Myrtle Wilson as the Wasteland Figure in the Great Gatsby

30 November 2007 Myrtle and Fitzgeralds Wasteland Myrtle Wilson is Fitzgeralds vessel for illustrating the modern wasteland. His conception of the wasteland as an unavoidable, vulgar part of the 1920s society is parallel to his characterization of Myrtle as an unavoidable, vulgar character that refuses to be ignored. He uses her to point out what he sees as the faults of modern society. Myrtle is materialistic, superficial, and stuck living in the physical wasteland referred to as the valley of ashes. Fitzgerald uses her to portray the social wasteland, particulaly the growing materialism and superficiality of modern society. He makes a huge statement about the repression of the impoverished by the upper-class in the modern wasteland†¦show more content†¦Fitzgerald is showing the shallowness, absurdity, and stupidity of the new-money American consumer, whom he contrasts to old-money Tom Buchanan, who is not duped by the puppy vendor like ignorant Myrtle. Fitzgerald also uses Myrtle to show the lack of compassion and irresp onsibility of new-money Americans through Myrtle and the puppy. The puppy is referred to as a purchase (28), which Myrtle briefly pays attention to but quickly forgets amongst the smoking and drinking, leaving the puppy with blind eyes through the smoke, and from time to time groaning faintly (37), one of Fitzgeralds most haunting and vivid images in the text. She haughtily talks about imaginary hired help that is supposed to take care of her puppy, which is Fitzgeralds criticism of new-money parenting and irresponsibility in modern society. Her self-centeredness catches up to her when George discovers the expensive puppy leash before her death. Next, Fitzgerald utilizes Myrtles superficiality to exhibit another facet of the wasteland in modern society. Despite being a member of the lower-class, Myrtle becomes haughty and snobby when she is in the city. Her personality changes when she changes her clothes to an elaborate afternoon dress of cream-colored chiffonÂ… her laughter, he r gestures, her assertions became more violently affected moment by moment (30-31). She comes across as an over-the-top,Show MoreRelated Setting Of The Great Gatsby Essay1088 Words   |  5 Pages The settings and backdrops in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, are essential elements to the formation of the characters, symbolic imagery and the overall plot development. Fitzgerald uses East and West Egg communities to portray two separate worlds and two classes of people that are technically the same their status, but fundamentally different in their ideals. The physical geography of the settings is representative of the distance between classes of the East and West Eggers. Every settingRead MoreF. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby1408 Words   |  6 PagesMaxim Sivolella The Great Gatsby Essay Symbolism In The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby written in 1925 by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald follows a young man named Nick Carraway who has just moved to Long Island, New York. As the narrator of the novel, Nick recounts the summer he spent there in 1922 and the events that took place, especially his encounter with the young, rich, mysterious and extravagant Jay Gatsby. As Nick spends more time with Gatsby he learns that Gatsby has a romanticallyRead MoreExamples Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby903 Words   |  4 PagesEckleBurg and the American Dream F. Scott Fitzgeralds â€Å"The Great Gatsby†, depicts the lavish and privileged lives of an affluent cast of characters living in East and West Egg (Long Island), during the height of the Roaring Twenties. Fitzgerald illustrates an â€Å"up for grabs† world where anyone can make it to the top. No one better embodies this than Jay Gatsby, a midwest farm boy turned self-made millionaire. While many such as Gatsby were able to amass a large amount of wealth during the RoaringRead MoreThe Great Gatsby Analysis5626 Words   |  23 PagesIntroduction â€Å"The Great Gatsby†Ã‚  is a  novel  by the  American  author  F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published in 1925, it is set on  Long Islands  North Shore  and in  New York City  from spring to autumn of 1922. The novel takes place following the  First World War. American society enjoyed prosperity during the â€Å"roaring†Ã‚  as the economy soared. At the sameRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald3975 Words   |  16 PagesThe Great Gatsby– RRS Title: The Great Gatsby Publication Date: 1925 Author: F.Scott Fitzgerald Nationality: American Author’s Birth/Death Date: September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940 Distinguishing Traits of Author: American novelist and short-story writer F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the most famous authors of the Jazz Age and is best known for his novel, The Great Gatsby. Although now considered a classic, The Great Gatsby was initially not a popular success. This contributed to hisRead MoreEssay on The Great Gatsby1727 Words   |  7 Pagesparticularly apparent in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. The novel is a great part of 20th century literature and is valued for the themes and ideas which Fitzgerald presents, such as the importance of dreams in peoples’ lives, the myth that is the ‘American Dream’, Fitzgerald’s perspective of 1920’s life, and the style in which he portrays his ideas. It is also valued simply as a love story – as an entertaining narrative. In The Great Gatsby, dreams and their importance play a major partRead More The Valley of Ashes as Metaphor in The Great Gatsby Essay1969 Words   |  8 PagesThe Valley of Ashes as Metaphor in The Great Gatsby      Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, location is a critical motif. The contrasts between East and West, East Egg and West Egg, and the two Eggs and New York serve important thematic roles and provide the backdrops for the main conflict. Yet, there needs to be a middle ground between each of these sites, a buffer zone, as it were; there is the great distance that separates East from West; there is the bay that separatesRead MoreEssay on Symbols of The Great Gatsby 1249 Words   |  5 PagesFitzgerald captured this era in his book, The Great Gatsby. Through his many symbols he illustrates the hopes, the forgotten God, and the oppressed Americans of the Twenties. The symbols in The Great Gatsby help convey several different themes, from wealth to loss of morals, to poverty. The green light in The Great Gatsby is an ambiguous symbol. The green light is deceiving at first, tricking the reader into thinking it is merely a symbol of hope. â€Å"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiasticRead More Color Symbolism in the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay example2801 Words   |  12 Pagesartist is trying to express sorrow or death he often uses blacks blues, and grays basically he uses dreary colors. Without one word, a driver approaching a red traffic light knows to stop. Colors are representative of many things. In his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses color symbolism throughout as a major device in thematic and character development. He uses colors to symbolize the many different intangible ideas in the book. Throughout the book characters, places, and objects are givenRead MoreThe Great Gatsby Dialectical Journal1734 Words   |  7 Pageseven told me about it, and the man came after it one when he was out.’† ( p. 39)   5. â€Å"‘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.† (p. 41) 6. Its just a crazy thing, I just slip it on sometimes when I dont care what I look like (p. 35) 7. Gatsby, standing alone on the marble steps and looking from one group to another with approving eyes (p. 54) 8. He snatched the