myrtle [ myr·tle ] [/ˈmərdl/]

noun

  1. symbol of all things love, good luck, and prosperity

definition from Oxford Languages

2. character in the Great Gatsby

I think it is incredibly ironic that in the language of flowers, myrtle symbolizes ‘all things love, good luck, and prosperity’ because Myrtle of the Great Gatsby was almost ‘loveless, unlucky, and poor’.

In contrast to Daisy Fay Buchanan, while Daisy is a performative ‘beautiful little fool’, Myrtle is a ‘beautiful little fool’. Myrtle is the antonym of the definition of her name. In fact, the meaning of her name represents her desires. She married George Wilson, not because she loved him but because she was naive in believing that his attire represented his wealth, only to realize that Wilson’s best suit was not even his. This mindset stayed with Myrtle and that mindset led her to her death.

F. Scott Fitzgerald writes Myrtle as a gullible and superficial woman. Her thoughts are superficial, and by that, I mean that she doesn’t think beyond what is being presented to her. As long as she is able to change into multiple lavish costumes, play pretends as rich, that seems to be enough for her. Or at least until she realizes: why stop at play pretend?

She believes that a fancy suit means that one is wealthy. She believes rumours about Tom’s wife, Daisy. She believes Tom when he tells her plans for their future marriage. She, also, believes that the yellow car that is coming towards her, is Tom’s just because he’s said that it was his. In the end, her naivety killed her. Ironically, by Tom’s wife.