The Great Gatsby Myrtle Character Analysis

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In the passage from the Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald, Myrtle’s first appearance is described and her death near the end of the book is vividly illustrated. After closely examining these two passages, the reader gets a good perception on Myrtle, the wife of Mr.Wilson whose warped in a fashionable, fast-paced lifestyle that later defines her behavior and actions. Literary devices including imagery and diction highlight Myrtle’s lively personality and her endless desire to fit in with the wealthy, eventually leading to her death. From the beginning, Myrtle is portrayed as someone with a, “perceptible vitality” accompanied by her eager desire for a fashionable and wealthy lifestyle. After being introduced to Tom and his extravagant wealth, …show more content…
The so-called, “death car” sped down the road and “violently extinguished” Myrtle’s life. This use of diction emphasizes the horrific gruesomeness of Myrtle’s life as she was extinguished, implying her whole life was annihilated in the blink of an eye. Lying helplessly on the ground, Myrtle’s fate is already determined before any help could arrive. Physically, Myrtle already died as her “left breast swung like a flap”, the dust “mingled her thick dark blood,” and her “mouth ripped at the corners.” This indication of body imagery helps clarify the idea that Myrtle’s life got brutally taken away and the vitality and special personality which she used to attract Tom have vanished. At the scene of her death, it’s observed that her death resulted in, “giving up the tremendous vitality she stored for so long.” This substantiates the idea that all the strength and lively spirit she once possessed has been terminated. It highlights the theme that nothing can be kept forever and in this scenario, by losing her vital organs and key physical traits, Myrtle’s vitality has also been lost, symbolizing the idea that her vitality and physical features were connected. Myrtle was too focused on impressing Tom, unaware of the karma and irony of cheating on Mr.Wilson that took her life
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