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Essay on the importance of social and economic class in the great gatsby
Essay on the importance of social and economic class in the great gatsby
Essay on the importance of social and economic class in the great gatsby
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Throughout the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Myrtle is a victim of her own desperation. This sense of despair stems from her marriage to George Wilson. As soon as she marries George she knows she made a mistake and she pays for that mistake every second of her life. This despair that originates from her marriage then translates into her cheating on her husband with a married man, Tom Buchanan and completely ignoring him. Due to her obvious desperation, Tom is able to boss her around on numerous occasions and makes her do what he wants because of her desperation. Myrtle’s desperation all boils down to her marriage to George Wilson. In chapter 2 Catherine asks Myrtle why she married George. Myrtle answers “I married him because I thought …show more content…
She views her husband as nothing as clearly illustrated in The Great Gatsby when the novel states “walking through her husband as if he were a ghost, shook hands with Tom, looking him flush in the eye.” walking through him is showing she doesn't even view George, Her husband, as though he is in the room, She just goes straight to Tom because he’s her ticket out of this life Myrtle put herself into. She then says to her George, “Get some chairs, why don’t you, so somebody can sit down.” She just wants to make plans with Tom. Her husband is only distraction to her. She has no relationship with her husband. As soon as she found out that he had borrowed his suit she knew her would all be going downhill. Myrtle was now a victim of her own desperation, because of her marriage to …show more content…
Tom realizes her desperate situation and takes total advantage of her. The clearest example of this is when Myrtle shouts Daisy’s name and Tom warns her not to say it again but Myrtle says Daisy's name anyway. Tom Buchanan in a “A short deft movement..., breaks her nose with his open hand.” Tom views her as not even being allowed to lick the dirt of his shoe. She is just another one of Tom’s possessions. Myrtle isn’t even allowed to say Daisy's name. He knows that she's in desperate situation. Tom is all she has and he knows this, he could do whatever he wants. He realizes that without her she will have to go back to George’s measly garage and she doesn't want that. Therefore Tom takes control of her desperation. Additionally, at the party, Catherine tells Nick that neither of them can stand the person they’re married to. They don't divorce and marry one another because Daisy is a Catholic. Nick knows that Tom is lying indicating to the reader, yet again, that Tom uses Myrtle for his own pleasure. She is nothing to him and he could do this because of Myrtle’s desperation. Another example in the novel is Mr. McKee asks Tom for a reference to be able to work in West Egg and Tom replies “Ask Myrtle,” said Tom, breaking into a short shout of laughter as Mrs. Wilson entered with a tray. “She’ll give you a letter of introduction, won’t you Myrtle?” She answers in confusion “Do what?” Tom is mocking her in front of
Myrtle Wilson came from a working class family with a low social standing. Due to her family’s lack of money, Myrtle’s options were limited to marrying men of equal or lower economic status than herself. As a result, Myrtle married George Wilson, a poor car mechanic. In her relationship with George, Myrtle lacked control due to her status as a woman and was thus forced to listen to her husband. However, because of her lower status, Myrtle did learn to use her physical attributes to her own advantage. In other words, Myrtle knew how to exaggerate her physical beauty in order to attract men such as Tom Buchanan; who would pay her with money and expensive gifts in return. Thus, “there is a clear connection between the material disadvantages” Myrtle faced and her lack of morals; given “the paucity of her allotment of the fundamental decencies” (Voegeli). In other words, because of her lack of economic backing, Myrtle Wilson grew up as a woman of lower class with less options in life; which limited her social power and drove her to act unlike any high class lady. Thus, Myrtle’s only option for increasing her status was through material services such as her relationship with Tom Buchanan. All in all, Myrtle Wilson’s economic status limited her to the life of a low class woman and her power others in her
Unlike Daisy, who comes from old money, Myrtle is from the lower middle class. Myrtle hopes to climb the social ladder by cheating on her husband with Tom Buchanan.
