Okay, so I was digging into “The Great Gatsby” the other day, you know, that classic by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I was trying to figure out what makes George Wilson tick, and it hit me – this guy is a dynamic character. I mean, he really goes through it in the story. Let me walk you through what I found.
So, first off, I started by just rereading the parts where George is featured. You know, getting a feel for who he is at the beginning. He’s this poor mechanic, running a garage in the Valley of Ashes, just trying to get by. He’s married to Myrtle, who’s, well, she’s not exactly faithful. At the start, George seems like a pretty passive dude, kind of beaten down by life. The text shows him as “spiritless” and “anemic,” which really paints a picture of a guy who’s lost his spark.
Then, I began to track how George changes. This is where it gets interesting. At first, he’s all hopeful and kind of naive. He really loves Myrtle, you can see that. There’s this bit where he’s talking about getting a car from Tom Buchanan, and he’s so excited about it. It’s like this small thing is his big dream. But then, things start to go south. He finds out about Myrtle’s affair, and it just crushes him. He goes from being this hopeful guy to being completely devastated. Fitzgerald writes that he was “mingling immediately with the cement color of the walls,” showing how he’s almost fading into the background, consumed by his grief.
Now, here’s where George really starts to shift. He becomes obsessed with finding out who Myrtle was having an affair with. He’s not just sad anymore; he’s driven by this intense need for revenge. This is a huge change from the passive guy we met earlier. I highlighted all the parts where his anger and determination are shown. For example, when he confronts Tom, it’s clear he’s not the same defeated man. He’s got this fire in him, even if it’s misguided.
And then, the climax of his transformation. After Myrtle’s death, George totally loses it. He’s not just grieving; he’s on a mission. He goes after Gatsby, thinking he’s the one who killed Myrtle and was having the affair with her. He ends up shooting Gatsby and then himself. I mean, it’s tragic, but it shows how much he’s changed. He went from a guy who couldn’t stand up for himself to someone who takes drastic, violent action.
- Beginning:
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Passive, hopeful, naive
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Loves Myrtle deeply
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Excited about small things, like getting a car from Tom
- Middle:
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Finds out about Myrtle’s affair
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Becomes devastated and heartbroken
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Consumed by grief, described as “mingling immediately with the cement color of the walls”
- End:
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Driven by a need for revenge
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Confronts Tom with newfound determination
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After Myrtle’s death, takes drastic action
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Shoots Gatsby and then himself
So, to sum it all up, I made a table of all the textual evidence that shows George’s journey from a passive, heartbroken man to a vengeful one. It’s all there in the book, how he changes from being spiritless to being consumed by this dark energy. George Wilson is definitely a dynamic character, and his transformation is a big part of what makes “The Great Gatsby” such a powerful story.
It just goes to show, you never really know what someone’s capable of until they’re pushed to their limits. George’s story is a sad one, but it’s a great example of how much a character can change over the course of a novel.
