The Importance of George Wilson in The Great Gatsby Essay -- Great Gat

The Importance of George Wilson in The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby is a superbly written and an intrinsically captivating novel that deals with the descend of the American Dream and how vapid the upper class is. To illustrate and capture the essence of these themes, Fitzgerald uses characters Gatsby, who epitomizes the actual American Dream, and Daisy, who is based on the ideal girl. Yet, as these characters grip the topics Fitzgerald wants to convey, there is something inherently like missing from the story as a whole. To fill this void, Fitzgerald utilizes minor characters as a means to move the plot along, devise characters further, and build upon the themes present in the novel. One such character is George Wilson. George Wilson is the nave husband to myrtle Wilson, the woman having an affair with Tom Buchanan, who is the brute of a man, a great, big, hulking physical specimen(Fitzgerald 16) husband to Daisy Buchanan, the woman whom Jay Ga tsby, the main character, is in love with a very removed yet significant role in the story. Evidently playing the role of the common man, in a story revolving around wealth and possessions, George Wilson is the owner of an auto body shop and is described as a spiritless man, anemic and faintly handsome(29). Wilsons common man image helps to further develop the theme of Wilson is deeply in love with Myrtle to a point where he is paranoid of losing her. Ive got my wife locked in up there, explained Wilson calmly. Shes going to stay there till the day after tomorrow and hence were going to move away(143). Truly a character that centers on irony, Wilsons wife is indeed having an affair with Tom Buchanan. ... ...murder of Myrtle, neither of which he committed. After fulfilling his vengeance, George sees no need to continue his life and kills himself, as his only reason for living was his love for the late Myrtle. As well as being a climatical point in the plot, the murder of Gatsby concludes the prevalent theme of the decline of the American Dream. George Wilsons role, however small it may be, in F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby is n unmatchedtheless clearly one of consequence and importance. Through Fitzgeralds use of Wilson, major characters, prevalent themes, and points in the plot are developed further. And, ultimately, through these characters that at first seem superficial to the story, Fitzgerald is adequate to weave a complex and charismatic novel. Work Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. London Penguin Books, 1990.