Daisy and Myrtle are two of the most iconic characters in literature, and their names are as recognizable as the novel in which they appear The Great Gatsby.
But why are they named after flowers? In this article, we’ll uncover the true story behind Daisy and Myrtle’s names, exploring the symbolism each flower embodies and how Fitzgerald used them to convey his characters’ personalities.
We’ll also look at the legacy of Daisy and Myrtle, and how their names have been used in other literary works and in pop culture.
So come with us on a journey to uncover the hidden meaning behind Daisy and Myrtle’s names.
Table of Contents
Short Answer
Daisy and Myrtle are named after flowers to provide a contrast between the two characters.
Daisy is associated with innocence and youth, while Myrtle is associated with maturity and experience.
The names also provide a contrast between the two characters in terms of their personalities and outlook on life.
Daisy is more nave and carefree, while Myrtle is more serious and mature.
Daisy
The character of Daisy Buchanan in F.
Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby is named after the daisy flower, which is a symbol of innocence and purity.
This is a meaningful choice by Fitzgerald, as Daisy is presented as a delicate, romantic figure.
Through her namesake, Fitzgerald suggests that Daisy is a symbol of youthful innocence and beauty, with a fragile, almost ethereal quality.
Throughout the novel, Daisy is portrayed as a symbol of hope and idealized love, serving as a source of comfort and solace for Gatsby and other characters.
This is further reinforced by her namesake, as the daisy is a flower with a strong association with innocence, hope, and new beginnings.
In addition, Daisy’s flowery name reflects her role in the novel as a source of beauty and light among the darkness and despair of the other characters.
Her innocence and purity is juxtaposed with the seedy and corrupt world of Jay Gatsby and his associates.
This serves to highlight the contrast between the two worlds, and the power of love and beauty in the face of darkness.
Overall, Daisy’s namesake reflects Fitzgerald’s intention in naming her character after the daisy flower: to suggest that she is a symbol of innocence and pure beauty, and a source of hope and light in the midst of darkness.
Myrtle
Myrtle Wilson is one of the most iconic characters in F.
Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby.
In the novel, Myrtle is the wife of George Wilson, who runs a car repair shop in the Valley of Ashes.
She is a beautiful, vivacious woman who is desperate for a better life, and she is drawn to the wealthy and glamorous lifestyle of Jay Gatsby.
Her name is derived from the flower known as the myrtle, which is a symbol of love and fertility.
By giving Myrtle this name, Fitzgerald is emphasizing her longing for the love and security that she cannot find with her husband.
Additionally, it suggests that Myrtle will be a key figure in the story’s resolution and may ultimately provide the love and hope that Gatsby desires.
Myrtle’s character is ultimately a tragic one, as she meets a heart-breaking end in the novel, but her story still serves as an important reminder of the power of love and the consequences of our choices.
Daisy and Myrtles Role in The Great Gatsby
In F. Scott Fitzgeralds classic novel, The Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson are two of the most iconic characters. Their names are derived from two different flowers: the daisy and the myrtle. The daisy symbolizes innocence and purity, while the myrtle is a symbol of love and fertility. By giving these characters names derived from flowers, Fitzgerald is suggesting that both Daisy and Myrtle are delicate, romantic figures, and that they will be important to the overall plot of the story.
Daisy Buchanan is a woman of wealth and privilege who is married to Tom Buchanan, a wealthy man from a distinguished family.
Daisy is beautiful and charming, but beneath her glamorous exterior lies a troubled and complex inner life.
She is a symbol of the shallowness and superficiality of the upper class, and her affair with Jay Gatsby is ultimately the catalyst for the tragedy of the novel.
Myrtle Wilson is the wife of George Wilson, a mechanic who owns a small garage in the Valley of Ashes.
Myrtle is an ambitious woman who is desperate to escape her working-class life and become a part of the affluent society of East Egg.
She is often seen as a symbol of the corrupting influence of money on the lower classes, and her affair with Tom Buchanan is ultimately what leads to her unfortunate demise.
Through these characters, Fitzgerald reveals the complex and often contradictory nature of human relationships.
Daisy and Myrtle are both symbols of beauty and innocence, but their respective relationships with the other characters in the novel reveal the darker side of desire and ambition.
By naming these characters after flowers, Fitzgerald reveals the fragility and delicate nature of love and relationships.
It is this fragility that ultimately leads to tragedy in The Great Gatsby.
Fitzgeralds Use of Symbolism
The use of symbolism in literature is a powerful tool used by authors to convey deeper meanings and to give readers a deeper understanding of characters and plots.
F.
Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most renowned novelists of the 20th century and his use of symbolism is widely recognized.
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald’s use of symbolism is especially prominent, and he utilizes it to great effect in naming the characters Daisy and Myrtle.
The use of flowers to symbolize Daisy and Myrtle is a brilliant device employed by Fitzgerald.
The daisy symbolizes innocence and purity, while the myrtle stands for love and fertility.
By naming these characters after flowers, Fitzgerald is suggesting that they are delicate, romantic figures and that their influence on the story will be significant.
The symbolism of the daisy and myrtle also serves to emphasize the differences between the two characters.
Daisy is portrayed as a naive and innocent character, while Myrtle is a more daring and passionate figure.
The use of different symbolic flowers to represent these characters further highlights their differences and suggests that they have different roles to play in the novel.
