The Great Gatsby: Pages 61-72

After reading these pages of The Great Gatsby, authored by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a name that I had not read for a while once again popped up. That name belongs to Mrs. Myrtle Wilson. Although she has proven to be a minor character so far, Mrs. Wilson has already had a major impact on the story, and I believe she will continue to have a huge impact on the future events that occur. Wilson is the mistress of Tom Buchanan, a wealthy man married to the lovely Daisy Buchanan. Not only is Wilson disrespecting Tom’s marriage to Daisy through her affair with Buchanan, she is also disrespecting her own, as she is also married. Furthermore, it seems as though Daisy knows something of Tom’s indiscretions, as previously in the novel Jordan Baker stated, “I thought everybody knew,” (Fitzgerald, 15) in regard to the affair. However, because of her knowledge, Daisy might have an increased want for revenge on her husband and his mistress, and her own judgment in any decisions she has to make later on in the novel might be affected by this. If Daisy has lost faith in her husband, it would not be difficult for her to try and get back at him, and even more unnecessary drama could begin to boil over. Also, things could take a turn for the worse if Tom would decide to leave Daisy because of Myrtle. If this were to happen, not only would scandal tarnish the reputations of Tom and Myrtle, but Daisy would also be stuck in the crossfire. She most likely has no income and relies on Tom’s work, so if she were left behind suddenly, Daisy could easily find herself in a dangerous situation. Fitzgerald cleverly makes an example of the importance of minor characters and the effect they can have on a story through Myrtle Wilson.