Many occurrences in The Great Gatsby have produced far-reaching effects for several characters. Among these events, one of the most influential and significant incidents was the death of Myrtle Wilson. Although his life and death greatly affected the lives of all the main and supporting characters, his death had a very significant effect on the lives of Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby. Tom knew Myrtle better than any of the main characters. He had met her on a train to New York. When the train arrived in town, she accompanied him in a taxi and their affair began. Tom never made much effort to keep their relationship a secret. In fact, he almost paraded it in the presence of his acquaintances. They traveled to New York frequently so they could be together. Myrtle was Tom's escape from his own life in East Egg. Even if Daisy gave him a rich and acceptable social image, for him she was nothing more than a simple possession. His affair with Myrtle offered him a chance to defy his social expectations. Their relationship was important to him because of this opportunity to escape. When Myrtle died, it shook him to the core, especially because he believed Gatsby was driving the yellow car. After leaving George Wilson's garage the night of the accident, he managed to drive slowly until he and Nick were out of sight. Then he slammed his foot on the accelerator, driving much faster. He began to sob quietly, mourning her death in private. He immediately blamed Gatsby for abruptly ending their relationship. “That fucking coward!” he cried. “He didn’t even stop his car.” His feelings of anger and hurt were greatly intensified by the day spent in New York....... middle of paper ...... Great Gatsby. Although this meant something different for each of the characters, it had the greatest impact on Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby. Works cited and consulted Eble, Kenneth, ed. F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Collection of Reviews. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1973. Gross, Dalton and Maryjean Gross, eds. Understanding “The Great Gatsby”: A student casebook on historical issues, sources, and documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood P, 1998. McAdams, Tony. “Ethics in Gatsby: An Examination of American Values.” In Readings on The Great Gatsby. edited by Katie de Koster. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press. 1998. 111-120. Mizener, Arthur, ed. F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1963. Pelzer, Linda Claycomb. Student companion of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Westport, CT: Greenwood P., 2000.