Examples Of Myrtle In The Great Gatsby

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, The American dream is defined as someone starting off low in society and working hard to achieve wealth, fame, and prosperity. This dream symbolizes the desire to attain a luxurious house, car and even a perfect marriage if one is diligent enough. It is represented by the idea of a self-sufficient man or woman who is determined to achieve a goal to become more successful. However, the American Dream is an illusion that only leads to corruption in the pursuit of social mobility. In the beginning of the novel, the desire to live a luxurious is what cause Myrtle Wilson, a mistress who wants more in life and decides to cheat on her husband George Wilson. Myrtle possesses a strong vitality

Myrtle is not one of those people but desires to be one of them. When she was out in New York with Tom she bought a copy of Town Tattle, a gossip magazine which represents her hope for the life of “the rich and famous”. This depicts that she wants to be with Tom because he represents the life of the rich and famous. So, when she chose to marry George, she believed that she was crazy about him, but once she “knew right away [she] made a mistake. [George] borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in…” (Fitzgerald 35). Myrtle is a materialistic person and she did not appreciate that George could not purchase his own suit. Instead, he had to borrow someones to get married in. Unlike George, Myrtle is not only attracted to his appearance but his money as well. Myrtle favors Tom because she knows he can not just one suit but millions. She believes that Tom is the ideal picture perfect man that represents the advertisement of the American Dream. Also, Myrtle is not satisfied with the class she was born in, so she hangs out with Tom so she can feel as if she is in a higher class. When Myrtle changed into her “mask” she “was now attired in an elaborate afternoon dress of cream colored chiffon” (Fitzgerald 34).

During dinner at the Buchanan Tom, Daisy, Jordan, Daisy’s friend and Nick were interrupted because Tom got a call from some women, and Jordan informs Nick that Tom is sleeping with “some woman in New York” and that “she might have the decency not to telephone him at dinner-time” (Fitzgerald 18). Throughout the novel, Tom and Daisy’s relationship is not an ideal relationship. As the four were talking Daisy brings the attention to her pinky and how “the knuckle was black and blue” and how “[Tom] did it... [even though she knew [ he] didn’t mean to but [he] DID do it (Fitzgerald 15). Tom is abusive to her and does not care that much about her since he broke her finger and is cheating on her. Daisy believes that she has everything wealth, love, and happiness which all ties into the American Dream. She eventually discovers that she has nothing and has been corrupted by that very dream. When she gave birth to her baby girl she “ [hopes her baby will] be a fool” also “that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 20). Daisy basically explained that there are limited possibles for women and that she rather have a boy. During the 1920’s women did not marry for love so to speak, instead, they married to have wealth and a reputation. The baby