Fitzgerald's Portrayal of Myrtle in the Great Gatsby

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Fitzgerald portrays Myrtle in such a 'scornful' manner , full of 'disdain'.However , if careful attention is paid , the reader will establish that 'she possessed' many 'turbulent' emotions one may sympathize with. Myrtle's house is displayed as a 'bare and unprosperous, 'dusty' garage.It did not seem like a civilized place to live in.It was a 'yellow block' , 'by the ash-heaps'.This indicates that she is from a poor background.The descriptions given to the house drives a person to feel pity for her mundane lifestyle. In addition, to add to her 'dull' house , her cheap clothes of 'brown muslin' and 'creme colored chiffon' convey her vulgar , unappealing taste in clothes. This gives the impression of a non-coordinated , unorganized, careless lady. Here , sympathy is encouraged because of the fact that she has nobody there to help or lead her and put her on the 'right track' about her appearance. Also, when she is accompanied by Tom, she is constantly asking him to buy things for her such as 'magazines' , 'perfume' and a 'dog'.This exhibits her various needs and that she cannot afford to buy them herself. Myrtle's husband does not seem to maintain any kind of significance in her life.To her , he was 'like a ghost' , he was ' so dumb he doesn't know he's alive!' as stated by Tom. She also claimed that 'he was not fit to lick my shoe'. She 'thought he was a gentleman' at first , but her perceptions had changed.Here the reader sympathizes for her her because her life is forced to be spent with a man she is 'not crazy about'. The incident of the 'death' car and how it 'killed her instantly' is one of the most important scenes in the story.Fitzgerald describes her death in such a tragic manner.her 'mouth was ripped' and her 'thick red blood was left to mingle with the dust' ,
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