Who Is Myrtle Wilson Victimized In The Great Gatsby

Caroline Goveas
Mrs. C. Custodio
ENG 3U1
8 May 2023

Patriarchal Perpetuation and Victimization in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Shirin Ebadi once said “Women are the victims of this patriarchal culture, but they are also its carriers” (Ebadi). In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel, The Great Gatsby, women portray the changing ideologies of femininity in 1920s society, yet continue to perpetuate the patriarchal structure, by which they are victimized. Women of the 1920s are perpetually criticized by male characters, specifically by Nick Carraway, the narrator. In particular, Myrtle Wilson is manipulated to serve the desires of men, both willingly and unwillingly. Furthermore,

In her affair with Tom Buchanan, Myrtle receives not only minimal respect but also endures physical abuse. While engaged in an argument concerning Daisy, Tom made “...a short deft movement…” towards Myrtle, by which he “…broke her nose with his open hand” (Fitzgerald 29). Tom obviously does not respect Myrtle, demonstrated by his short temper, and physical violence towards her. The fact that Tom made a “short deft movement” using “his open hand” when he struck Myrtle, means that he did not think cognitively to close it, and in the heat of the moment, he instinctively swung. Tom seems to lack respect for Myrtle, he is desensitized to hitting her, going as far as to break her nose, and feel no remorse. Myrtle surprisingly, does not have a momentous reaction to this violence. Despite the adversity, Myrtle stays with Tom, as in her mind, he is her ticket to a life of wealth and fortune. Logically, Myrtle should have realized that Tom is an abusive, misogynist, who truly does not love her, however because she sees him as a powerful, wealthy man, Myrtle ignores these obvious red flags. In the pursuit of a better life, Myrtle chooses to ignore Tom’s abusive behaviours, and adheres to the violent, patriarchal power dynamic she is faced with. Moreover, throughout Myrtle’s life, she was sexualized, and her sexualization continued even after her death. Shortly after Myrtle was struck by Gatsby’s car, the men who had found her “…had torn open her shirtwaist, still damp with perspiration they saw that her left breast was swinging loose like a flap, and there was no need to listen for the heart beneath. The mouth was wide open and ripped at the corners…” (Fitzgerald 109). The entire description of Myrtle’s dead body is rather disturbing, not only because of its graphic nature, but also because of how her injured body is objectified. Interestingly, although the men