The Great Gatsby

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to mingle with the rich people.” As stated in “The Contribution of George and Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby”. Mr. Wilson did not have the wealth or high social status like Myrtle wished for; and she realized her mistake too late. This led her towards an escape that directed her towards corruption.

In order for Myrtle to attain her dream of wealth and social status she sought out a better man, although she was already married she became corrupted by her desperate pursuit, and did anything necessary to attain what she wanted. Myrtle found Tom, also married yet she still decided to make him hers to satisfy her needs. Myrtle by the end only wanted to run away with Tom, causing her to jump out in front of Tom’s car, while Daisy and Gatsby were driving after the confrontation at the Hotel. Where all the love affairs in the story come out of the dark. Unfortunately Myrtle got hit by the car and died a horrible death. The last things we hear her say are “Beat me! […] Throw me down and beat me, you dirty little coward.”(144) Myrtle by this point is corrupted by her compulsion for money, which ironically followed her until her tragic death by the Death Car. Myrtle became Tom’s mistress, a man she saw potential in that would make her happy this corrupted her ending her life by trying to pursue this dream that became corrupted.

Both Myrtle and Gatsby pursued something that they could never attain by being themselves they cut corners and slowly began to lose themselves in their pursuit. Both began with simple dreams with honest intentions of pursuing a dream of wealth and a higher status to fit in the crowd of other wealthy people of higher status. Gatsby became a criminal cut corners to become the wealthy man we know. He became corrupted in the search for wealth and a higher status, he got one but it was illegal and undeserving. Myrtle became Tom’s mistress, a man she saw potential in that would make her happy unlike her husband, this corrupted her ending her life. This desperate pursuit of wealth and a higher status lead them down a path that corrupted them ending their stories with tragic deaths.

Citations

"The Contribution of George and Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby." 123HelpMe.com. 06 Nov 2015

Voegeli, William. "Gatsby and the Pursuit of Happiness." Literature Resources from Gale. Gale, Winter 2003. Web. 6 Nov. 2015