Character: Myrtle

Character: Myrtle Wilson

Introduction

  • Myrtle Wilson is introduced as a resident of the “valley of ashes,” living in stark contrast to the wealthier characters in The Great Gatsby.
  • She has a tumultuous affair with the wealthy Tom Buchanan, highlighting the flaws and class discrepancies in 1920s American society.

Personality

  • Myrtle is depicted as a vibrant, sensuous, and materialistic character.
  • She aspires for wealth and glamour, projecting an air of sophistication which contrasts with her lower-class background.
  • Myrtle’s decisions, driven by a desire for upward mobility and escape from poverty, radiate her dissatisfaction with her life situation.

Relationship with Tom

  • Myrtle engages in a clandestine affair with Tom, epitomising her seductive yet desperate attempt to climb the social ladder.
  • Their illicit relationship highlights the novel’s critique of the moral decay and hedonism of upper-class society.

Relationship with George Wilson

  • Myrtle is married to George, a garage owner, who is presented as a diligent but downtrodden man.
  • It’s evident that Myrtle looks down on George, considering him insufficiently ambitious and socially inferior.
  • Her unfavourable opinion of her husband underscores her aspirations to rise above her current circumstances.

Symbolic Representations

  • Myrtle symbolises the lower classes and their struggle for economic betterment in a 1920s America dominated by the affluent upper class.
  • Her fate towards the end of the novel represents the casualties of the insensitive and hedonistic upper class.

Impact on the Plot

  • Myrtle’s affair with Tom and her subsequent death accelerate the tragic events towards the end of the novel.
  • She is essentially used and discarded by the rich, demonstrating the brutal reality behind the glamour and frivolity of the 1920s.

Summary

In essence, Myrtle Wilson’s character serves as a counterpoint to the wealth and carelessness of characters like Tom and Daisy. Her fixation on wealth and status, as well as her tragic end, presents a scathing commentary on the American Dream and the wide chasm between social classes in Fitzgerald’s depiction of 1920s America.