Who Is Myrtle In The Great Gatsby

Introduction

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is a tapestry woven with complex characters, each representing facets of the American Dream's allure and decay. Among them, Myrtle Wilson emerges as a tragic figure whose desires and desperation underscore the novel's critique of class, gender, and moral emptiness. As the mistress of Tom Buchanan and wife of the downtrodden George Wilson, Myrtle embodies the restless yearning for a life beyond her circumstances. Her presence, though brief, catalyzes pivotal moments in the narrative, exposing the fragility of illusions and the human cost of obsession. Understanding Myrtle requires examining her motivations, relationships, and symbolic role in Fitzgerald's exploration of 1920s excess and disillusionment.

Detailed Explanation

Myrtle Wilson, introduced as the wife of George Wilson, a mechanic in the desolate "valley of ashes," represents the stark contrast between the novel's opulent settings and the forgotten working class. Her affair with Tom Buchanan—a wealthy, married man from East Egg—stems from a profound dissatisfaction with her mundane existence. Myrtle craves the glamour, wealth, and social status that Tom embodies, viewing him as a ticket to escape the poverty and monotony of her marriage. Her character is defined by this relentless pursuit of upward mobility, fueled by the belief that material possessions can redefine her identity. However, her aspirations are ultimately hollow, as she reduces her dreams to superficial symbols like Tom's lavish gifts and exclusive parties, revealing a tragic misunderstanding of happiness.

Myrtle's relationship with Tom is transactional yet emotionally charged. She oscillates between adoration and defiance, desperate for validation but aware of her disposable status. Tom, meanwhile, treats her as a plaything, controlling and humiliating her to assert his dominance. This dynamic exposes the power imbalances inherent in their affair: Myrtle seeks empowerment through association with wealth, but Tom's condescension underscores her subjugation. Her interactions with Tom—particularly the explosive scene in their New York apartment—highlight her volatility and the psychological toll of her double life. Ultimately, Myrtle's character serves as a commentary on the era's gender norms, where women's worth was often measured by their proximity to male power, rendering them both complicit and victimized in a patriarchal system.

Step-by-Step or Concept Breakdown

Myrtle's character unfolds through key interactions that reveal her layered personality. First, her introduction in the valley of ashes establishes her as a figure trapped between worlds—longing for luxury yet anchored to George's gas station. Her decision to pursue Tom is a calculated gamble, driven by the belief that wealth can erase her past. Second, the New York apartment party scene is pivotal: Myrtle attempts to assimilate into Tom's world, adopting affectations like claiming she married George out of pity, only to be brutally rebuffed when Tom breaks her nose. This moment exposes the fragility of her illusions and the violence inherent in her pursuit of status. Third, her death—struck by Daisy Buchanan in Gatsby's car—symbolizes the collateral damage of the elite's carelessness. Myrtle's trajectory follows a downward spiral: from hope to delusion to destruction, mirroring the novel's broader theme of inevitable collapse.

Real Examples

Myrtle's character is vividly illustrated through specific scenes that underscore her motivations and fate. At the New York apartment, her transformation into a socialite is both comical and tragic: she changes into a "cream-colored" dress, adopts a affected voice, and hosts guests with a newfound confidence, only to have Tom shatter her pretensions. This scene highlights how she internalizes the very class biases she resents, believing that mimicking the wealthy will grant her acceptance. Another critical moment occurs when she repeats "Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!" during the party, revealing her obsession with Tom's wife as a symbol of the unattainable life she covets. Her death, meanwhile, is a stark reminder of her vulnerability: mistaken for Gatsby, she is killed by Daisy's car, yet George Wilson is falsely led to believe Gatsby was responsible. This chain of events underscores Myrtle's insignificance in the eyes of the wealthy, whose recklessness goes unpunished while she becomes another casualty of their excess.

Scientific or Theoretical Perspective

From a psychological standpoint, Myrtle's character can be analyzed through the lens of maslow's hierarchy of needs. Her basic physiological and safety needs are met through her marriage to George, but her esteem and self-actualization needs remain unfulfilled. Her affair with Tom represents a misguided attempt to achieve belonging and esteem through external validation, reflecting a classic case of compensatory behavior. Sociologically, Myrtle embodies the "American Dream" paradox: she pursues upward mobility but is ultimately destroyed by the very system she idealizes. Her character also aligns with feminist theory, as she navigates a society that limits women's agency. While she exercises limited autonomy through her affair, this agency is co-opted by patriarchal structures, reducing her to a pawn in Tom's games. Her tragic end underscores the era's gendered double standard, where female desire is policed while male transgressions are normalized.

Common Mistakes or Misunderstandings

One common misconception is viewing Myrtle as a one-dimensional "other woman" defined solely by her affair. In reality, she is a nuanced character whose desires reflect broader societal pressures. Another misunderstanding is dismissing her as complicit in her own downfall; while her choices contribute to her tragedy, she is primarily a victim of economic and gender constraints. Some readers also misinterpret her death as random or coincidental, when it is actually the inevitable consequence of the novel's themes of carelessness and inequality. Finally, Myrtle is often reduced to a symbol of working-class desperation without acknowledging her complexity—her moments of defiance, vulnerability, and fleeting joy humanize her beyond her role as a plot device.

FAQs

1. Why does Myrtle have an affair with Tom?
Myrtle's affair stems from her dissatisfaction with her marriage to George, whom she views as weak and unambitious. Tom represents wealth, status, and escape from the poverty of the valley of ashes. She believes their relationship offers a chance to reinvent herself and experience the luxury she craves, though this proves to be a destructive illusion.

2. What does Myrtle's death symbolize in the novel?
Myrtle's death symbolizes the human cost of the wealthy's recklessness and the erasure of the working class. Her accidental killing by Daisy's car highlights how the elite's actions have dire consequences for those beneath them, yet they remain unaccountable. It also underscores the fragility of

...the fragility of working-class lives in the face of upper-class impunity. It is the moment where the "valley of ashes" literally and figuratively collides with the glittering world of East Egg, with Myrtle as the sacrificed intermediary.

Conclusion

Myrtle Wilson is far more than a catalyst for the novel’s tragic climax; she is a profound embodiment of the intersecting forces that The Great Gatsby critiques. Through her, Fitzgerald exposes the brutal mechanics of a class system that promises mobility but enforces boundaries, a patriarchal order that commodifies female aspiration, and a version of the American Dream that corrupts and consumes those who pursue it most fervently. Her misguided quest for belonging and status, channeled through an affair with a predatory elite, reveals how systemic inequality distorts human desire into self-destructive paths. While her choices are her own, they are made within a cage of economic dependency and gendered limitation. Her death is not an accident but an inevitability—the logical endpoint of a society that careslessly discards those it deems insignificant. Ultimately, Myrtle’s tragedy is a mirror held up to the Jazz Age’s glittering façade, revealing the human wreckage left in its wake. She reminds us that the most devastating costs of inequality are often borne not by the powerful, but by those who dare, in their desperation, to reach for a life just out of reach.