Myrtle In The Great Gatsby

Words: 482

Pages: 2

Open Document

Myrtle’s desires and her living status juxtapose each other as she is revealed as a two-faced character. On one side, she resides in the valley of ashes with her husband, George Wilson, with the setting described as “bleak,” “gray,” and “dismal” demonstrating that she lives in a dying world. Whereas her other side is when she is with the wealthy man she truly desires, Tom Buchanan, with the setting described as “glowing sunshine,” “warm,” and “soft,” illuminating a life of wealth. In the valley of ashes, Myrtle’s husband is not a wealthy man by any means, and he is described by Tom Buchanan as being, “so dumb he doesn’t know he’s alive” and by Nick Carraway highlighting that George is a “spiritless man, anemic, and faintly handsome,” suggesting that George is …show more content…
However, Tom brings out the sensuous side of Myrtle. This side reveals her expectations that are far too high for any ordinary man to meet, such as George, but Tom is able to provide and meet her expectations because he has more money than he knows what to do with. Furthermore, Myrtle’s personality change is showcased through Fitzgerald’s choices in the color of clothing and her demeanor. Nick portrays that her “intense vitality that has been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive sophistication,” and that her outfits changed from a “spotted dress of dark blue crepe-de-chine” in her gray and dismal household, to “a brown figured muslin” at the train station, to “an elaborate afternoon dress of cream-colored chiffon” at the apartment to justify her personality changes with each step of evolvement to the wealthy life she

Myrtle In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1926 was a novel written about the symbolic events that occurred during the 1920’s. Fitzgerald used the novel to expose the upper class of that era for their greed and power thirst, but showed it through a narrative point of view. Nick, a character in the novel was used as a filter for the story. There was never a scene where Nick was not present, but his almost unbiased point of view allowed the story to be told by a main character that ultimately…

Words 1946 - Pages 8

Myrtle And Daisy In The Great Gatsby

The 1920s in the United States was a decade known for its reckless spending. Myrtle, Gatsby, and Daisy, the characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, represent how the lifestyle of the American society devotes to unnecessary extravagances. The characters, although prosperous and abundant in wealth, are never satisfied as they desire for higher social class. The desire for a sumptuous life is what lures Myrtle into having affair with Tom, a wealthy young man, and the husband of Daisy. Her…

Words 722 - Pages 3

Myrtle Wilson In The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson are murdered by their own inability to accept reality. Jay Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson are each in love with a person that they cannot have. Their lives have not followed the path that their hearts desire and they try desperately to fill the vacancy with their own fantasies. F. Scott Fitzgerald reveals the corrupt American dream through the similarities of Gatsby and Myrtle. Gatsby and Myrtle tragically share the reasons for their deaths. Gatsby and Myrtle…

Words 647 - Pages 3

The Great Gatsby Myrtle Analysis

Similarities of developing character between Daisy and Myrtle in The Great Gatsby In the story The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald takes advantage of the feelings and characteristics of women during the roaring twenties in the story. He shows that women believe in having a higher social status, reputation and lots of money are all factors that help in leading to a happy and secure lifestyle. Daisy and Myrtle try to achieve this hope and dream in similar ways by being involved with…

Words 1951 - Pages 8

How Is Myrtle Portrayed In The Great Gatsby

In the book The Great Gatsby, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald covers many topics about society, one of which is how the characters view their lives and the lives of others. Many of the characters are disillusioned, or dissatisfied with their lives. Gatsby, Daisy and Myrtle are all described with being unsatisfied with their lives, as of many other characters, but to what extent? Gatsby is introduced early in the book in Chapter 3, but his true history isn't told until the end of the book in Chapter…

Words 615 - Pages 3

The Role Of Myrtle In The Great Gatsby

better life, however like in “The Great Gatsby”, this can be corrupted by the desire for wealth. This theme of corruption is exemplified through the characters Myrtle and Nick. When referring to her relationship with her husband, Myrtle claims that “the only crazy [she] was was when I married him. I knew right away I made a mistake. He borrowed somebody's best suit to get married in” (Fitzgerald 35). By regretting her Marriage because of his lack of money, Myrtle proves her priority of becoming wealthy…

Words 274 - Pages 2

The Role Of Myrtle In The Great Gatsby

One of the central themes within the novel “The Great Gatsby”, is the strive for the ‘American dream’. The ‘American dream’ encapsulates the ideals that through hard work you can achieve a successful status, individualism and freedom of opinion. The evolution of this ideal intertwines the ‘American dream’ with one’s social status, defined by an individual's wealth. This is the reason that Myrtle, a veteran of the City of Ashes, develops the desire to gain riches. “I married him because I thought…

Words 497 - Pages 2

Who Is Myrtle Wilson In The Great Gatsby

characters- Jay Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson. The more an individual desires for wealth ultimately can get him killed. Myrtle in the novel is seen, conveying a low opinion of others as she herself is living as a poor;“ "I told that boy about the ice..these people! You have to keep after them all the time"(F, 69-70).This quote indicates that Myrtle Wilson is trying to fit into the upper classed society but is rather is a woman who acts like snob just to look fancy in front of everyone. Myrtle also cheats…

Words 413 - Pages 2

The Great Gatsby Myrtle Character Analysis

In the passage from the Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald, Myrtle’s first appearance is described and her death near the end of the book is vividly illustrated. After closely examining these two passages, the reader gets a good perception on Myrtle, the wife of Mr.Wilson whose warped in a fashionable, fast-paced lifestyle that later defines her behavior and actions. Literary devices including imagery and diction highlight Myrtle’s lively personality and her endless desire to fit in with the wealthy…

Words 938 - Pages 4

Why Is Myrtle Important In The Great Gatsby

many Americans to have a feeling of wealth like those aristocrats in the West. Daisy, Myrtle, and Gatsby, the characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, represent how the lifestyle of the American society devotes to unnecessary extravagances. Their wealth, although have abundant of prosperities, are never satisfied their desire for higher social class. The desire for a sumptuous life is what lures Myrtle into having affair with Tom, a wealthy young man. Her decision betrays her marriage…

Words 464 - Pages 2