Myrtle's Materialism In The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby illustrate the devastating results of materialism, idealism, and to some extent, nostalgia. His shallow, object-oriented characters show how actions centered around greed will only lead to disappointment. The universal forces of greed, materialism, and idealism that plague Gatsby, Daisy, and Myrtle ultimately lead to the destruction of each of these characters. Gatsby's immense idealism regarding Daisy ultimately led to the obliteration of his hopes of attaining her love. "There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams - not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his [Gatsby's] illusion" (95). During the glory years of Gatsby and Daisy's …show more content…
"'I told that boy about the ice.' Myrtle raised her eyebrows in despair at the shiftlessness of the lower orders. 'These people! You have to keep after them all the time'" (32). Myrtle acts as if she is in the upper rungs of society although she is actually in the lower class because of her marriage with the poor George Wilson; George and Myrtle live in the Valley of the Ashes. Myrtle says that she regrets marrying such a poor man and how she is above George. As a result of her social class aspirations, she has an affair with Tom Buchanan in hopes of marrying him and thus becoming wealthy. However, later in the book, she runs in the middle of the street thinking that Tom was in Gatsby's car (Myrtle saw Tom in Gatsby's car earlier) but it was actually Daisy and Gatsby in Gatsby's car. Daisy was driving fast and reckless and she then proceeded to hit Myrtle, violently killing her. Therefore, her greed and drive to rise in social class and her idealistic dream of rising in the social ladder led her to have an affair with Tom Buchanan. As a result of their affair, she ran in the middle of the street thinking that Tom was there to rescue her from her drab lifestyle in the Valley of the Ashes. However it was not Tom, and Myrtle's false judgment led her to her
How Does Myrtle Survive In The Great Gatsby
840 Words | 4 PagesShe blames George for this but it isn’t his fault. Myrtle soon realizes this and becomes jealous of Toms partner Daisy. Daisy encompasses all that Myrtle wishes to be. When in the city in Toms private flat, Myrtle says "Daisy! Daisy!
Myrtle's Use Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby
679 Words | 3 PagesThis description helps the reader sympathize a little with Myrtle and her major affection for the almighty dollar. For Tom it is easy to see Myrtle as an undeserving subject of his respect, because he plucked her from a town that people can not bare to look at “for as long as half an hour”. This little borough holds no place in Myrtle's heart. She just wants to spend her time shopping, away from the stench of
Myrtle In The Great Gatsby
248 Words | 1 Pages“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?!”
Myrtle's Emptiness In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
815 Words | 4 PagesThe novel, The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald is set during the jazz era, a time of celebration after the first world war ended. The story follows a number characters through their mysterious lives in West Egg, New York. The story primarily concerns a mysterious young man, Jay Gatsby and his passionate quest to win back his former love, Daisy Buchanan. However, while he yearns for Daisy’s love there happens to be a hidden emptiness or sadness during joyous occasions, showcasing Gatsby’s dreams of winning back Daisy will not come true. There are three parties spotlighted in which the gloomy undertone is revealed, showing that even the most joyous seeming occasions never stray from their elemental, morose tone.
What Is Myrtle's Role In The Great Gatsby
298 Words | 2 PagesShe was married to George Wilson, living in a brick apartment building in The Valley of Ashes. Myrtle wanted to get away from where she lived and she felt Tom could get her far away from where she's from. Myrtle didn't want her husband because of his bad attitude and his abusive ways, he was showing her his true colors which is why Myrtle said on pg
Great Gatsby Greed Quotes
582 Words | 3 PagesWealth and greed can easily change a person’s lives. One of the major changes is that you can destroy your life in a way that can affect your decisions in the future. Just like how Tom and Daisy are, in The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, that follows Jay Gatsby, a man who orders his life around one desire: to be reunited with Daisy Buchanan, the love he lost five years earlier. Gatsby's quest leads him from poverty to wealth, into the arms of his beloved, and eventually to death.
Examples Of Deception In The Great Gatsby
826 Words | 4 PagesThe Great Gatsby is an American novel written by Scott Fitzgerald. On the surface, the book revolves around the concept of romance, the love between two individuals. However, the novel incorporates less of a romantic scope and rather focuses on the theme of the American Dream in the 1920s. Fitzgerald depicts the 1920’s as an era of decline in moral values. The strong desire for luxurious pleasure and money ultimately corrupts the American dream which was originally about individualism.
Myrtle's Use Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby
966 Words | 4 PagesThe Moral Decay of the Materialistic Although F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby debuted in 1925– before the Great Depression– it serves as a prophetic exemplification of the the material excess of the 1920s that drowned out signs of the coming Great Depression. The book’s plot follows the bootlegger Jay Gatsby as he pursues his old love Daisy Buchanan through flaunting his new extravagant lifestyle, mainly by throwing ostentatious parties. Yet, in the end, Daisy chooses her unfaithful husband Tom over Gatsby. Through Fitzgerald’s use of wealthy, materialistic characters, he comments on the effect of the material excess of the roaring twenties: moral corruption.
Myrtle Wilson In The Great Gatsby
951 Words | 4 PagesThroughout 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.
Money And Power In The Great Gatsby Analysis
1149 Words | 5 PagesJust 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.
What Does Myrtle Represent In The Great Gatsby
757 Words | 4 PagesWhat does the symbol show? The symbol selected depicts numerous burnt and crumpled cigarettes lying amongst a mass of char within an ashtray. Of the visible cigarettes, only one remains in a usable condition, and as a result, it has already been lit and thus will burn out soon. The ashtray of which it resides in is made of glass and is elegantly crafted; however, the cinders from the flames have dirtied the glass’ complexion, leaving only a clouded, translucent reflection. Together, this symbol paints a strikingly accurate metaphor of Jay Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy Buchanan.
Theme Of Jealousy In The Great Gatsby
924 Words | 4 PagesIn a book about a tragic love story, one would not expect to find a deeper meaning behind the dangers of jealousy or peril of lust. However, in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there is a deeper meaning beyond jealousy and love. In The Great Gatsby, the author uses an empathetic storyline as a symbol to unwittingly give a complex depiction of the nuisance that people create that not only destroy our world but our society and gives warning to what will occur if we continue the path of destruction. With this intention, the brilliant opinionated writer, expressed his opinion through symbols such as the characters he uses, the setting the story takes place in, and the objects he uses in the book.
Is The Great Gatsby Still Relevant To Today's American Society
819 Words | 4 PagesWe all like to believe that hard work and persistence pays off. The Great Gatsby is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald that includes many themes such as wealth, love, dissatisfaction, and most importantly, the American dream, and how it’s really only a dream. The characters, especially Gatsby, are trying to achieve this dream of a perfect life throughout the entire book. It becomes apparent that instead of reaching the success they desire from the hard work that they put in, they destroy their entire lives and relationships with one another in the process. Unfortunately, this story is not too far off from something that could happen today.
Myrtle's Ambition In The Great Gatsby
1052 Words | 5 PagesAlthough 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.
Corruption Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis
1756 Words | 8 PagesThe Corruption of The American Dream in The Great Gatsby In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald illustrates society in the 1920’s and the desire for the people with in it to achieve the American Dream, which embodies the hope that one can achieve power, love and a higher economic/social status through one’s commitment and effort. The novel develops the story of a man named Jay Gatsby and his dream of marrying what he describes as his “golden girl”, also known as, Daisy Buchanan, his former lover. Fitzgerald explores the corruption of the American dream through the Characters; Myrtle, Gatsby and Daisy.
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