Table of Contents
- 1 What symbolizes moral decay in The Great Gatsby?
- 2 How does George and Myrtle represent the American dream?
- 3 What social classes do the characters represent in The Great Gatsby?
- 4 What is the social decay of the Great Gatsby?
- 5 How does George Wilson symbolize the American Dream?
- 6 What do the characters of George and Myrtle Wilson represent in terms of the aspirations of the American Dream?
- 7 What does Myrtle represent in The Great Gatsby?
- 8 What social class is Myrtle Wilson?
- 9 How did Myrtle die in the Great Gatsby?
- 10 What’s the difference between Myrtle and George in Gatsby?
- 11 How is the mystery of how George found Gatsby solved?
What symbolizes moral decay in The Great Gatsby?
The Valley of the Ashes symbolizes the moral decay that Fitzgerald saw behind the façade of wealth and happiness. It is in this dump that Tom Buchanan’s mistress lives. It symbolizes the dull and lifeless style of the working class. It is in between NYC and Long Island and represents the moral as well as social decay.
How does George and Myrtle represent the American dream?
George and Myrtle Wilson This couple also represents people aiming at the dream—George owns his own shop and is doing his best to get business, though is increasingly worn down by the harsh demands of his life, while Myrtle chases after wealth and status through an affair with Tom.
What does George Wilson symbolize in The Great Gatsby?
It represents the moral and social decay that results from the uninhibited pursuit of wealth, as the rich indulge themselves with regard for nothing but their own pleasure. The valley of ashes also symbolizes the plight of the poor, like George Wilson, who live among the dirty ashes and lose their vitality as a result.
The Great Gatsby’s main characters are clearly divided among three social classes: the wealthy elite social class; the nouveau riche, or newly-rich social class; and the working class.
The moral decay of society during the 1920’s was represented through the characters in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. People became selfish as their wealth increased, and they didn’t care at all what they did to other people, as long as they ended up okay in the end.
Is moral decay a theme?
From supporting to main characters, moral decay is expressed throughout the story by the characters themselves. The theme of moral decay is most clearly displayed by various degrees through Red Sammy, the Grandmother, and the Misfit. Red Sammy is a character who exhibits the theme of moral decay in this short story.
How does George Wilson symbolize the American Dream?
George is willing to follow his American Dream by working hard and having determination to be successful and have someone who truly loves him for who he is. Myrtle is taking a short cut by having an affair with Tom Buchanan so she can climb the social ladder faster and be able to live her American Dream.
What do the characters of George and Myrtle Wilson represent in terms of the aspirations of the American Dream?
George and Myrtle Wilson are two characters in The Great Gatsby representing the working class of society aiming for the American Dream. George Wilson owns a run-down auto shop in the Valley of Ashes and is doing his best to get business, while Myrtle Wilson chases after wealth and status through an affair with Tom.
How does George feel about Myrtle?
George believes that Myrtle was murdered. Though George Wilson does not seem to know immediately who was driving the car that killed Myrtle, he says to Michaelis: “He murdered her.”
What does Myrtle represent in The Great Gatsby?
Myrtle (and her husband George) represent the lower classes. They live in the ‘valley of ashes’, an area literally and symbolically impoverished, a great contrast to the luxury of the mansions of Long Island.
working class
Fitzgerald displays this by the unequal relationship between Tom and his mistress Myrtle Wilson, a woman who belongs to the working class.
How is society and class portrayed in The Great Gatsby?
In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald offers up commentary on a variety of themes — justice, power, greed, betrayal, the American dream, and so on. By creating distinct social classes — old money, new money, and no money — Fitzgerald sends strong messages about the elitism running throughout every strata of society.
How did Myrtle die in the Great Gatsby?
Specifically, Myrtle is run over by Daisy, Gatsby is killed by George (who is manipulated by Tom), and then George kills himself. So despite both Tom and Daisy’s direct complicity in both murders, neither of them face any consequences for their bad behavior.
What’s the difference between Myrtle and George in Gatsby?
While Myrtle is outgoing and vivacious, George is shy and bland —in fact, his physical description takes just a couple of sentences while Myrtle has a paragraph-long introduction. Although there is a hint of what drew Myrtle to him all those years ago, a “faint” attractiveness, Nick emphasizes George’s weighed-down, damp, “spiritless” affect.
Who are the main characters in the Great Gatsby?
When you think about The Great Gatsby ’s major characters, George Wilson is often the last to come to mind. Compared to his voluptuous wife, Myrtle, Tom, Daisy, Jordan, and, of course, the titular Gatsby himself, pale-faced, shrinking, passive George can almost escape your memory –…
How is the mystery of how George found Gatsby solved?
In Chapter 9, the mystery of how George found Gatsby is solved. Tom confesses that George first came to Tom’s house that night. There, Tom told him that the yellow car was Gatsby’s and insinuated that Gatsby was the one who killed Myrtle and the one who was sleeping with her (9.143).