Myrtle Wilson In The Great Gatsby

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Mr. Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson live almost parallel lives in two completely different worlds. In order to live their fantasies they both go to extremes, killing themselves due to their reckless actions. Myrtle and Gatsby’s death represents reckless, careless, materialistic behavior of characters that live within a dream rather than reality.
Gatsby frequently goes to extremes in order to impress Daisy with his wealth; “The flowers were unnecessary, for at two o’clock a green house arrived from Gatsby’s, with innumerable receptacles to contain it… Gatsby, in a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold colored tie hurried in”(Fitzgerald 84). This small scene of the novel shows the very materialistic and forceful side of Gatsby. This careless and forceful side of Gatsby comes out again during the end of the novel when he is overwhelming Daisy by trying to make her admit that
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Myrtle is a very carefree character. This side strongly shows when she, mistakes that Tom is speeding down and by trying to get his attention she, “rushed out into the dusk, waving her hands and shouting—before he [Mr. Wilson] could move from his door the business was over”(Fitzgerald 137). She is also clearly irresponsible; sneaking around with another man, and very materialistic; when talking about Wilson she says, “ I knew right away I made a mistake. He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in, and never ever told me”(Fitzgerald 17). Myrtle mistook Wilson for being rich when in reality he is poor, after finding out the suit he wore to her wedding was borrowed. She regrets her decision to marry him based on that fact, showing how materialistic Myrtle can be. She also heartlessly is willing to ruin a marriage in order to fulfill her dream of becoming in the higher social class. Then in the end Gatsby’s car ironically, kills her, an object owned by someone with a high social

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