Saturday, March 23, 2013

What is the significance of Myrtle's desire for a dog in The Great Gatsby?

Dogs have long been used by writers and artists as symbols of fidelity, hence the classic name "Fido."  Myrtle's impulsive desire for a dog on the street in NYC is both ironic and poignant.  


Both she and Tom Buchanan are married to others while they engage in their affair, so when Tom purchases the dog cheaply and tells the man who sells it to them, "go and buy yourself ten more dogs," it is...

Dogs have long been used by writers and artists as symbols of fidelity, hence the classic name "Fido."  Myrtle's impulsive desire for a dog on the street in NYC is both ironic and poignant.  


Both she and Tom Buchanan are married to others while they engage in their affair, so when Tom purchases the dog cheaply and tells the man who sells it to them, "go and buy yourself ten more dogs," it is suggestive of how little he values the loyalty that dogs epitomize.  Myrtle is so unfamiliar with dogs that she does not recognize its breed or gender-- ironically suggestive of how little she knows about fidelity.


Poignancy is found in the fact that the dog is forgotten rather quickly when they reach the apartment.  Tom and Myrtle spend the afternoon and evening drinking, having sex, and arguing. The puppy becomes a very temporary ersatz child in the "domestic" relationship that Myrtle naively believes will become permanent.  


The episode with the dog contributes to one of Fitzgerald's primary messages in The Great Gatsby: America was losing touch with real values, and the transient pleasures that were taking their place lacked true substance and worth.


Fitzgerald, F. Scott.  The Great Gatsby.  Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925.


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