She is kept in a life that is falling apart as she longs for a lover that she’s actually interested in. Her husband Wilson loves her, but turned out to be poorer than the man she thought she was marrying. Myrtle wants someone to love that loves her to go along with her wish of a life of luxury. Tom was the answer to all her problems. He was rich, and he loved her, even if that meant they were both cheating. The airedale—undoubtedly there was an airedale concerned in it somewhere though its feet were startlingly white—changed hands and settled down into Mrs. Wilson’s lap, where she fondled the weather-proof coat with rapture” (Fitzgerald 31). Buying their own dog is just another way to further their relationship, making them feel more like a couple. Would Myrtle have really want to have that dog with Wilson? Or Tom with Daisy? Tom could throw around money whenever he wanted so buying the dog wouldn’t be a problem. The entire apartment requires dedication to the relationship, and putting a dog in it increases it even more so. Just being with Tom and sneaking away from time to time isn’t enough for Myrtle. She wanted to run away with Tom, leaving her old life behind. She had even convinced Wilson to move away from the horrible life they shared, but this backfired and he ended up keeping her locked inside until they were ready to leave the next day. “Myrtle Wilson’s body wrapped in a blanket and then in another
Myrtle is selfish, shallow and greedy. She is willing to degrade herself for the chase of materialistic dream of money and power. Her desire for a lavish life causes her to step outside her marriage with George Wilson because he does not have the financial capabilities to satisfy her shallow needs. Myrtle has an affair with Tom Buchanan because he fulfills that financial aspect she thrives for. Myrtle becomes a bigger fool while seeing Tom because he physically abuses her and Tom knows she won’t leave because she wants to be a part in his social stratification. “Some time toward midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face discussing, in impassioned voices, whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy's name."Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!" shouted Mrs. Wilson. "I'll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai –– "Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand” (Chapter 2). Tom showers Myrtle with lies that he will leave Daisy and marry her but that never happens. Myrtle decision to stay in her affair with Tom harms her marriage with George Wilson, which unfortunately this leads to her tragic death. Due to Myrtle foolishness to accept the loss of her unrealistic dreams, Myrtle puts herself in a life or death situation, where she is struck by a car. Unknown to Myrtle, the driver of the car
As a man of high privilege, Tom is considerably able to get away with a lot: “ I couldn’t forgive… they had made…” (179). Rich people often believe and are accustomed to having people clean up their mess. Both Tom and Daisy created a domino affect of issues which affected Gatsby, and both Myrtle and George Wilson. Because Tom has money, he has a the capability or privilege to get away with a lot opposed to people of lower socio-economic status. By moving West, he left others to deal with a the effect of his actions demonstrating, money gives him the approach as being superior and above the people below him. Also, due to the fact Tom and Daisy do not have the best relationship: “That’s what I… ‘Hulking’, insisted Daisy”(12) he is neither getting love or attention from Daisy. Because their relationship isn’t well he looks for affection elsewhere by adopting a mistress, Myrtle Wilson. He and Myrtle have secret relations though everyone seems to know about their secret: “Tom’s got some… Don’t you think?” (15). Much like Daisy, Tom is unhappy with his relationship with Daisy so he cheats on her with Myrtle. He is a coward for thinking no one would suspect they were together, but there is no hiding Tom and Myrtle’s relationship. Toms cheats on her for his own benefit so he can be happy and get affection from a woman who is of different social class and has a contrasting appearance as
At Wilson’s garage, Tom tells Myrtle “I want to see you . . . Get on the next train” (Fitzgerald 26). At this point in the novel, Myrtle’s presence serves as an irresistible necessity to Tom. Her presence regresses him to act as though he never grew up. Myrtle recalls how Tom and she met by explaining “When we came into the station he was next to me, and his white shirt-front pressed against my arm, and so I told him I’d have to call a policeman, but he knew I lied” (Fitzgerald 36). Myrtle’s young and flirtatious behavior compels Tom to take advantage of her in a way that helps him escape from reality; but by doing so, he cheats on his wife. On their way to New York, Myrtle tells Nick “Come on . . . I’ll telephone my sister Catherine. She’s said to be very beautiful by people who ought to know” (Fitzgerald 28). In her persuasive tone, Myrtle entices Nick to join in on her and Tom’s festivities, with some hesitation he eventually succumbs to the pressure, just like Tom gives in to her desires. Myrtle manages to get her way by ignoring the adult morals and makes that act appealing to others, therefore persuading them to join
She became used to him being unfaithful to her that she suggests to him after leaving him during Gatsby wild party “ and if you want to take down any addresses here’s my little gold pencil” (105). Tom and Myrtle relationship caused problems more in Myrtle life rather than Tom’s because unlike Tom’s wide, Wilson was unaware about her unfaithfulness and reacted way differently by becoming sick. In Nick’s perspective, he explains, “He had discovered that Myrtle had some sort of life apart from him in another world, and the shock had made him physically sick” (124). Wilson behaves in way by having her locked in a room until he gets the car to move away but soon enough for jealousy to strike among Myrtle about Tom and his wife which later causes her death. Her death occurred because of the greatly amount of envy she has towards Daisy and her lifestyle with Tom. The feelings that she felt showed upon her by having “…one emotion after another crept into her face like objects into a slowly developing picture” (124). This single small affair between Tom and Myrtle became something bigger than expected by a heart broken husband, dishonesty, and death among a mistress. This crime is much relatable to many affairs in the world that ends really bad divorces and trust issues from the dishonesty from their significant
