Ever sat through a movie or read a novel and realized you didn't actually care about the protagonist, but you couldn't stop thinking about the person standing in the background?
That’s usually because that side character had more soul, more grit, and more complexity than the person the story was actually about. In many ways, Myrtle Wilson from The Great Gatsby* is the beating, bruised heart of F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece. She is loud, she is desperate, and she is tragic.
But when you're sitting in a literature seminar or analyzing a text for a deep dive, you eventually hit that wall: is Myrtle Wilson a static or dynamic character?
It sounds like a dry, academic question. But if you get it wrong, you miss the entire point of why her death matters so much to the narrative.
What Is a Static or Dynamic Character?
Before we dive into the Valley of Ashes, we need to get our definitions straight. I know, it sounds like schoolwork, but it’s the only way to make sense of the analysis.
In storytelling, characters generally fall into two buckets.
The Static Character
A static character is someone who stays the same from the first page to the last. Their personality, their worldview, and their motivations don't shift. They might undergo an experience, but they don't let that experience change who they are at their core. They are often used to provide a foil to the protagonist or to represent a specific idea or social class.
The Dynamic Character
A dynamic character is the opposite. It's about a shift in their soul—a change in their perspective, their values, or their personality. Also, this isn't just about them getting older or moving to a new city. They undergo a significant internal change. If a character starts the book as a coward and ends it as a hero, they are dynamic.
So, when we look at Myrtle Wilson, we have to ask: does she actually change, or is she just reacting to the chaos around her?
Why This Distinction Matters
Why do we even care about this? Because it changes how we view the tragedy of the novel.
If Myrtle is a static character, then her death is a symbol—a blunt instrument used by Fitzgerald to show the carelessness of the wealthy. She is a fixed point of suffering in a world that doesn't care.
But if she is a dynamic character, her death is a personal tragedy. It means she was a person who was actively trying to claw her way out of her circumstances, and the world crushed her while she was mid-stride.
Understanding this distinction helps us see The Great Gatsby* not just as a story about a guy obsessed with a girl, but as a story about the crushing weight of social mobility and the illusion of the American Dream.
How Myrtle Wilson Functions in the Story
To decide which category she falls into, we have to look at her trajectory. We need to look at her motivations and whether those motivations evolve or simply escalate.
The Motivation of Escapism
From the moment we meet Myrtle, her entire existence is defined by a single, driving force: escape. She lives in the Valley of Ashes—a literal wasteland of industrial byproduct—and she spends every waking moment trying to pretend she’s part of the world of East Egg.
She doesn't just want a better life; she wants a different* life. She wants the clothes, the manners, and the status that comes with being a mistress to a man like Tom Buchanan. In real terms, this isn't a subtle desire. It's loud, it's messy, and it's incredibly human.
The Escalation of Desperation
As the plot progresses, Myrtle’s behavior becomes more erratic. This is where the "dynamic" argument gets interesting.
When she is with Tom in the city, she is a different person. She adopts a persona of sophistication. She treats her husband, George, with a level of contempt that is almost jarring. She is trying to "act" her way into a higher social class.
Is this a change in character, or is it just a mask?
Some argue that her shift in behavior is a sign of growth—she is realizing what she wants and is willing to do anything to get it. On top of that, others argue she is static because her core desire—to be someone else—never actually changes. She doesn't learn a lesson. She doesn't realize that Tom is using her. She just doubles down on the delusion.
Continue exploring with our guides on ap biology photosynthesis and cellular respiration and equations of lines that are parallel.
The Fatal Confrontation
The climax of her arc is, of course, her death. And in her final moments, she isn't trying to escape Tom; she's trying to escape George. She thinks that by asserting her independence—by walking toward that car—she is finally breaking free from the "ash" of her life.
She dies because she is caught between two worlds: the world she was born into and the world she desperately tried to inhabit.
Common Mistakes / What Most People Get Wrong
Here is where most people trip up when they try to analyze her.
First, people often mistake reaction for change.
Just because Myrtle becomes more aggressive or more desperate doesn't mean she is a dynamic character. A dynamic character changes their internal* makeup. Myrtle's internal makeup—her longing for status and her dissatisfaction with her life—remains constant. She is a person on a collision course, and she doesn't change her direction even when the wreckage is visible.
The second mistake is thinking that a character has to be "good" to be dynamic.
You don't need to be a saint to undergo a character arc. But in Myrtle's case, the argument for her being static is actually stronger because she is so singularly focused. She is a character defined by a single, unyielding impulse. She is a force of nature, even if that force is a desperate one.
Practical Tips for Analyzing Character Arcs
If you're tackling this for a class or just for your own deep reading, here’s how to approach it without getting lost in the jargon.
Look for the Internal Shift. Ask yourself: Does the character's worldview change? Does the character learn something that alters how they see the world? If the answer is no, they are likely static.
Look for the External Reaction. Don't confuse a character's actions with their soul. A character can run, scream, fight, or spend money, but if they are doing it for the same reason they were doing it at the start, they haven't changed.
Look for the Symbolism. So in literary fiction, characters often serve a purpose beyond their own lives. Consider this: myrtle is a symbol of the "lower classes" being run over by the "upper classes. Worth adding: " When a character is a symbol, they are almost always static. They are there to represent a concept, and concepts don't usually change mid-story.
FAQ
Is Myrtle Wilson a protagonist or a supporting character?
She is a supporting character. While she is vital to the plot and the themes of the book, the story is centered on Nick Carraway's perspective and Jay Gatsby's obsession.
Does Myrtle's death change the other characters?
Yes, absolutely. Her death is the catalyst for the novel's tragic conclusion. It leads to George Wilson's breakdown and eventual murder-suicide. On the flip side, a character's death doesn't make them dynamic; it just makes their impact on the story significant.
Is there an argument for her being dynamic?
Yes. You can argue that her transition from a submissive wife to a woman asserting her own (albeit misguided) agency represents a psychological shift. If you view her "acting" as a genuine attempt to transform her identity, you can make a case for her being dynamic.
Why is she so important to the theme of the American Dream?
She represents the "cost" of the dream. She is the person who tries to climb the social ladder, only to find that the ladder is broken and the people at the top are driving cars through her.
When all is said and done, whether you view her as static or dynamic, one thing is certain: Myrtle Wilson is one of the most vivid, heartbreaking characters in American literature. She isn't just a plot point. She's a reminder that in the pursuit of a dream, there are often people left behind in the ashes.
