Myrtle Wilson's Death Essay

On a hot summer day, at George Wilson’s Garage in the Valley of Ashes, a woman, identified as Myrtle Wilson, was hit by a car. Mrs. Wilson is the wife of the owner of the garage, Mr. Wilson. However, this has a larger background to the story, making us wonder why she was killed. The same day, Tom Buchanan, Daisy Buchanan, Nick Carraway, Jordan Baker, and Jay Gatsby went to the Plaza Hotel in the city. On their way to the hotel, Tom, Jordan, and Nick decided to ride in Gatsby’s yellow car. The car needed some fuel, so they decided to stop at George Wilson’s Garage. At the garage, Myrtle was present and she noticed the yellow car. Once they arrive at the hotel, Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby experience conflict, in which Tom exposes Gatsby’s affair with Daisy.

However, on their way home Mr. Gatsby and Daisy drove in the yellow car or the “death car”. That day, Mr. Wilson had locked his wife up because he suspected that she was having an affair behind his back. When Mrs. Wilson “rushed out into the dusk, waving her hands and shouting”, the car “came out of the gathering darkness, wavered tragically for a moment, and then disappeared around the next bend” (Fitzgerald, 137). According to the witness of the car, “It was a yellow car” he said, “a big yellow car”. New” (Fitzgerald, 139). Moments later, Tom Buchanan appears at the scene where he informs the policeman that “he knows the car that did it. It was a yellow car” (Fitzgerald, 140). Now that we are sure it was a yellow car, this has made many wonder who was driving the vehicle and why they would do such a thing. There are many theories concerning the tragic death of Myrtle Wilson. For example, many say Daisy Buchanan was driving the car and she may have been filled with anger after Tom exposed her affair with Gatsby, causing her to speed. So she did not even care after seeing she had knocked someone