In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, many individuals take for granted the hard work and devotion others do to make them happy and satisfied. Fitzgerald reveals the bitter truth about relationships in the 1920’s because back then, wealth is what keeps a relationship from failing/makes a relationship strong. A common similarity between many characters in the novel is hurting and betraying the ones who care for them in order to get what they want. Myrtle Wilson deceives her hard working husband, George, by having an affair with Tom Buchanan, since she is not satisfied with the small amount of money George earns. Similarly, Tom’s wife, Daisy, also betrays him by having an affair with Gatsby, but in the end she chooses Tom over him, due to
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The insufficient amount of money her husband makes leads to Myrtle humiliating George, since she blames him for the discontentment and unhappiness in her life. For instance, after her sister Catherine asks her why she married George, Myrtle says that “[she only] married him because [she] thought he was a gentleman… [and] he knew something about breeding but he wasn’t fit to lick [her] shoe” (Fitzgerald, 39). This explanation shows Myrtle’s dissatisfaction with George because she claims that she did not marry for love, but due to her impression of him having good “breeding”. The lack of money and love in their marriage made it easy for Myrtle to deceive George, considering that she was never satisfied nor happy with him to begin with. Not only does Myrtle make excuses to show that it is not her fault for marrying a poor man, she also states that she is embarrassed since “he borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in and never told [her] about it”(39). The fact that George was using someone else’s suit for their wedding and concealed it from her, gave Myrtle one more reason why he is unqualified and does not deserve to be with her, because she wants a man that can give her the money and happiness she thinks she deserves. In addition, after Tom buys her a dog, Myrtle “went haughtily in [their apartment]” (33) and after she changed “with the influence of her [new] dress, her personality had also undergone a change” (35). The change in Myrtle’s behavior which causes her to “haughtily” go inside the apartment after getting a dog shows her satisfaction with living in a nice apartment and being with a wealthy man that give her materialistic things, which her husband is unable to afford. Moreover, this shows that wearing fine clothing leads
The insufficient amount of money her husband makes leads to Myrtle humiliating George, since she blames him for the discontentment and unhappiness in her life. For instance, after her sister Catherine asks her why she married George, Myrtle says that “[she only] married him because [she] thought he was a gentleman… [and] he knew something about breeding but he wasn’t fit to lick [her] shoe” (Fitzgerald, 39). This explanation shows Myrtle’s dissatisfaction with George because she claims that she did not marry for love, but due to her impression of him having good “breeding”. The lack of money and love in their marriage made it easy for Myrtle to deceive George, considering that she was never satisfied nor happy with him to begin with. Not only does Myrtle make excuses to show that it is not her fault for marrying a poor man, she also states that she is embarrassed since “he borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in and never told [her] about it”(39). The fact that George was using someone else’s suit for their wedding and concealed it from her, gave Myrtle one more reason why he is unqualified and does not deserve to be with her, because she wants a man that can give her the money and happiness she thinks she deserves. In addition, after Tom buys her a dog, Myrtle “went haughtily in [their apartment]” (33) and after she changed “with the influence of her [new] dress, her personality had also undergone a change” (35). The change in Myrtle’s behavior which causes her to “haughtily” go inside the apartment after getting a dog shows her satisfaction with living in a nice apartment and being with a wealthy man that give her materialistic things, which her husband is unable to afford. Moreover, this shows that wearing fine clothing leads