typical wealthy social elite gossipping lifestyle. And along with that thought, because of the wealthy lifestyle that is portrayed throughout the book it also promotes the wealthy social elite lifestyle as well. A lifestyle that promotes partying, dancing, drinking, and smoking. And with this shown lifestyle we, as readers also see the consequences of these actions. Such as the death of

    Read More

  • Does Fitzgerald Present The Plight Of The Poor In The Great Gatsby

    622 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald conveys how there are many sides to social class and the explosion of the workers just how myrtle is an example of exposure of the working class and the valley of ashes the plight of the poor. This shows the real America and how there's no “dream”. Through the description of the valley of ashes which represent the social class Fitzgerald conveys the plight of the poor.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Myrtle In The Great Gatsby

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses a minor character to develop the theme that based on a character’s relations with others, they can have a different outcome. As the reader knows about Tom Buchanan’s affair with Myrtle Wilson, Myrtle was asked if she had any right to mention Daisy’s name, which she didn’t know was the wife of Tom: “ ‘Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!’ shouted Mrs. Wilson. ‘I’ll say it whenever I want to! Dai-’ Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand” (37). By this quote, it is quite vivid to see that Tom, is quick to anger, as they were discussing. However, Myrtle, on the other hand, still continues this relationship with Tom Buchanan even though she was the victim to his temper. As their affair continues through the chapters, Tom, Nick, and Jordan stops by a garage owned by George Wilson, as Tom and Mr. Wilson were talking, Myrtle was upstairs peering down from her window: “but on Myrtle Wilson’s face it seemed purposeless and inexplicable until I realized that her eyes, wide with jealous terror- -on Jordan Baker, whom she took to be his wife” (125).

    Read More

  • Myrtle In The Great Gatsby Essay

    438 Words  | 1 Pages

    Myrtle feels dissatisfied with her husband who truly love her. She feels chained by the fact that her husband belongs to the working class like her, and cannot afford what she desires and needs to fulfill her American Dream. Even though she knows that Tom is already married to Daisy, she believes that he will one day marry her and be able to move her up the social ladder. Through Myrtle’s inability to realize the real happiness, receiving her husband’s love, Fitzgerald is criticizing the Americans of that period who were blinded by the eagerness for more money. Lastly, Fitzgerald uses the tragic ending of Myrtle’s life in the novel to demonstrate the how he views the American Dream as dead. She presents the corrupt American dreamers who realize that the dream never within people’s reach. Using Myrtle’s death, Fitzgerald sends the message that the desire for more material possession as a way of feeling happiness only brings nothing but the death of the American dream. One critic analyses Gatsby’s car as a “symbol of death, of a tarnished dream”, which leads not only Myrtle but also Wilson and Gatsby “to the grave” (Seiters

    Read More

  • Myrtle In The Great Gatsby

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some people have two sides to what The Great Gatsby about relationships. Some people think there is romance and others think there is negative relationships. The Great Gatsby looks at a cynical look at society towards relationships.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gatsby’s urges for triumphs and opulence sprouts from a young age, as in the past, Gatsby was “Resting on his oars and looking up at the railed deck, the yacht represented all the beauty and glamour in the world” (Fitzgerald 106). Learning that the only way for a happy life is through securing physical treasures, he forcefully pushes himself to obtain these through achievements - doing anything he can to ensure victory. Gatsby’s form of materialism is the obtainment of wealth. On the other hand, Mr. Wilson’s configuration of desire is through the preservation of his and Myrtle’s marriage - despite the failing properties it retains on Myrtle’s behalf. Delusionally, Mr. Wilson fails to realize the deterioration of the marriage, and despite his low income, continues to care and nurture his wife. Whilst speaking with Tom, Mr. Wilson states that “I need money pretty bad, and I was wondering what you were going to with your old car … My wife and I want to get away” (Fitzgerald 130). This illustrates that although his budget is extremely tight, that he still supports and yearns to conserve his unification with Myrtle. Myrtle,

    Read More

  • Okonkwo and Jay Gatsby

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...Daisy ends up running over Myrtle, Gatsby feels obliged to take the blame to protect Daisy. To preserve the American Dream, to preserve what he fought for. He is eventually killed for this action by George, Myrtle’s husband.

    Read More

More about The Role Of Myrtle In The Great Gatsby

Open Document