The Role Of Myrtle Wilson In The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald's acclaimed novel The Great Gatsby, a reflection of life in Long Island and its surroundings during the Roaring Twenties is a story of dreams or more fittingly for some—nightmares. Myrtle Wilson, a woman who aspires to revel in the riches of America’s elite, stops at nothing to try and realize the ambitions she has set forth for herself. In her pursuit, Myrtle finds a way to attempt to scale the social and economic hierarchy by becoming a mistress to an immensely wealthy man, completely discrediting her marriage to a man struggling to make ends meet. Myrtle’s avenues as a woman are extremely limited, mainly because she hails from the primarily lower class Valley of Ashes, a barren wasteland, tantalizingly set between

Myrtle is a “faintly stout” woman who “carrie[s] her surplus flesh sensuously,” a lady who, in defiance of her classless and dead surroundings, is “continually smoldering.” Consequently, projecting herself as one leading a superior life of vitality and substance in a place of human anguish (25). She is married to a struggling mechanic named George Wilson, who despite his unabating love for her, is a “ghost” in her eyes and someone she can order around, unable to provide for her the way Myrtle desires—materialistically. She even goes as far to say George “[is]n’t fit to lick [her] shoe,” highlighting her arrogance which stems from her fantasy of running off with the absurdly wealthy Tom Buchanan (34). In one instance, her pretense of being a lady of great wealth is magnified when Myrtle surrounds herself in the opulence of Tom’s apartment, and “gather[s] up her dog and her other purchases and [goes] haughtily in” (28). These descriptions of her actions show how she has let the facade of being of a higher stature completely envelop her true self. Myrtle also goes to the length of inviting “the McKees come up” to Tom’s apartment, further disguising herself as his true love, and as a result, attempting to lead the life Daisy Buchanan, his actual wife (28). In effect, she tries

Coming from a family of “shiftless and unsuccessful farm people,” the newly conceived “Gatsby” was desperately yearning for a life chock-full of financial success. Gatsby hopes to indulge in the lavishes of America’s elite and become a “son of God,” and “be about his Father’s business” (98). He grows tired of the doldrums of the Midwest and seemingly wasting away his life trapped in the inescapable purgatory that is North Dakota. Gatsby envisions wealth and living a life full of luxury on the fabled East Coast, commencing a life primarily founded on lucre. As Owl Eyes notes, Gatsby is a “regular Belasco,” meaning he stops at nothing to set up the life of his dreams (45). Gatsby has a near unrelenting nature of manufacturing a contrived atmosphere in which he is the main beneficiary, which leads him to a maligned perception of reality. When he eventually encounters “the king’s daughter, the golden girl,” Daisy, Gatsby feels he finds his purpose in life (120). Encapsulating everything Gatsby had ever wanted and by being the living manifestation of his dreams of wealth and status, Gatsby finally finds the perfect woman to play the role of his lover. Daisy’s voice is “full of money,” and as a result he does anything to please her, proving his inherent craving for wealth (120). Realizing that he did not stand a chance with Daisy