Even though Myrtle Wilson does not make nearly as many appearances in The Great Gatsby as main characters such as Gatsby himself, Nick, and Daisy she still plays a vital role in the plot of the novel. Without Myrtle, the fate of Gatsby would have been entirely different. If Myrtle’s character did not exist in the Gatsby universe then Daisy would have never hit anyone with Gatsby’s car, and Mr. Wilson would have had no reason to kill Gatsby. Perhaps if Gatsby had lived then he and Daisy could have been together. If Daisy and Gatsby had ended up together then The Great Gatsby would definitely not be considered a modern tragedy because what kind of tragedy ends with the protagonist getting the girl and living happily ever after? Ironically, the tragic aspect of The Great Gatsby is what makes the novel so great and so well loved and remembered. Therefore, without the existence of Myrtle Wilson’s character The Great Gatsby would have been an entirely different novel.
In addition to the genre of the novel changing with the lack of Myrtle’s character the reader’s outlook on Daisy could be different. Part of the reason why audiences are so sympathetic for Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship is because Tom cheated on Daisy first with Myrtle. Since Tom is already an adulterer it is easy to brush off the fact that Daisy is also cheating on her spouse. However, if Daisy was the only person in the relationship cheating, then Daisy’s angelic reputation would be ruined because she would be the woman who cheated on her loyal husband. It is important that Tom cheated on Daisy with Myrtle because it keeps her angelic reputation intact, thus making the audience see what Gatsby sees in her, a woman who can do no wrong. Therefore, if Daisy had been the only one in the relationship who was cheating, why would audiences root for a couple that consists of an adulteress and a homewrecker? Yet, with the inclusion of Myrtle’s character, audiences find it okay to root for the adulteress and the home wrecker since Tom was the one who cheated first.