In both texts the authors present a corrupt and absurd representations of the expectations and realities of marriage. They portray the harsh truths that lie behind closed doors of what are supposed to be important characters during their times. Where Fitzgerald, presents a realistic image of American life in the 1920's throughout his novel of The Great Gatsby with the characters, like many people of that period, only care for money where becoming rich is their main objective. All of the relationships in the novel are failures because they are not based on love, but on materialism. Albee, too, intertwines expectations and infidelity with the sheer skin and bone of the troubles most married couples face through Martha and George’s harsh ‘games’
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Their affair is based solely on self gain where Tom uses Myrtle for sex and in return she is given gifts and expensive clothes. Tom Buchanan is perceived as ‘old money’, and so he looks down on everyone who is not from his class. Because of this, he feels he can treat Myrtle as though she is nothing to him and because he knows she is discontent within her marriage to George Wilson and the lack of success he has. Her desire for a better life is evident when she reminisces to her first meeting with Tom and expressing how ‘excited’ she was how ‘All [she] kept thinking, over and over, was 'You can't live forever; you can't live forever’. Myrtle goes so for to believe that Tom will leave Daisy and marry her instead. In reality, Tom does not even see Myrtle as a person but as a sexual object. This is made clear by his degrading treatment of Myrtle at the party when he breaks her nose for having the audacity to mention his wife's name ‘'Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!' shouted Mrs. Wilson. 'I'll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai - ' Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand". The pitifulness behind their relationship is reinforced when she dies. The golden colour of the car represents money and the wealth that Myrtle desired with the words ‘The mouth was wide open and ripped a little at the corners, as …show more content…
It is the war that separated Daisy and Gatsby, and it is his absence that lead to Daisy’s marriage to Tom. However, the most important factor was his money and status, because he came from a rich family. He can give Daisy everything she wants and the wedding ceremony proved this ‘with more pomp and circumstance than Louisville ever knew before. He came down with a hundred people in four private cars, and hired a whole floor of the Muhlbach Hotel, and the day before the wedding he gave her a string of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars’. It was a marriage of convenience instead of love and is apparent on several occasions in the novel. For example, while Daisy was giving birth to their only child, "Tom was God knows where" insinuating she knew he was with Myrtle. The nature of the relationship between Tom and Myrtle is best symbolized by the expensive dog lead Tom had bought for Myrtle's puppy. It shows how Tom is the master, the one who controls his "pet" with money. With this, Tom is free to do as he pleases, however Myrtle as the "dog", receives gifts for good behaviour. The unequal status and promiscuous nature of Tom and Myrtle’s relationship reflects the failure of their relationship of which was destined to failure from the
Their affair is based solely on self gain where Tom uses Myrtle for sex and in return she is given gifts and expensive clothes. Tom Buchanan is perceived as ‘old money’, and so he looks down on everyone who is not from his class. Because of this, he feels he can treat Myrtle as though she is nothing to him and because he knows she is discontent within her marriage to George Wilson and the lack of success he has. Her desire for a better life is evident when she reminisces to her first meeting with Tom and expressing how ‘excited’ she was how ‘All [she] kept thinking, over and over, was 'You can't live forever; you can't live forever’. Myrtle goes so for to believe that Tom will leave Daisy and marry her instead. In reality, Tom does not even see Myrtle as a person but as a sexual object. This is made clear by his degrading treatment of Myrtle at the party when he breaks her nose for having the audacity to mention his wife's name ‘'Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!' shouted Mrs. Wilson. 'I'll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai - ' Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand". The pitifulness behind their relationship is reinforced when she dies. The golden colour of the car represents money and the wealth that Myrtle desired with the words ‘The mouth was wide open and ripped a little at the corners, as …show more content…
It is the war that separated Daisy and Gatsby, and it is his absence that lead to Daisy’s marriage to Tom. However, the most important factor was his money and status, because he came from a rich family. He can give Daisy everything she wants and the wedding ceremony proved this ‘with more pomp and circumstance than Louisville ever knew before. He came down with a hundred people in four private cars, and hired a whole floor of the Muhlbach Hotel, and the day before the wedding he gave her a string of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars’. It was a marriage of convenience instead of love and is apparent on several occasions in the novel. For example, while Daisy was giving birth to their only child, "Tom was God knows where" insinuating she knew he was with Myrtle. The nature of the relationship between Tom and Myrtle is best symbolized by the expensive dog lead Tom had bought for Myrtle's puppy. It shows how Tom is the master, the one who controls his "pet" with money. With this, Tom is free to do as he pleases, however Myrtle as the "dog", receives gifts for good behaviour. The unequal status and promiscuous nature of Tom and Myrtle’s relationship reflects the failure of their relationship of which was destined to failure from the