Myrtle Wilson Character Analysis

Words: 398

Pages: 2

Open Document

Myrtle Wilson’s yearning for power and acceptance into a higher social stature is masked by an overabundance of material and intangible aspects and aggression. The wife of a mechanic and mistress to Tom Buchanan, Myrtle leads a dismal life in The Valley of Ashes until periodically Tom whisks her away for a rendez-vous in Manhattan. She is loud, large and dominating, the exact opposite of the socially refined and delicate Daisy. When Myrtle is with Tom, her façade of wealth becomes apparent even though she lacks social refinements and often displays crass behavior. She shamelessly presents in expensive clothing and spends Toms money extensively. Nick is initially dismayed by Myrtles garish displays of decadence in her Manhattan apartment, “ The living room was crowded to the doors with a set of tapestried furniture entirely too large for it so …show more content…
The real Myrtle longs to be accepted into the upper echelons of the social ladder, and being with tom allows her to fully embrace their alter ego (mask). Furthermore, Myrtle seeks every opportunity to fulfill her desire of social mobility. The reader is given a glimpse of her true intentions when she talks about marrying Tom Wilson, “‘I thought he was a gentleman... I thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasn't fit to lick my shoe...He [Tom] borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in, and never told me about it”’ (35). Myrtles pursuit for a life of a socialite backfires when she discovers her new husband is merely a poor man, by marrying him she might as well be moving down the social ladder. Although she soons adjusts to her life as a mechanic’s wife, she is still longing for her own personal “fulfillment” of the American Dream, using Tom to exploit her desires. This double life Myrtle leads is a driving force in the story, her ignorance and failure to successfully outwit classism can be seen as a lesson for

Myrtle Wilson Character Analysis

Myrtle Wilson, a snobby, low-class character from a very degrading area called the Valley of Ashes, shows an overblown act of being someone who is rich and successful although she is the complete opposite. As Myrtle is describing her first meeting with Tom Buchannan (A rich man married to Daisy) she goes on to describe what he had on. He had on a “dress suit and patent leather shoes” which indicates a very well dresses man and Myrtle was obvious intrigued by this because it basically screamed out…

Words 353 - Pages 2

F. Scott Fitzgerald and Great Gatsby Essay example

Thomas Mclamb Mr. Evans AP English 110 29 October 2014 The Great Gatsby Analysis Essay The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald presents in his story two distinct female characters that are represented as “modernize” women during the Jazz Age. Those two women are Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker. Each has their own unique personality and way of life. However, both show the type of woman that escapes from the traditional role and become more progressive. Daisy Buchanan represents the women in the 1920’s…

Words 825 - Pages 4

The Great Gatsby Analysis Essay

of ashes, however, they discover that Gatsby’s car has struck and killed Myrtle, Tom’s lover. They rush back to Long Island, where Nick learns from Gatsby that Daisy was driving the car when it struck Myrtle, but that Gatsby intends to take the blame. The next day, Tom tells Myrtle’s husband, George, that Gatsby was the driver of the car. George, who has leapt to the conclusion that the driver of the car that killed Myrtle must have been her lover, finds Gatsby in the pool at his mansion and shoots…

Words 5604 - Pages 23

‘the Great Gatsby Depicts a Society Which Exists in a State of Confusion and Moral Chaos.’ Discuss. Essay

or whatever you want to be, regardless of race, identity, gender and social statues. Achieving the American Dream and your goal in life is truly dependent on social class and wealth, and limits a person to what they can actually achieve. George Wilson struggles to make a living despite his hard work and his good actions, as he believes, “God knows what you've been…

Words 1028 - Pages 5

Character Analysis The Great Gatsby

has to lower herself in order to appease everyone else. The theme of pretending to be someone you're not continues throughout the three chapters. "I told that boy about the ice." Myrtle raised her eyebrows in despair at the shiftlessness of the lower orders. "These people! You have to keep after them all the time." Myrtle thinks that in order to be fancy, she has to act like a snob. In reality, it just makes her look bitter. The people in The Great Gatsby stick with what the normal is, even if it…

Words 1405 - Pages 6

Eyes Of Dr. J. Eckleburg Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

Gatsby: The Story of Us Jay Gatsby is one of the most memorable characters ever written in literature. Whether it be his extravagant parties, his overwhelming wealth, or simply his compassionate smile, Gatsby never fails to captivate the reader. Although Mr. Gatsby plays a large role in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s critically acclaimed novel The Great Gatsby, there is a stronger force at work within this literary classic. Sometimes hidden deep within the lines or even standing in plain sight, symbolism…

Words 1663 - Pages 7

Great Gatsby Review

Daisy leave New York City before Tom, Nick, and Jordan, and Gatsby allows Daisy to drive so that she can calm down. On the way home she accidentally hits a Mrs. Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle happens to be Tom’s mistress. When Tom arrives at the scene he is devastated and he tells Mr. Wilson that it was Gatsby’s car that hit her. This drives Wilson to take a gun and go in search of Gatsby. He kills both Gatsby and himself towards the end of the novel, all while Daisy makes plans with Tom to go away on a vacation…

Words 9628 - Pages 39

Lit Journal Essay

|Context |Quote |Analysis (incorporating two textual elements) | |Gatsby (or Nick’s |If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, |In Nick’s first depiction of the “great” Gatsby, he | |view of Gatsby) |then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened |simultaneously denounces and condones Gatsby. Nick’s | | |sensitivity to the promises of life.… [Gatsby…

Words 1868 - Pages 8