Maria Tammaro

Mrs. Hoffman
English 3
19 October 2012
Myrtle Wilson is Selfish
Myrtle Wilson is a character that is not in every chapter of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott
Fitzgerald but very important to the storyline. Her purpose in the novel, defines who she is.
Myrtle, also known as Tom Buchanans mistress, is married to a poor man named George
Wilson. He owns a garage in the Valley of Ashes, Repairs. George B. Wilson. Cars bought and
sold (Fitzgerald 25). This little town is one of the lowest social classes as well as the money;
this is where the Wilsons live. The American Dream is defined in many different ways which can
range from equality and freedom to prosperity and success; or just as simply as having a roof
above and food to feed each other. The way Myrtle acts towards people shows how selfish she
can be. She is selfish because she is a materialistic person, she also doesnt care about any bodys
feelings except for her own.
Mrs. Wilson shows favoritism towards rich material because she lived her whole life in
low class. This is why she always wants so much with money and being with Tom solves the
problem. By being with Tom she is getting an endless supply of priceless items. In the apartment
that Tom rented out for him and Myrtle, This was where Tom and Myrtle could basically live
their opposite lives. Toms life style went down a class or two and Myrtles life style went up
dramatically from lowest to a higher class status. The quote is saying that she changed out of her
Valley of Ashes costume into her elaborate afternoon dress of cream- colored chiffon and
with the dress it changed her personality by undergoing of change such as telling Mrs.
McKee that she wore the dress, or as Myrtle thought of it as the crazy old thing, beautifully
and Myrtle tells Mrs. McKee she slips it on sometimes when she doesnt care what she

looks like(Fitzgerald 30). This shows that Myrtle likes to have money and the dress represents
the money, which was a pricey dress to buy, that she has only when she is with Tom. She only
cares about her clothes and the price it costs not about the love. Love is only a bonus for her by
being with Tom. Myrtle is acting like she is poor by day and rich by night, and the affair with
Tom helps the problem with all his money.
Toms money is the only thing Myrtle loves about him. She doesnt care about love but
only the money that Tom possesses. While Myrtle was on the train going to her sisters house for
the weekend, she tells everyone in the apartment when she first met Tom. He had on a dress
suit and patent leather shoes and she couldnt keep her eyes off him when he would look at
her she would pretend to look at the advertisement over his head (Fitzgerald 40). But for her
husband, George Wilson it was a different story. Myrtle is saying she married him because
she thought he was high class or even average class but made a mistake because he
borrowed somebodys best suit to marry her in on their wedding day and she didnt know
about it. But Catherine did say Myrtle was crazy about him for awhile (Fitzgerald 35).
Myrtle shows how she only cares about herself in The Great Gatsby by talking about her
husband not being compatible with her, and just talking about how he couldnt afford his own
suit for their wedding. He also couldnt afford Myrtle and her high class expectations. With this
money problem, Myrtle was only thinking about herself and what is going to benefit her and her
life.
But one reason that Myrtle Wilson is not a selfish person is the way she cares for her dog.
Once Myrtle got Tom to buy the dog she fondled over the dogs fur for awhile and on their
way to the apartment Myrtle was concerned so she got the elevator boy to feed it biscuits and
milk (Fitzgerald 32).The way Tom has power over Myrtle shows that Myrtle is powerless

when Tom is around (Sutton 2). She did care for people at times such as her sister and in some
way Nick. Myrtle tells nick she will telephone her sister Catherine. Then she said she was
very beautiful by people who ought to know (Fitzgerald 28). She cares for people in odds
ways that could benefit her. In conclusion Myrtle Wilson is a selfish person with the different
ways she acts towards people. She is a materialistic especially towards Tom and all his money,
she doesnt even care about her husbands feelings, but she does care about people in some
twisted way that can somehow benefit her. Myrtle Wilson was put in this novel to create a
diversion in the story. She also was an obstacle that some people had to overcome. Tom and
Myrtle was the first couple to be both married and also have an affair that was out in public and
it seemed that people didnt care.

Works Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribners, 1953. Print.
Sutton, Brian. Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Explicator 59.1 (Fall 2000): 37-39. Rpt.In
Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Linda Pavlovski. Vol. 157. Detroit: Gale,2005.
Literature Resource Center. Web. 9 Oct. 2012.