F Scott Fitzgerald had a historically rocky relationship with his wife, Zelda, including affairs, scandals, and abuse. Fitzgerald draws from his marital experience to create characters that themselves face similar issues. Wilson, the car mechanic, deals with a cheating wife, much like Fitzgerald struggles to deal with Zelda’s affairs. Tom, an inheritor of great wealth, in addition to a having cheating wife as well, faces extra marital temptations, similar to Fitzgerald own affairs. Fitzgerald reminisces about mistakes in his marriage through the actions of these romantically active male characters. Wilson, who is crafted to have Fitzgerald’s personality of extreme dedication, and Tom, who represents Fitzgerald’s outing but careless personality, …show more content…
To establish Wilson as Fitzgerald’s tired yet dedicated personality, Fitzgerald intentionally casts Wilson as a car mechanic. This alludes to when Fitzgerald was as a mechanic trying to earn enough money to satisfy Zelda to marry him. Fitzgerald’s willingness to satisfy Zelda’s obvious request of a greater income is reflected in Wilson’s great eagerness to serve Myrtle’s basic needs. For example, when Nick is first introduced to Myrtle by at Wilson’s garage with Tom, Myrtle requests that Wilson “‘Get some chairs, why don’t you, so somebody can sit down’”(15). Wilson, not knowing Tom is Myrtle’s lover, complies with “‘Oh, sure,’ agreed Wilson hurriedly and went toward the little office”(15). Fitzgerald’s choice of diction “hurriedly” conveys Wilson’s desire to satisfy Myrtle’s simple request as quickly as possible. This is paralleled by Fitzgerald's efforts to make enough money for Zelda to marry him. Although Wilson is clearly capable of satisfying Myrtle’s superficial needs of some chairs, he is blind to a greater, more urgent manifestation of Myrtle’s needs. In his short sighted desire to provide Myrtle’s immediate need of a chair, he is seating Tom, Myrtle’s boyfriend, in Wilson’s own home. The irony is