The women in The Great Gatsby are very one sided and aren't very complex, but Myrtle on the other hands is different. Usually the men are more prominent than the women but Myrtle and her husband have a special relationship. Myrtle has complete dominates in her marriage. She takes advantage of her husband naivety and commits to adultery. Myrtle and her husband relationship differs from others. Wilson is grey and dull and tired, while Myrtle is colorful and more alive. This is backwards and the roles reversed, so why make their relationship have these unique
Myrtle Wilson did not have a lot in the beginning, but she gained a new life with Tom when she tried to reinvent herself for him. Things like new dresses, a big apartment, and fancy outings with Tom became the new “normal” for Myrtle. On the other hand, Myrtle lost the respect of her husband and friends when everyone found out about her affair. In addition to losing respect, Myrtle also lost herself, both mentally and physically, when she tried to keep secrets and live a double life. She became someone she did not recognize, and although her end in the novel was tragic, it was a cost that she had to
Decisions that people today might be able to relate to. Poor decisions often times lead to people being arrested, injured, or even sometimes killed. There were obvious poor decisions made in The Great Gatsby, some of which made by Myrtle because of her being caught up in her “love” for Tom. There were abounding factors of her loving Tom. She obviously didn’t like her husband because, “ [She] thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasn’t fit to lick [her] shoe” (Fitzgerald 34). Myrtle doesn't care much, if at all, about her husband. Her obsession with Tom makes her unreasonable. This is one of the reasons that she treats her husband poorly and doesn’t care about it. At their party Myrtle aggravated Tom by shouting, “Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!” (Fitzgerald 37). Myrtle ignores the consequences of aggravating Tom at their party. Not only does she not listen to his pleas to get her to stop talking about Daisy she ignores the fact that he is drunk. Through Myrtle’s obsession with Tom, “she ran out in a road. Son-of-a-bitch didn’t ever stop the car” (Fitzgerald 149). Myrtle was so obsessed with Tom , and his money, that she ran into the road risking her life to be with him. Her desire for his money caused her to act and think irrationally. Even if Tom was in the car and stopped would he introduce her to his wife and they all go home together? In conclusion do not let desires make the decisions of life, because
...atsby. In addition, Gatsby also takes the blame of Myrtle’s death in order to protect Daisy, which results in Gatsby’s death. Similarly, Myrtle loses both her self-respect and life because of her greediness. At first, she starts a relationship with Tom to be rich and her overconfidence that Tom loves her more than Daisy leads Tom to hit her. Further, she also tries to run away from her husband, which causes her death revealing how thoughtless she is. Lastly, Gatsby’s wealth leads him to lose Daisy when Daisy comes to realize that Gatsby possesses illegal money. Gatsby wealth also leads him to his death. Gatsby uses his money to throw parties, hoping that he will attract Daisy. Tom realizes this and does revenge on Gatsby by telling George that Gatsby Killed his wife. This concludes and clearly shows how Fitzgerald uses flaws in his novel, The Great Gatsby.
The first time that the reader catches an insight of Myrtle, Fitzgerald develops Myrtle to be a mere object of Tom's’ desire. Fitzgerald does this to extenuate the fact that Tom will not move on past Daisy to be with her. Tom “got some women” that supposedly is a secret but there is a lack of secretism on Myrtles end seeing as she is now calling during evening meals from “New York” just to talk to Tom. This further proves that she is in need of attention, something her husband can not fully give her at any random moment of the day. Myrtle is willing to express herself even when she’s already married. It reveals that she is deceiving her own husband, who is later mentioned in the novel. This allows for Myrtle to be looked down upon by the reader, it also entails her to be seen as an attention seeker. Again, Fitzgerald appeals to present-day behaviors by allowing Myrtle to be viewed as someone who wants to be showcased. Almost everyone can relate that they’ve wanted attention in their life at some point. This connects Myrtle to the reader's past or current feelings. Fitzgerald uses this to let readers feel compassion for Myrtle which emphasizes all she needs is for someone to properly love her, treat her, and show her what she needs to do to become successful in her
Gatsby, Myrtle and Tom lie to themselves and others through their words and actions. Gatsby and Myrtle attempt to be social climbers; Gatsby loves the idea of Daisy and Myrtle loves the idea of Tom and what he can provide for her. They both try to appear as someone they are not: Gatsby tries to appear as a successful man who comes from a wealthy family while Myrtle longs to appear as an upper class woman. Their lies have tragic results since Myrtle, Gatsby and Mr. Wilson all die needlessly. However, Tom, who seems to be successful, lies because he is selfish and thinks only about fulfilling his personal needs. Clearly, The Great Gatsby demonstrates that deceiving others, for any reason, inevitably leads to tragedy for the individual and others who touch their lives.
Tom wanted the "possession" of Myrtle, Myrtle wanted Tom's "luxuries and wealth," and Daisy wanted Gatsby simply for his wealth. Both Tom and Daisy know each other's affairs, but neither one truly cares. As the story progresses, it seems as though each of them is trying to make the other jealous. Honesty and Love, two words known only by the faithful, George Wilson. George certainly had his flaws, but he loved his wife dearly and couldn't live without her. "He was his wife's man and not his own." When he became aware of Tom and Myrtle's affair, he was "really sick, pale as his own pale hair and shaking all over." He locked her up in fear that she would run away with Tom forever.