Ramos 1
Jennifer Ramos
Ashley Hopkins
English 11
1 April 2019
Love Languages
Love can be defined as several things. The argument of what love truly is, is subjective.
Within F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, love is a primary focus. Several couples, some intertwined, exist in the confines of its fictional world. Myrtle and George were married to one another. A lack of understanding between them enticed Myrtle to start an affair with Tom
Buchanan, who she believed was better suited for her. Unfortunately, something far more tempestuous was to come from her decision.
Myrtle Wilson was a bold woman of expensive taste. She was unhappy in her marriage with George and explained early on in the book that “[she] knew right away [she had] made a mistake. He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in” (Fitzgerald 35). His lack of money upset her, considering her love language was receiving gifts. Myrtle applied a negative connotation to the word “borrow”. If he had to borrow a suit for something as important as a wedding, he would be unable to provide for Myrtle. Hence why she was shown at her happiest when she was with Tom Buchanan, a rich man from East Egg that she had been having an affair with and had the ability to buy her the things she desired. In the second chapter, after roaming the streets with him, “[she] gathered up her dog and her other purchases [by Tom], and went haughtily in [the apartment she owned with him]” (Fitzgerald 28). When she was in possession of expensive items, she had a sense of pride and felt above others. Later on, in that same chapter
Myrtle changed into an expensive dress, which influenced her actions. She walked around as if

Ramos 2 she were superior and carried herself with more grace. When complimented, she blew it off and insisted that her dress was old, and she could look much better. She wanted others to think highly of her, rather than as just a wife to an unsuccessful man. Her personality when around her husband wasn’t much different. She didn’t treat him with much respect. At one point, she ordered George to “get some chairs… so somebody [could] sit down” (26). Albeit, she could help financially, she would rather ridicule her husband and make him feel lesser because of his financial instability. Despite the liberties of women in the 1920s, she kept the common opinion that it was not the woman’s place to work.
George Wilson was a spiritless man living in the Valley of Ashes who owned a garage.
Despite the story taking place in the “Roaring Twenties,” George’s business was a long way from being characterized as roaring. However, George attempted to make do with what little he had to offer Myrtle by conveying his love for her through acts of service. He devoted his life to
Myrtle to such an extremity that Nick, the narrator, once described him as “his wife’s man and not his own” (Fitzgerald 136). George felt as though his purpose was to serve Myrtle. His love for her was strong enough that he was willing to give up living his dream, the garage, for her.
After finding out about Myrtle’s infidelity, George asked Tom, completely unaware that he was his wife’s lover, for his yellow car. George, crazed by the truth, wanted to move west because
“[Myrtle had] been talking about it for ten years” and continued by adding “[she’d be] going whether she [wanted] to or not” (Fitzgerald 123). In reality, he was trying to get her away from her lover so he could have his wife to himself.
Ultimately, the Wilson’s marriage was a total failure. Myrtle was cheating on her husband with a man who only wanted her for her body. George was oblivious until he found an expensive dog collar, and eventually connected the dots that same day. Now that he felt like he

Ramos 3 was losing Myrtle, he wanted to do what it took to keep her. George had her locked up, but she escaped into the road and mistook Gatsby’s car for Tom’s. When trying to stop the car, she was hit and killed on impact. George devoted his life to Myrtle, but once she was gone, he felt like he had no purpose. George was determined to get revenge for her murder and find out who her lover was. He was tipped off by Tom that Gatsby was both the lover and murderer. After George killed
Gatsby, he killed himself, too. He killed himself because after Gatsby was dead, his mission of serving justice to his wife was over. He believed he did his final act of service to Myrtle.
Love is a complex emotion that can be expressed in various ways and mean different things to different people. The compatibility of a couple can determined by their love language and understanding their partner’s love language. Myrtle felt love in receiving gifts, but George expressed his love through acts of service. Myrtle thought she was marrying into money, but in reality, she married a man who was willing to give his all to and for her, even his life. Their marriage was built on a lie, as other relationships in the novel, and therefore was not going to last. True love or soulmates, if they exist, are extremely difficult to find. Some people fool themselves into believing they’ve found it because they’re desperate or lonely. In this case,
Myrtle was desperate for love, but George was desperate for her to love him. Love should be mutual, asking for reciprocity is a sign of an unhealthy relationship.