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Chrissy has taught secondary English and history and writes online curriculum. She has an M.S.Ed. in Social Studies Education.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is filled with numerous characters, both small and large. Off the top of your head, you probably know a good bit about the story's narrator, Nick Carraway, and clearly the title character, Jay Gatsby. But how much do you recall about George Wilson?
George Wilson is the beaten down husband of Myrtle Wilson, the mistress of Tom Buchanan, husband to Daisy Buchanan, love interest of Gatsby. While George Wilson only appears in The Great Gatsby a handful of times, this seemingly minor character has a big impact on the book.
We meet George Wilson in the second chapter of The Great Gatsby. On their way into New York City, Nick Carraway and Tom Buchanan stop at Wilson's garage to ask Myrtle to join them. Wilson's first appearance is not an impressionable one. For starters, Wilson owns a gas station and garage in a desolate area between the Eggs and New York City, a place that Nick Carraway describes as a 'valley of ashes'.
Inside the garage, 'The interior was unprosperous and bare,' a quality that's reflected in the owner as well. According to Carraway, 'He [George Wilson] was a blonde, spiritless man, anæmic and faintly handsome.' Wilson is clearly a beaten man, bogged down by his unfortunate financial situation: 'When he saw us [Carraway and Buchanan], a damp gleam of hope sprang into his blue eyes.'
Wilson's physical appearance and general demeanor are further emphasized by both Tom Buchanan and his wife, Myrtle. When Tom Buchanan enters the garage, he takes control of the situation. He's clearly a person in charge, a person with power. Meanwhile, Wilson is unsure of himself and tries to please his guests. While Carraway does not describe Myrtle as beautiful, he does explain to the reader that she moves 'sensuously' and has an air of 'vitality'. In comparison, George Wilson lacks the powerful life force that his wife seems to have in spades.
After meeting George Wilson, his character seems to just disappear from the story. After all, what was there really to remember? What could such a dull, spineless, and pathetic character really add to the story?
George Wilson's character becomes relevant to The Great Gatsby in Chapter 7 when Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, and Jordan Baker head into the city on a hot summer's day. Driving Gatsby's car, Nick, Tom, and Jordan stop at Wilson's gas station, only to find there is something clearly wrong with him. Wilson tells them, 'I'm sick... I've been sick all day.' It dawns on the narrator, Carraway, that, 'He Wilson discovered that Myrtle had some sort of life apart from him in another world and the shock had made him physically ill.' In his immense grief after the discovery, George Wilson decides to take a stand and move his wife somewhere out West, away from her secret lover.
That same day, the group of five leaves New York City, this time in different cars. Daisy Buchanan, driving Gatsby's car, accidentally hits Myrtle, killing her on impact. When Nick, Tom, and Jordan arrive on the scene, they realize what's happened. Wilson is positively beside himself, but an idea begins to form in his mind. His wife had been killed by a yellow car, the same car that Tom had been driving earlier that day.
Following Myrtle's death, George Wilson is a man possessed. He tracks down the owner of the yellow car, eventually determining it belongs to Jay Gatsby. As his final act in the book, George Wilson shoots Gatsby and then shoots himself.
So why exactly does George Wilson matter? From an obvious standpoint, he's the guy who kills the leading man, Jay Gatsby. Despite his limited appearances throughout the novel, George Wilson matters much more than face value. Wilson offers readers a sharp jolt of reality.
We see the world through Nick Carraway's eyes. He's not wealthy like Gatsby or the Buchanans, but he's a man of privilege who certainly enjoys the lavish parties and over-the-top lifestyle of his rich friends. Wilson reminds the readers that while the Gatsby's of the world throw parties and live without consequences, other men live in a much harsher reality. Wilson is impoverished and without hope. These qualities radiate from both his personality and his physical appearance.
It's important to note that George Wilson is a man who believes in God. We learn this after Myrtle's death when he recounts an interaction with his wife before the accident. Wilson tells Myrtle that she may have fooled him, 'but she couldn't fool God.' He goes on to say that, 'God sees everything.' Wilson's belief in God calls attention back to the seemingly godless life that the upper class lives throughout the book. If God can see what Myrtle's doing, then surely he can see the things that Gatsby, Nick Carraway, the Buchanans, and Jordan Baker are doing.
The character also shares parallel experiences with both Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Right before Wilson's second appearance in the story, Tom had just come to the realization that his wife was in love with Gatsby. At the same time, Wilson was coming to terms with his wife's own love affair with someone else. Wilson is also like Gatsby. Both men love women who love Tom Buchanan. As a result, both of their lives start to fall apart.
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the character George Wilson is a gas station and garage owner living in the 'valley of ashes' between Eggs and New York City. Wilson's wife, Myrtle, is engaged in an affair with Tom Buchanan.
Wilson is a man defeated by his circumstances. He's poor and beaten down. George Wilson's character reemerges later in the book when Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, and Jordan Baker stop for gas. The reader finds out that Wilson has discovered his wife's affair. Shortly after, Myrtle is killed by Daisy Buchanan while driving Gatsby's car. Wilson eventually determines that Gatsby is the car's owner and proceeds to kill both Gatsby and himself. George Wilson is a reminder to the readers of the realities of the common man struggling with poverty and the inherent consequences of an unprivileged life.
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The Great Gatsby Study Guide8 chapters | 98 lessons | 2 flashcard sets
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