Wilson's+garage

Wilson's Garage



﻿Introduction In //The Great Gatsby//, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes settings to contrast the different realities in the novel. Wilson’s Garage is located in the Valley of Ashes, halfway between New York and the Eggs where numerous turning points occur. The ash-coated garage provides a glimpse of the harsh reality of the commons in a glamour-and-wealth-coated society. Over looked by the eyes of T. J. Eckleburg, the readers are reminded of the guilt and consequences escaped by the characters. Topic Sentence 1 ﻿Any selfish or immoral acts taken by the characters seem to be without consequences, yet, under the judging eyes of T. J. Eckleburg the reality creeps in where the readers are reminded of the escaped penalties and costs.

**‘She nodded and moved away from him just as George Wilson emerged with two chairs from his office door.’ (Pg. 30)**


 * The only place where the two make an effort to keep the affair hidden
 * Tom and Myrtle go to public cafes in New York; they openly live together in an apartment and invite guests over.
 * Tom receives Myrtle's phone calls in his own house while Daisy is present. The affair is also openly talked about there.
 * In New York and East Egg there is no consequences to the affair, but in Wilson’s garage, there is.


 * '‘I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God. I took her to the window’' (Pg. 167) **


 * Wilson takes Myrtle to the window, placing her before the judging eyes of T. J. Eckleburg.
 * An attempt to trigger the feeling of guilt in Myrtle
 * Telling her God saw her crimes, and she will eventually receive the deserved punishment.


 * ‘'God sees everything,' repeated Wilson’ **
 * ‘'That’s an advertisement,' Michaelis assured him. ‘ (Pg. 167) **


 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">direct reference to the eyes of T. J. Eckleburg as that of God.
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">No faults or wrong-doing can escape the all-seeing eyes
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Wilson is one of the few characters in the novel thats concerned with morality

<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 200%;">﻿Topic Sentence 2 <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">﻿Wilson’s Garage provides contrast to the wealthy and prosperous East Egg and New York, allowing the readers to peak into the parallel reality of the poor and the common.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">‘The interior was unprosperous and bare; the only car visible was the dust-covered wreck of a Ford which crouched in a dim corner.’ (Pg. 29) **


 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Detailed description of the garage contrasts the Gatsby’s extravagant parties and Tom’s luxurious house.
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">No evidence of wealth is present, only poverty.
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Deprived of any kind of material goods.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**‘We were all irritable now with the fading ale, and aware of it we drove for a while in silence.’ (Pg. 129)**


 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">No involvement of alcohol near the garage
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Without the effects of the alcohol, all reality is harsh and real, no blur, no haze
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">People no longer wore the mask of friendliness

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**‘When are you going to sell me that car?’ (Pg. 29)**


 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">A question frequently asked by Wilson
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The only place where there is a struggle to earn money
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Where wealth requires effort
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">In New York and the Eggs, there is only wild squandering. There money is perceived as something that can be acquired easily and effortlessly

<span style="color: #404040; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 200%;">﻿Topic Sentence 3 <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Although Wilson’s Garage is only mentioned four times in the novel, it is the location where many crucial events take place.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**‘We are Getting off,’ he insisted ‘I want you to meet my girl.’ (Pg. 28)**


 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The first appearance of Tom’s mistress, the affair is now real to Nick.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**‘My wife and I want to go west’ (Pg. 130)**


 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Right after Gatsby intrudes Tom’s life, another shocking news hits him.
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">A double loss of both his wife and his mistress

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**‘Myrtle Wilson, her life violently extinguished, knelt in the road and mingled her thick dark blood with the dust.’ (Pg. 144-145)**


 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The first and final encounter between Daisy and Myrtle, where Daisy murders Myrtle
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Sets up Gatsby’s murder
 * <span style="color: #808080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Where myrtle first appears and where she dies, symbolizes Wilson’s garage is where she belongs although she doesn't really fit in with the environment

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">A Note on the Layout <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Since Wilson's Garage is located in the Valley of Ashes, I intentionally made all my fonts gray to accompany the context of the topic.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Citations: <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Southwest Dimensions of Texas, Inc. Minter Garage. Digital image. SWDimensionsTx Photo Gallery. Southwest Dimensions of Texas, Inc. Web. <http://swdtx.com/photogallery/Vintage/Minter%20garage640x552.jpg>.