Myrtle Wilson is looking for superiority. To begin, Myrtle is described as a “woman in the middle thirties and faintly stout,but she carried her flesh sensuously as some women can.” By reading this quote one can tell that Myrtle is an aggressively attractive woman. She 's the wife of George Wilson, who is a lower-middle class man. In order for Myrtle to achieve superiority, she needs to attract Tom as he’s the gateway to her superiority and gaining of socioeconomic status. Although Tom treats her like a dog, Myrtle continues to stay with him in order to achieve what she is looking for. Being around Tom will satisfy Myrtle as she’s able to experience superiority whenever she 's in his presence. This will satisfy her because she 's amoral.
This is literally showing Tom will spend anything to be with Myrtle, and that money is no object. While reading about the relationships that Tom has with the women in the novel the reader may even conclude that Tom treats all women as objects. Tom as a man seems to not even care about love all tom cares about is having any women in his bed at the end of a night. This relationship is nothing close to love which is obvious based on how the night at the apartment ends with Tom hitting his mistress. This is the lowest thing Tom could have done and it leaves an irreversible black eye on lis character for the rest of the novel, which is one of the few things he can not pay to
He treats Myrtle as a possession and often physically abuses her. When Myrtle talks back to him during one of their arguments, Tom “[breaks] her nose with his open hand” (37). This violent act highlights Tom’s sense of entitlement and his belief in his inherent superiority due to his social status. He does not consider that he is committing this act in front of his family member Nick, as it is an acceptable action for a person of his character. Furthermore, when Myrtle dies in a car accident, Tom does not even attend her funeral.
Myrtle Wilson’s husband is named George Wilson, unfortunately, she is miserable being married with him. She is having an affair with Tom, “There is always a halt there of at least a minute and it was because of this that I first met Tom Buchanan’s mistress.” (Fitzgerald ## ) Nick Carraway implies that Myrtle is having an affair with Tom. Myrtle married George Wilson because she thought that he had money so she married him, later she discovered that he is not wealthy and married Myrtle with a borrowed suit. She feels better that she cheats on him with Tom Buchanan.
The impact of socioeconomic status can be examined through a myriad of lenses. F. Scott Fitzgerald aims to show the relationship between socioeconomic status and power. Throughout The Great Gatsby, Tom’s character shows that socioeconomic status is equivalent to power within the novel. Tom puts great pride and emphasis on his socioeconomic status and wealth.
Myrtle is married to a man named George Wilson but, has an affair with Tom Buchanan because he is wealthier and more put together. Throughout the passage given, the author refers to Myrtle every time as Mrs. Wilson not as Myrtle. This continuously reminds the reader that Myrtle is pretending to be this fancy, educated women, when that is not reality. Myrtle is not a wealthy person, she just aspires to be. Due to the author referring to her as Mrs. Wilson everytime is causes the reader to see that the character truly is just two faced.
Myrtle is focusing on the fact Tom is with another woman, who Myrtle assumes to be Tom’s wife. She hasn’t considered that if Tom is having an affair with her, then he could have an affair with another woman, even though he isn’t. Wilson cares so much for Myrtle that he is physically sick yet, Myrtle is only focused on the fact Tom had brought another woman with him. Tom couldn’t care less about who he hurts and Myrtle knows she can’t trust him but she still cares for tom and would rather be with him, as a distraction, instead of being with her husband Wilson who actually loves
Tom uses Myrtle much the same way she uses him. He has power over her and her friends that he does not have over Daisy. Myrtle is a game he is playing. Daisy, while not as deliberate in her manipulation, has no plans to leave Tom for Gatsby. He is not a secure choice, and if he was he would not need her.
Throughout The Great Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson desired to fit in with the upper class; however, her marriage to George Wilson prevented such from occurring. Myrtle failed to recognize her husband’s hard work and true character due to her efforts to rise in social status. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald emphasized Myrtle’s hatred towards her marriage through her conversation with Catherine, depicting how people of the twenties focused more on wealth and power compared to moral American values. As readers closely evaluate the moment of Myrtle’s dialogue, she dictated her feelings towards her marriage in a way that supposedly justified her infidelity.
Just like Daisy, Myrtle chooses money over love. She cheats on her husband George with Tom. Myrtle was a woman from the lower class who desired to be a part of the higher class. Tom spoiled Myrtle and gave her the lifestyle she always wanted. She belittles her husband and talk bad about him because he is not at the top of the social ladder where Tom is.
Myrtle marries a man named Wilson, hoping that he will give her the wealth she craves. However, when that does not happen, she cheats on him with Tom, knowing he is wealthy. Myrtle tells Tom, “The only crazy was when I married him. I knew right away I made a mistake. He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in, and never even told me about it…”
Tom’s altercation with Myrtle accentuates his hypocrisy and lack of self-control; while he doesn’t feel guilty for cheating on Daisy with Myrtle, he feels that he has the right to maintain his authority over Myrtle. In this same scene, Myrtle, who is also drunk, draws attention to the negative aspects of her personality.
Myrtle Wilson, a vulgar, shallow, uneducated woman in her mid thirties, from the Valley of Ashes, is an individual who judges by appearance. Within the first two chapters of the novel, she portrays herself as a woman who finds pleasure through money and materialistic things. On her first meeting with Tom Buchannan during her trip to New York, Myrtle's eyes merely attract Tom's "dress suit," rather than the attires the other passengers in the train are wearing. Considering the look of Tom's clothing, Myrtle judges by appearance and makes the assumption of him being very rich, wealthy, and of high ranking position. Men typically attire in dress suits on formal occasions or when they care about their quality of dressing.
Women behind Sexual Bribery In The Great Gatsby, As the Tom’s mistress, Myrtle is a tragic character. Her life ends by a car accident what Daisy makes. Beyond all question, Myrtle is pitiful. She not only is regarded as a toy by Tom and lose her body, but also is criticized by moral and law. But the question goes why Myrtle is willing to become the Tom’s mistress.
Through the character Myrtle the reader can see the portrayal of the low and ignorant class of America. Myrtle is the wife to George Wilson,
She is influenced by the idea of The American Dream that she scarifies her marriage to have an affair with Tom because of his wealth. Myrtle reads articles about the wealthy and has always wanted to live that life. She always talked to George about money and how she was so intrigued by the “rich and famous”. Myrtle was always very money-oriented lady and even her love for George was not enough to give up the American Dream. When she became involved with Tom, this changed the way she looked at things.