In addition to the symbolism of the daisy and the myrtle, there are other symbols used in The Great Gatsby to represent Daisy and Myrtle.
For example, Daisy is often associated with light due to her innocence and purity, while Myrtle is associated with darkness due to her passionate and daring nature.
Fitzgerald’s use of symbolism in The Great Gatsby is an integral part of the novel and is essential in helping readers to understand the characters and the plot.
By using symbolism to represent the characters of Daisy and Myrtle, Fitzgerald is able to convey deeper meanings and to suggest that they will be important to the overall plot of the story.
Daisy and Myrtles Legacy
The names Daisy and Myrtle have gone down in literary history as two of the most iconic characters in F.
Scott Fitzgerald’s classic, The Great Gatsby.
Both names are derived from two distinct flowers, with Daisy representing innocence and purity, while Myrtle is a symbol of love and fertility.
By giving these characters names derived from flowers, Fitzgerald is giving us a glimpse into the personalities of both Daisy and Myrtle and hinting at the importance they will play in the overall plot of the story.
The use of flower names for characters is certainly not new in literature, but Fitzgerald’s choice of daisy and myrtle for Gatsby’s two female leads stands out.
The significance of the names is clearly deliberate; both characters are delicate and romantic figures in the novel, and their names hint at their innocence and potential for a happy ending.
Daisy is a nave and impressionable young woman, whose beauty and innocence are contrasted with the corruption and materialism of the world around her.
Myrtle, on the other hand, is a passionate and vivacious woman whose dreams of a better life are ultimately crushed by the reality of her situation.
In many ways, Daisy and Myrtle’s names are representative of their respective roles in the story.
Daisy is a symbol of hope in a world of despair, while Myrtle is a representation of the struggles and disappointment of life.
Fitzgerald’s use of flower names for these characters serves to emphasize the fragility and beauty of their characters, as well as the tragedy of their stories.
Ultimately, Fitzgerald’s choice of flower names for Daisy and Myrtle serves to highlight the delicate balance between beauty and tragedy in life, and the importance of treasuring the moments of joy and beauty that we have.
By carefully selecting flower names for his characters, Fitzgerald was able to create a powerful and lasting legacy for Daisy and Myrtle, and their names will forever be intertwined with the beauty and tragedy of Gatsby’s world.
Comparisons to Other Literary Works
When looking at Fitzgeralds use of flower names for Daisy and Myrtle in The Great Gatsby, one cant help but be reminded of other notable literary works that also rely on flower symbolism.
In William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream, for example, the characters Oberon and Titania are named after the flowers oberon and titania, which represent the power of love and beauty in the play.
Similarly, in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter, the main character Hester Prynne is associated with the prynne flower, which symbolizes passion and loyalty.
These examples demonstrate that the use of flower names to invoke certain themes and feelings is a well-established literary device, and it is clear that Fitzgerald was aware of this when he chose the names Daisy and Myrtle for his characters.
Daisy and Myrtles Impact on Pop Culture
Since the release of F.
Scott Fitzgeralds novel The Great Gatsby, the names Daisy and Myrtle have become iconic in popular culture.
Not only have the names become synonymous with the book, but the two characters have also inspired countless films, TV shows, and books.
While they are often portrayed as romantic figures, Daisy and Myrtle also represent the complexities of female identity, femininity, and the roles of women in society.
The names Daisy and Myrtle have become associated with beauty, innocence, and romance.
From Disney movies to fashion lines, the names have become symbols of femininity and fragility.
In the novel, Daisy and Myrtle represent the women of the Jazz Agebeautiful, idealized, and often misunderstood.
Their presence in the novel is a reminder of the power of femininity and the importance of representation in literature.
The characters of Daisy and Myrtle have also inspired a variety of TV shows, movies, and books.
The most famous example is Baz Luhrmanns 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby, in which Daisy and Myrtle are portrayed by Carey Mulligan and Isla Fisher respectively.
The film was a critical and commercial success, and further cemented the characters as symbols of the Jazz Age.
Aside from film and television, Daisy and Myrtle have also been featured in numerous books. One of the most notable is the novel Daisy and Myrtle: A Tale of Two Lovers by author Alice McDermott. The book follows Daisy and Myrtle as they navigate the world of love, heartbreak, and the complexities of female identity. Another popular example is Daisy and Myrtle: A Novel by author Margaret Mitchell. This book follows Daisy and Myrtle as they become entangled in a web of secrets and lies.
Daisy and Myrtle have become iconic symbols in popular culture, and their presence in literature is a reminder of the importance of female representation.
From films to books, these characters have become synonymous with beauty, innocence, and romance.
By giving these characters names derived from flowers, Fitzgerald is suggesting that both Daisy and Myrtle are delicate, romantic figures, and that they will be important to the overall plot of the story.
Final Thoughts
The use of flowers to represent Daisy and Myrtle in F.
Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby, has become iconic in pop culture and literature.
Their names have been used to represent innocence, purity, love, and fertility.
Daisy and Myrtle’s story is a reminder that a small symbol can have a big impact and that flowers can carry more meaning than meets the eye.
To truly appreciate Daisy and Myrtle’s legacy, it’s important to analyze other literary works and consider how flowers can serve as symbols for characters and their stories.