Different Women in the Unjustified Situations The Gilded Age was described, by those that bestowed the name upon it, as a time in history that showed incredible feats and fame on the outside, with grim appearances lying beneath. Similar to The Gilded Age in the late 1800s, The Roaring Twenties was filled with a booming economy and a radical change in thoughts and ideas in Americans. Unfortunately, as The Great Gatsby shows, maybe it all was not as good as it seemed. With the rising economy came the possibility of injustices, including males and females.
People who originate from privileged backgrounds and people who have worked up to the privileged lifestyle often feel entitled to everything and anything that comes their way. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald the characters display how this feeling of entitled leads to a careless attitude. In the passage on page 137 of the book this theme is shown. The passage begins with the description of right before the incident of Myrtle’s death, it displays Myrtle and George’s argument, ending with Myrtle telling George to beat her. Myrtle is careless because she does not think about the potential consequences of her words, as George could take offense to her insults and actually choose to beat Myrtle like she asks.
Within The Great Gatsby, the audience perceives a summer spent through the eyes of Nick. As Nick, we witness the tragic love story of Gatsby and Daisy, as well as another story, hidden in the context of the many encounters and conversations held; the wealth of the Roaring Twenties. Many of the characters show an interesting aspect of the wealth brought upon by the Roaring Twenties, and how it has affected them. Several characters are exceptional examples, including Myrtle, Tom, Gatsby, and Nick himself.
According to F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are those who are the “pursuing” and those who are the “pursued”. In The Great Gatsby, Daisy and Tom are the ones being pursued by people like Gatsby and Myrtle. They are representations of Gatsby and Myrtle's desires, and as these two characters desperately chase after what they want, they lose sight of what they have in the moment. Their pursuit for their desires becomes obsessive as the story progresses and eventually leads to their demise. The difference in how these two characters death’s are portrayed by Nick conveys Fitzgeralds belief that regardless of how one pursues his or her desires, falling for temptations and forgetting what is important will lead to misfortune.
Throughout the story, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby, the main character, attempts to raise himself to the status where it would be acceptable to be with Daisy Buchanan. This proves impossible as the only way Gatsby can move up is economically, and although Gatsby becomes quite wealthy, he could never be with Daisy because he lacks the social status that comes with “old money” and was necessary to be in her league. It is also this social status, mixed with certain circumstances of the event, that allows Daisy and Tom to escape the consequences of Myrtle’s death. Gatsby wants nothing more than to have Daisy again.
Gatsby and the Characters’ Perceptions In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the characters’ perception of themselves and those around them lead them to live in worlds apart from reality while they try to climb up higher in the Eastern wealthy society. Their quest to advance to a place of extreme excess and wealth out of the reach of their incomes and birth rights leads them to their downfall as they try to outlive their luck. The characters falsely perceive their peers and surroundings, leading them to a false sense of security, where they can hide within their wealth and making them miscalculative and reckless.
The Moral Decay of the Materialistic Although F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby debuted in 1925– before the Great Depression– it serves as a prophetic exemplification of the the material excess of the 1920s that drowned out signs of the coming Great Depression. The book’s plot follows the bootlegger Jay Gatsby as he pursues his old love Daisy Buchanan through flaunting his new extravagant lifestyle, mainly by throwing ostentatious parties. Yet, in the end, Daisy chooses her unfaithful husband Tom over Gatsby. Through Fitzgerald’s use of wealthy, materialistic characters, he comments on the effect of the material excess of the roaring twenties: moral corruption.
“‘Who was the woman?’ he inquired. ‘Her name was Wilson. Her husband owns the garage. How the devil did it happen?’”
Alan Benitez Ms. Johnson English 101 January 25, 2018 Inferiority of Women in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby consists of characters who are living the American Dream in the 1920’s. The only problem is that men are making all the money and supporting the lavish lifestyles and if that is the case, then what are women doing in all this? Throughout the novel we are met with three female characters: Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker. Daisy is a beautiful and charming women but is also presented to be shallow and fake.
In fact, the lower class member sought to live in the same luxurious lifestyle, but each in his/her own way. As for Gatsby he seemed to be engaged in an obscure business that enabled him to gain so much money in just five years, he disdained his family and their financial status and was full of contempt. But Myrtle has chosen another path to express her anger with her status; she thought cheating was acceptable as long as it enabled her to live the lavish life she dreamed of. However, Tom never wanted to be seen in public with her; for example in the train to New York" So Tom Buchanan and his girl and I went up together to New York—or not quite together, for Mrs. Wilson sat discreetly in another car. Tom deferred that much to the sensibilities of those East Eggers who might be on the train.
Everyone has fantasized about being rich and all the luxury that comes with it. However, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing of “The Great Gatsby” suggests how money ruins the lives of many. It ruins those who possess it and those who don’t. Fitzgerald explains through Myrtle Wilson, Jay Gatsby, and Daisy Buchanan that money and materialism causes us to lose sight of our values and what is truly important. Myrtle Wilson is very desperate to leave the Valley of Ashes.
Myrtle Wilson’s husband is named George Wilson, unfortunately, she is miserable being married with him. She is having an affair with Tom, “There is always a halt there of at least a minute and it was because of this that I first met Tom Buchanan’s mistress.” (Fitzgerald ## ) Nick Carraway implies that Myrtle is having an affair with Tom. Myrtle married George Wilson because she thought that he had money so she married him, later she discovered that he is not wealthy and married Myrtle with a borrowed suit. She feels better that she cheats on him with Tom Buchanan.
Life with more money that one can imagine appears to be the best possible way to live. But people in this situation can agree that this is not necessarily the best possible way to live. It appears that Gatsby has his life all set, but once he is rich, his life in regards to love and other people’s point of view shows that he is really on a path that leads to a lonely and melancholy life. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, society in the Roaring Twenties believes money is the true key to happiness. Gatsby proves them wrong because even with the myriad of wealth, he lives a miserable life.
Although the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald emphasizes the parties and prosperity of the American 1920's, it reveals many major characters meeting tragic ends. The characters who meet these ends - Jay Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson, and George Wilson - possess the same tragic characteristic: they endeavor for something more out of their lives than what they have. This ambition for what they could not have ultimately spelled their doom: Gatsby wanted money and Daisy; Myrtle wanted wealth and luxury, and sought it from Tom Buchanan; Wilson earned what he could only to please Myrtle. The Great Gatsby reveals a tragic nature through the trials and tribulations these characters endure to progress and prosper, only to receive death for their ambition. The exciting and wild time period of the "Roaring Twenties" provides a stark contrast to the deaths in order to further highlight the tragic nature of the novel, and leaves a theme that even those with the most hope and strong ambitions can fail and die miserably, no matter how much money they have.
Throughout The Great Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson desired to fit in with the upper class; however, her marriage to George Wilson prevented such from occurring. Myrtle failed to recognize her husband’s hard work and true character due to her efforts to rise in social status. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald emphasized Myrtle’s hatred towards her marriage through her conversation with Catherine, depicting how people of the twenties focused more on wealth and power compared to moral American values. As readers closely evaluate the moment of Myrtle’s dialogue, she dictated her feelings towards her marriage in a way that supposedly justified her infidelity.
