They will never understand the strange internal rules that govern the old money set, and will never stand a chance of being their equal. This is a prompt that you can obviously use for any of the characters, but it's especially interesting in Myrtle's case, since she has two residences : the house above the auto shop that George owns, and the apartment that Tom Buchanan rents for her in the city. Myrtle's home with George is a dark, hopeless image of working class life in America: it's an apartment above a bare garage, nestled in the dreadful Valley of Ashes.
George is utterly mired in this home, even coated with a thin layer of ash from the factories outside. In contrast, Myrtle is vivacious and free of the ash, which gives her a layer of separation from her actual home. Myrtle's apartment with Tom is overstuffed and gaudy , and she seems much happier and more at home there. The mix of high-brow pretension in the decor with her low-brow entertainment speaks to how Myrtle values the appearance of wealth and sophistication, but doesn't actually understand what upper-class taste looks like the way Tom and Daisy Buchanan do.
So while the Wilson's garage is a testament to the struggle of the working class in American in the s, Myrtle and Tom's apartment is a physical representation of the airs Myrtle puts on and the appearances of wealth she values. One of the novel's most important events is also one that can be confusing for students: namely, Myrtle's death at the end of Chapter 7. How exactly does she end up in the road? What does it have to do with her strange encounter with Tom, Nick, and Jordan in the garage earlier in the day?
Piecing together these three takes on the incident, this is what happens, in order:. Still a bit confused about the climax of the novel? Get a detailed recap of Chapters 7, 8 and 9 to understand exactly how the three deaths play out.
Learn more about Myrtle's marriage and her relationship with Tom over at our post about love and relationships. Read about social class in the novel in our post on the role of social classes in this novel. We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score.
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A Comprehensive Guide. Choose Your Test. Posted by Dr. Anna Wulick Jan 13, PM. Article Roadmap Myrtle as a character Physical description Myrtle's history before the novel begins Actions in the novel Character Analysis Myrtle quotes Common discussion topics and essay ideas Quick Note on Our Citations Our citation format in this guide is chapter. Myrtle Wilson's Physical Description Then I heard footsteps on the stairs and in a moment the thickish figure of a woman blocked out the light from the office door.
Dai" Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand. Throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby, imaginary ideals of perfection become widely apparent and consume some characters ' lives, leading to their downfalls later in the book.
By creating a self-image that differs from reality and refuses other people 's opinions, these characters ' unrealistic goals reinforce their selfishness. Daisy 's traditional representation of femininity as charming and passive constantly makes her indecisive.
Nick 's constant judgements about other people alienate himself from every character in the book. Because of Gatsby 's obsession with everything being like his past relationship with Daisy, he blows his one and only chance to win her over for the rest of his life. Her love for Tom persists, which causes her to not like her husband because of the luxury he is unable to provide for her. Myrtle maliciously talked about Mr. Being involved with Tom feeds her short-term happiness, but her bitterness is taken out on the poor environment she comes home to and her husband, expecting him to fulfill the materialistic goods he cannot afford.
The affair with Tom eventually leads to her death. The one major common they do have is their wives and lifestyle. While they both try to please their wives, and provide them the lavish lifestyle they have always dreamed of, it is never enough for these women and the men end up living a lonely confused life when they pass. Likewise, George should have known from the beginning that Hedda was not the one for him, the first instance when she insults his Aunt shows us that he is okay with her disrespectful comments.
Why does Tom bring up race so often? Why is Myrtle attracted to Tom? Why does Gatsby stop throwing parties? Characters Myrtle Wilson. Previous section Jordan Baker. Popular pages: The Great Gatsby. Take a Study Break. During the s, and to this day it is show as power if you had higher wealth, clothes, and other things the Great Gatsby is an excellent example for this.
Daisy as another example she married Tom mainly for the money, but also because she thought she loved him. Myrtle also is an example she has this affair with Tom, because she seeks wealth and power. Tom however, thinks that he loves Myrtle and not Daisy, and uses that to abuse Myrtle by throwing things at her punching her or just beating her up.
Daisy is fickle, shallow and bored with her life; she hides behind her wealth when her life becomes complicated instead of making life-changing decisions.
Daisy and her husband Tom take their inherited wealth for granted they obtain all they desire and treat people with disrespect and maintain an elitist class. Daisy marriage to Tom provides her with security. She has everything she wants such as clothes and holidays and lives a life without worry; she attends the best shows theaters and restaurants. Aleyn reduces her value, making her an undesirable woman for marriage since chastity is desired more than an experienced woman. Afterwards, Symkyn is punished by the wife and two scholars because he fails to control his women and is inevitably isolated with manhood.
Unluckily, Symkyn cannot withhold social statuses or break down social barriers since he cannot maintain authority. John and Aleyn are worshipped in the tale, because they were able to hold their power, despite their lesser.
On one hand, the reader should notice that Daisy is getting cheated on, but does not leave Tom because he has money and she loves him. Daisy Buchanan is married to Tom Buchanan, and Tom continuously cheats on her with other women. Daisy is aware of what is happening and she has to sit there and listen to Tom tell people about it.
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