myrtle vs daisy

In F Scott- Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald depicts two main female characters, Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson, who share a common feeling of unhappiness with their marriages. Daisy and Myrtle, although both Tom Buchanan’s women, are portrayed differently through their distinctive character traits. Despite their physical traits and social status, Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson have much in common. Daisy, much like Myrtle, married a man whom she does not love. Fitzgerald initially illustrates their problematic marriages as he explains, “Neither of them can stand the person they’re married to.” Because they are unhappy in their marriages, both Myrtle and Daisy are involved in an affair with another man. In Daisy’s case, Tom is unable to fulfill her romantic needs, and therefore she only married him for wealth and social status. On the other hand, Myrtle is attracted towards Tom due to his social status, wealth, and power which George is unable to provide her. Daisy is unhappy in her marriage with Tom because he does not give her enough attention. However, one of the reasons Myrtle likes Tom is because he showers her with his love. With their opposite personalities, Tom finds himself with a woman who is beautiful and charming and a woman who satisfies his needs. Moreover, Daisy and Myrtle are very different in their aspects of physical traits and social status. Daisy is one who often wears pale white, which contrasts against Myrtle, who dresses mostly in saturated colors. Furthermore, Daisy is frequently described as a thin figure that floats on the sofa while Myrtle, a “thickish figure of a woman”, is faintly stout and contains no facet or gleam of beauty. In addition to their physical appearances, Daisy, born into old money, contrasts with Myrtle who barely makes it by. Daisy and Tom live in a beautiful mansion in East Egg, where Myrtle lives in in the run-down valley of ashes. Despite their differences in character, Daisy and Myrtle both