How does the novel present appearances?
- 'no facet or gleam of beauty' (Page 28) - This statement completely opposes the earlier introduction of Daisy, who is depicted to be very beautiful, having 'bright eyes' and a 'bright passionate mouth'. The 'smouldering' character walks 'through her husband', portraying her uncaring nature and making it obvious that she does not reciprocate Mr Wilson's feelings for her.
- Mrs Wilson also repeats the words 'I want' (Page 29) when speaking to Tom, implying the child-like, short-term way of thinking in the heavily hedonistic lifestyle.
- Myrtle appears to be a bitter woman, declaring that she was 'crazy' when she married Mr Wilson. The fact that she then goes on the talk about how he borrowed a suit for their wedding day symbolises that the hedonistic lifestyle is based on appearance, not what is actually underneath the 'suit'.
Tom:
- 'I want to see you...Get on the next train' (Page 28) Tom's bold instruction to Myrtle implies his over-confident arrogance, he appears very blatant and not at all ashamed of the affair.
- 'And Tom's the first sweetie she ever had' (Page 37). This sentence, said by the gossiping character of Catherine, could be seen to have a double meaning. Whilst on the outside it is simply a name for a lover, it has a deeper, ironic meaning that Tom is actually 'sweet', which the reader knows he is not.
Mr Wilson:
- When Mrs Wilson is talking about how her and Tom met, she includes that 'he had a dress suit and patent leather shoes' (Page 38). This description juxtaposes the earlier reference to her husband about how he had to borrow a suit for their wedding. Adding to this, the character says that she 'couldn't keep [her] eyes off him', opposing how earlier she walked 'through her husband', who is described by Nick as a 'blond, spiritless man, anemic, and faintly handsome.' These constant references to the way people look, reinforces the way the East Egg people live, and how they are drawn towards appearance, symbolising the superficial, shallow-mindedness of the people.
- The character seems to be a pushover, taking orders from his wife to 'get some chairs' (Page 28). He responds with a simple 'Oh, sure', perhaps indicating that he feels that his wife is too good for him and that he does not deserve her. This undeserving feeling portrayed by the character could be seen to be ironic because actually Myrtle is the one cheating on her husband and being unfaithful, so therefore the reader has a greater respect for he, who obviously loves his wife despite her behaviour towards him.
Hannah James
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