Much can be learned about Wilson, as well as everyone trapped in the valley of ashes, through the brief exchange. There is little about Wilson to indicate he will ever be anywhere but the desolate wasteland of the valley.
His business totters on the brink of failure, and he seems ignorant of what goes on around him. It is unlikely that he is, in Tom's elitist words, "so dumb he doesn't know he's alive," but he does seem trapped by an unnamable force.
Myrtle Wilson appears in striking contrast to her husband. Although she does not possess the ethereal qualities of Daisy, in fact, she appears very much of the earth, she does possess a decided sensuality, as well a degree of ambition and drive that is conspicuously absent in her husband.
After a few attempts at social niceties showing that Myrtle, despite being trapped in a dead-end lifestyle, aspires in some sense to refinement and propriety , Nick and Tom leave, with the understanding that Myrtle will soon join them to travel into the city to the apartment that Tom keeps for just such purposes.
It is worth noting, however, that Myrtle rides in a different train car from Tom and Nick, in accordance with Tom's desire to pander, in this small way, to the "sensibilities of those East Eggers who might be on the train. He is bold about his affair, not worrying that Daisy knows, but he sees the need to put up a pretense on the train, as if that one small gesture of discretion makes up for all the other ways in which he flaunts his affairs.
As soon as the group arrives in New York, Myrtle shows herself to be not nearly as nondescript as is her husband. She is, however, far from refined, despite how she may try.
At the apartment in New York, after "throwing a regal homecoming glance around the neighborhood," Myrtle undergoes a transformation. By changing her clothes she leaves behind her lower-class trappings, and in donning new clothes she adopts a new personality.
She invites her sister and some friends to join the afternoon's party, but her motivation for doing so goes beyond simply wanting to enjoy their company. Her intent is largely to show off what she has gained for herself through her arrangement. It is irrelevant to Myrtle that what she has gained comes through questionable means; clearly, for her and Tom, too , the morality of infidelity is not an issue.
Her affair with Tom allows her to gain something she wants — money and power — and therefore it can be justified. As Nick describes, when Myrtle changes her clothes, she exchanges her earlier "intense vitality" clearly a positive and refreshing attribute for "impressive hauteur" a decidedly unappealing quality invoking Nick's respect and disgust simultaneously.
While entertaining, Myrtle comes across as perceiving herself to be superior, although that isn't hard to do, given the people with whom she surrounds herself. The McKees, for instance, are trying desperately to be accepted by the upper class, but are really shallow, dull people. McKee, despite his attempts to be seen as an artist, is conventional even boring in his photography. He skill is technical, at best, rather than artistic, as he would have people believe, as evidenced by the completely unoriginal titles he gives his photos — 'Montauk Point — the Gulls' and 'Montauk Point — the Sea.
As Myrtle has more and more to drink, she becomes increasingly belligerent, ordering people about and assuming a false sense of social superiority, casually offering derogatory comments about various types of people — in many ways, mirroring Tom's sense of social superiority. By this point she sees herself not only as superior to her guests, she is Tom's equal. All this changes, however, when Tom brutally reminds her of her place in his life.
After bringing up Daisy's name, Tom and Myrtle stand "face to face, discussing in impassioned voices whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy's name. The shocking violence of this incident is calculated and underscores a nastier side of life that most people would like to ignore.
Through Tom's assault, Fitzgerald not only demonstrates more about Tom and his callousness toward humanity, but also suggests a hidden side to the Jazz Age. Although most people associate good times and carefree abandon with the reverie of the s, Fitzgerald suggests a much darker side. The fates of George, Myrtle, and Gatsby also shatter any illusions about the possibility of social climbing in this world , or even in the promise of the American Dream itself.
Whether you manage to amass a fortune like Gatsby, or just aspire to a better life like George, you're still powerless in the face of old money, privilege, and classism in the United States. This intense pessimism is supported by Nick's return to the Midwest at the end of the novel and the somber mood of the ending.
You might be wondering, "how on earth does George not notice his wife is cheating on him"? After all, we know that Tom is not making a big effort to hide Myrtle from his friends, going to popular restaurants with her, and even dragging Nick along with him to the apartment he's rented for her in New York. Plus, Tom comes visits the garage and he and Myrtle barely hide their relationship. So it could seem odd that George really has no clue. However, when you consider that George has no access to Tom's social circles , and that he rarely leaves his garage, George has no way to know what his wife is doing in New York and who she's seeing remember, this is an era long before cell phones and Facebook!
Furthermore, George is also super invested in doing business with Tom , so that's an incentive to subconsciously overlook whatever is going on. George's failure to notice the affair for so long speaks to George's complete isolation from the world of old money and, more broadly, the huge class divides in America in the s. Tom and Daisy's world is so separate from George's that they can live whole lives that he is entirely unaware of.
This stark separation becomes clear in George's strange, sad walk to Long Island where he kills Gatsby and ends his life. For George, the class lines in society were impossible to safely cross. Still a bit confused by exactly how the climax of the novel plays out? Read our summaries of Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 for a clear play-by-play of what exactly goes down on the road between Manhattan and West Egg. Why does Myrtle cheat on George?
What does she see in the bully Tom Buchanan? Read our analysis of Myrtle Wilson to fully understand the complicated marriage between the Wilsons! Writing an essay about George Wilson? Then you should definitely read our analysis of the Valley of Ashes and the eyes of Doctor T. George is closely linked to these two symbols, so make sure you understand them!
We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:. Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia.
She is passionate about improving student access to higher education. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process.
Ask questions; get answers. How to Get a Perfect , by a Perfect Scorer. Score on SAT Math. Score on SAT Reading. Score on SAT Writing. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? How to Get a Perfect 4. How to Write an Amazing College Essay. A Comprehensive Guide. Choose Your Test. Posted by Dr. Anna Wulick Jan 13, PM. George's Physical Description First things first. What does George look like? Here is Nick's brief description: He was a blonde, spiritless man, anaemic, and faintly handsome.
O, my Ga-od! Oh, Ga-od! George tells Tom that he needs money because he wants to move west with his wife. Tom victimizes George by carrying on an affair with his wife, Myrtle, behind his back.
To make matters worse, Tom lies to George about selling him a car but purposely delays the sale in order to continually visit his home, where he can keep in contact with Myrtle.
What a loaded question! On their way home, Myrtle jumps out onto the road because she thinks Tom is driving the yellow car. But, you might protest, a lot has happened to Daisy over the course of the show.
Gatsby tells Tom that Daisy is in love with him and she only married Tom because he was wealthy. Daisy cannot say she has never loved Tom.
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