The Powerful and Influenced “Dishonesty in a women is a thing you never blame deeply.” (Fitzgerald 58) In The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald Nick Carraway tells of one summer he spends with Mr. Gatsby and the old money fortunes of his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom Buchanan. He explains the lives, money, and relationships that they all hold as he gets to know them. The roles of women in The Great Gatsby expressed by Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle are very influential and powerful towards the men that surround them.
During chapter 2, when Nick arrives at Myrtle and Tom’s apartment, Myrtle discusses about her regrets about marrying George and says “I knew I made a mistake. He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in, and never told me about it”(Fitzgerald 35). It really shows where Myrtle’s heart is for George. She just looks for money in man. It’s ironic though, while she uses her love to deceive George, her love is also deceiving her because Tom claims that “Daisy catholic and don’t believe in a divorce”(Fitzgerald 33).
They sought out who would best fit their needs and their money before looking for who made them happy. “...Daisy marries and stays with Tom because of the lifestyle he can provide for her, Myrtle has her affair with Tom due to the privileged world it grants her access to, and Gatsby even lusts after Daisy as if she is a prize to be won” (Wulick). Money was a huge factor in the characters’ relationships, motivations, and outcomes. Most of the characters revealed themselves to be highly materialistic, and their motivations were driven by the desire for wealth. They felt privileged because of the money they had and how they ranked in the world, compared to everybody else.
Commonly, in The Great Gatsby, “Secret” relationships take a toll on the characters’ lives and surge into conflict. With Gatsby’s “secret” relationship starting because of love , Tom’s started with no reason at all. Even though Gatsby and Tom both participate in affairs, Tom’s affair with Myrtle makes the people living in West and East Egg of New York live problem-filled lives. There lives no question that Gatsby’s love for Daisy and his inability to betray her creates problems; however, Tom’s affair with Myrtle Wilson and him framing Gatsby ultimately leads to Gatsby’s death.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby on the surface is a deceptively crafty tale about consumerism and the American dream in the 1920s yet it is full with symbols and metaphors that allow the readers to take away a stronger message. In fact, some of Fitzgerald’s hints are so slight and well-hidden that a majority of readers are unable to pick up on them. For example, textual evidence in The Great Gatsby shows that Gatsby was driving the car that killed Myrtle, not Daisy. The film-makers picked up on these hints as Gatsby as shown in the driver’s seat when the car hit Myrtle. But why is this important?
In the novel, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the female characters, Jordan Baker, Daisy Buchanan, and Myrtle Wilson, throughout the whole novel, all have the same motive which is achieving their desired social position through cheating. Jordan Baker is a very wealthy and famous golfer who will do anything to achieve her goal which is very beneficial to her social position. Like Jordan, Daisy Buchanan is very wealthy as well and married to one of the richest men in East Egg, Tom Buchanan. However, when she finds real love, Gatsby, she denies it because she wants to keep her social position. Like Daisy, Myrtle cheats on her husband and had an affair with another man who is Tom Buchanan.
“I can’t believe that Myrtle is gone! We were planning to head West soon,” sobbed Wilson. “Instead of sulking about it, you ought to find that reckless driver,” stated Tom, as if he had no idea who had been in the yellow car. “I bet it was that son of a bitch that Myrtle was having an affair with!” “Myrtle was having an affair?!”
In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald uses characterization and symbolism to prove obsessing over the American dream will lead to greed. The characterization of Myrtle shows how obsession can manifest itself into greed. As Myrtle learned she was going out to party with Tom, the man she had an affair with, she dressed-up for the occasion and, “changed her dress to a brown figured muslin which stretched tight over her rather wide hips as Tom helped her to the platform in New York” (Fitzgerald 31). Myrtle was obsessed with her self-image. Before she learned she was attending a party with Tom, she displayed her authentic self by wearing clothes that represented her, then after she changed into an outfit that made her
The female characters in the Great Gatsby play interesting roles such as wives, mistress, and girlfriends. But behind the role playing these women wanted more than a title. Myrtle, Daisy, and Jordan we're the one and only woman going through hurtful relationships and they all wanted to be happy, But their choices landed them in real bad situations. Myrtle was a thick woman in her mid thirties.
“The Great Gatsby” shares a story about the 1920s which explores themes of love, wealth, and the American Dream which ultimately results in demise. Jay Gatsby is a self-made millionaire living in New York City who hosts extravagant parties with the intent to win Daisy Buchanan’s love. His life ends in tragedy with the unfulfilled pursuit of Daisy’s love. While Daisy Buchanan is ultimately responsible for Gatsby’s death, it was Tom Buchanan's affair, manipulation, and that led the trigger to be pulled. Tom Buchanan’s affair with Myrtle Wilson, George Wilson’s wife, played a crucial role in the events leading up to Gatsby’s death.
The Phenomenon of Criticizing a Force that has Shaped You IB Paper Two Topic It is easy to look through a window and criticize those that walk by, yet even easier to forget that the window partially reflects you as well. When writers use literature to critique how society functions, as F. Scott Fitzgerald does in The Great Gatsby, they also reflect those societal values because belonging to society means a purely objective perspective is unattainable. The question is to what extent can writers criticize society despite being a part of it?
Myrtle Wilson is a metaphor for many concepts in the story. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson represents the unrealistic expectations of the American Dream and desire. Myrtle represents multiple ideas, mainly her failed American Dream. The American Dream is an idealistic concept that every citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. Myrtle Wilson is desperate to improve her 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.
Gatsby believes that wealth is the only way that he will “gain respect” (47) from Daisy so he acquires money by whatever means possible. The need to become wealthy for Daisy, drove Gatsby to the point of getting involved in “illegal activities (123) in order to become rich for Daisy. On the other hand, Daisy Buchanan determines who she will marry by how much money a person has. When Daisy was young, she has a relationship with Gatsby, but breaks it off because he does not “have enough money” (112). She then decides to settle on Tom, who is “abusive” (23) which Daisy tolerates due to the fact that Tom is extremely wealthy.
The movie “The Great Gatsby”, directed by Markowitz, creates a sense of loneliness and betrayal while at the same time making you feel sympathy and remorse for characters that have no sense of morality. The director pulls you in by portraying actors through characterization. The purpose of the movie is to entertain the viewers through drama and romance. Throughout the movie Daisy and Myrtle have a common characteristic being loneliness.
