Myrtle WilsonEdit

Myrtle Wilson is a fictional figure in F. Scott Fitzgerald's Jazz Age novel The Great Gatsby. She lives with her husband, George Wilson, above a garage in the valley of ashes—a stark industrial belt that sits between the fashionable districts of West Egg and East Egg and the bustle of New York City. Myrtle's marriage to George is practical and modest, but she longs for a different life—one framed by wealth, social status, and the trappings of luxury that the upper reaches of society project as proof of success. Her pursuit of that life, pursued through an affair with Tom Buchanan, becomes a central thread in the novel's critique of opportunity, morality, and the hollowness of the era's celebrated ideal, the American Dream.

In the narrative, Myrtle embodies the volatile intersection of class aspiration and the moral code of a society that treats wealth as a measure of worth. Her conduct, tastes, and speech are described as brash and showy by some characters, a reflection of her attempt to perform a social role far beyond what her background would ordinarily permit. The result is a volatile mix of desire, vanity, and peril, culminating in a fatal confrontation with the consequences of cross-class liaisons and the inflexible codes that regulate relationships among the social classes of the period. Myrtle's arc helps illuminate the novel's broader meditation on how the pursuit of status can distort personal loyalties and destabilize ordinary life in a society increasingly dominated by money and spectacle.

Character and context

Origins and social setting

Myrtle is a resident of the valley of ashes, a place Fitzgerald uses to symbolize the moral and economic desolation that underpins the glittering façades of West Egg and East Egg. Her status as the wife of George Wilson anchors her to a lower-middle-class world, even as she seeks access to a wealthier social circle. The tension between these worlds drives much of her behavior and the responses she receives from others in the text. See valley of ashes for the symbolic landscape that frames her story.

Appearance, temperament, and aspirations

Myrtle trades on a more flamboyant, ostentatious style than is typical of her surroundings. Her aspirations are inseparable from a belief that money can alter her station and grant her autonomy, a belief that reflects the era's preoccupation with status symbols and consumer culture. The contrast between Myrtle's conventional, somber husband and the extravagant world she seeks to join highlights the novel's critique of social stratification and the fragility of personal identity when measured by wealth. The dynamics of her interactions with Tom Buchanan and Daisy Buchanan reveal the privileges and hypocrisy that attend upper-class life.

Relationships and plot role

Myrtle's affair with Tom Buchanan becomes a vehicle for examining how the powerful maneuver through relationships to secure pleasure, influence, and status. Tom's role as a figure of old-money authority compounds Myrtle's vulnerability and dependence on male patronage. The affair also exposes the complicity of others in the social system, including the ways in which characters from different social strata negotiate access to luxury and safety. The events surrounding the affair—particularly in the city apartment that Tom keeps—connect Myrtle to a broader web of wealth, infidelity, and danger that drives the book's dramatic tensions.

The central tragedy

Myrtle's death—struck by a car driven by Daisy while Myrtle gestures toward the privilege she believes she is entitled to—serves as a stark culmination of the social costs of the Jazz Age. The accident crystallizes the novel's indictment of a social order that tolerates, even normalizes, reckless excess among the wealthier classes while brutally punishing those who aspire to share in that world. The episode reinforces Fitzgerald's portrayal of a society that rewards appearance and appetite more than character and accountability.

Themes and interpretations

The American Dream and social mobility

Myrtle's pursuit of a better life through association with wealth reflects a version of the American Dream that places material success above traditional virtue or stable family life. The novel uses her example to question whether social mobility, when pursued through flirtation with power rather than honest work or marriage, can deliver genuine fulfillment or merely invite tragedy. Readers frequently connect Myrtle's trajectory to broader discussions about class, mobility, and the costs of chasing status in a consumerist economy. See American Dream and Social class for related discussions.

Gender, power, and moral double standards

Myrtle's story is often read through a lens that examines gender dynamics and the ethics of conduct in a highly stratified society. Her agency—limited and contingent as it is—reflects both a longing for independence and the constraints imposed on women by social conventions and male authority within the novel's world. The narrative juxtaposes Myrtle's boldness with the moral expectations placed on her by Tom and the surrounding circles, prompting debates about whether the text condemns or tolerates such behavior. See Gender roles and Daisy Buchanan for related character comparisons.

The Jazz Age’s moral economy

The novel portrays a era in which conspicuous consumption, extravagance, and a rapid pace of social change create a moral vacuum. Myrtle's conspicuous displays—fashion, behavior, and the attempt to appropriate a lifestyle beyond her means—symbolize the era's tension between appearance and reality. The valley of ashes itself functions as a counterpoint to this display, a reminder of the human and economic costs of such a culture. See Jazz Age for broader historical context.

Controversies and debates

Conservative readings and social order

From a traditional or conservative vantage, Myrtle's choices are a warning about the perils of systemic romantic and financial impropriety. Her story is read as a cautionary tale about breaking legitimate social bonds—marriage and family—as well as about the moral hazards of repudiating duty in pursuit of status. Proponents of this reading emphasize the importance of personal responsibility and the consequences that arise when individuals seek rapid advancement through means that undermine stable communities. See Marriage and Family discussions in relation to the novel’s framing of social duty.

Critical debates about class and gender

Some readers argue that The Great Gatsby critiques all participants in the social market of the era, not Myrtle alone, and that a one-sided reading can miss the novella's nuanced portrayal of power and vulnerability. Others challenge the idea that Myrtle is simply a villain or a victim, suggesting instead that her portrayal highlights the coercive dynamics of a society that grants the wealthy a disproportionate capacity to create and escape consequences. In these debates, some critics contend that contemporary readings that frame the text through modern standards of gender or class sometimes miss Fitzgerald's intention to critique the hollowness of the entire social order. See Class in literature and Gender in literature for related debates.

The case against a purely “woke” critique

From a right-of-center analytical stance, some critics argue that modern readings that foreground present-day social norms can misinterpret Fitzgerald's purpose. They contend that The Great Gatsby uses Myrtle not to endorse feminist or anti-feminist agendas, but to illuminate how the period's privileging of wealth distorts virtue and erodes authentic human connections. Proponents of this view often emphasize the text's broader indictment of moral laxity across all classes, rather than a simple political or moral indictment of one group. See Literary criticism for approaches that weigh historical context against modern criteria.

Literary significance and reception

Myrtle Wilson is one of several central figures through whom Fitzgerald espresses concerns about the moral weather of the Jazz Age. Her arc intersects with major themes—materialism, deception, and the fragility of social codes—making her a focal point for discussions about the novel's portrayal of class and desire. The character's death helps crystallize the novel's warning about the costs of a society that confers glamour and protection on the wealthy while penalizing those who depend on illicit routes to mobility. See F. Scott Fitzgerald and Jay Gatsby for broader authorial and narrative context.