The Great Gatsby · Character

Myrtle Wilson

The wife of a garage owner in the valley of ashes, she is Tom Buchanan's mistress and believes his money will rescue her from her life.

supporting

Also known as Myrtle, Mrs. Wilson

First appearance: Chapter II

As a supporting figure in The Great Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Transforms in the apartment, adopting an affected hauteur; expresses contempt for her husband and revels in her connection to Tom.

In the storyChapter IIOpen this moment free

See Myrtle Wilson in Chapter II Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Myrtle lives above her husband George's failing garage, surrounded by the grey ash of industrial Queens, and clings to Tom as her escape from that world. When she is with him, she buys magazines and dresses and speaks with a confidence that vanishes the moment she returns home. Her hunger for a life she can only glimpse through Tom makes her both sympathetic and reckless, and her presence in the novel exposes the human cost of the careless wealth that surrounds her.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Myrtle Wilson sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Myrtle Wilson in Chapter II

Character Web

3 connections

A slice of how Myrtle Wilson sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Romantic
Rivalry
Social

Character groups

The Valley of Ashes
Protagonist
The East Egg Set

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Closing

Gatsby's delusion that he can recapture Daisy shatters here, as he waits all night for a signal that never com…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Tom Buchanan
romantic · negative
Myrtle is Tom's mistress, who he uses for gratification and dominates, while she sees the… How this plays out →
Daisy Buchanan
rivalry · negative
Jordan Baker
social · ambivalent
Tom Buchanan
romantic · negative
Myrtle is Tom's mistress, who he uses for gratification and dominates, while she sees the… How this plays out →
Tom Buchanan
romantic · negative
Myrtle is Tom's mistress, who he uses for gratification and dominates, while she sees the… How this plays out →

Tom Buchanan
Myrtle is Tom's mistress, who he uses for gratification and dominates, while she sees the affair as an escape from her dreary life.
Daisy Buchanan
They are indirect rivals for Tom's attention, representing the vast class divide between the wealthy elite and the working class.
Jordan Baker
They have no meaningful direct interaction, existing in completely separate social strata.
Tom Buchanan
Myrtle is Tom's mistress, who he uses for gratification and dominates, while she sees the affair as an escape from her dreary life.
Tom Buchanan
Myrtle is Tom's mistress, who he uses for gratification and dominates, while she sees the affair as an escape from her dreary life.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Myrtle Wilson in Chapter II

In the story

Myrtle Wilson appears across 2 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Myrtle Wilson unlock in the free preview.

See Myrtle Wilson in Chapter II