Mise En Scene

The Great Gatsby- Myrtle's Death. 

The scene begins with Jay Gatsby's car driving dangerously on the road. Gatsby's car is the only bright cars driving on the bridge- the other cars are black. The car he drives and speed accompanies Gatsby's exciting and lavish lifestyle. 

The bridge seen in this scene may show the audience The Great Gatsby is set in a city presumably New York City in the 1920s.

 As Gatsby drives on, the audience sees Myrtle and George Wilson fighting. Myrtle is evidently injured as she has a visible cut on her forehead and her hair is disheveled. She is inferior to her husband as she is pressed up on the dirty window. Her face shows fear for her angered husband. 

There is a contrast in both Myrtle and George’s appearance.  The Great Gatsby was set in the 1920s era. The soft pale pink dress she is wearing shows her legs- her clothing may suggest she is feminine yet seductive. It may also suggest she is wealthy as her clothing looks very luxurious. Myrtle’s attire may infer she believes she belongs in a wealthier area; whereas George’s appearance is very scruffy and unkempt, both his clothes and face are covered in black streaks. George’s attire fits in with their environment and his profession as they live in a poor area in an auto-repair shop- which George owns.

As their fight intensifies, the audience can see the state of Myrtle. She is held on the window by George- this may suggest he is intimidating her to get answers on who gave her the extravagant pearls around her neck. It could infer George is trying to make eye contact with his wife yet Myrtle averts her eyes to the window; this may show Myrtle is guilty. She continues to look afraid of George and his actions.

After Myrtle escapes George's hold, she goes out to seek help. Myrtle's appearance does not fit into the environment that surrounds her. She is surrounded by the colour red which may connote she is in danger. 

Myrtle's look of relief after seeing Gatsby's car suggests she is looking for an escape both from George and from the poor environment in favour of the lifestyle Gatsby and her lover, Tom, lives.

The woman runs on the road in the hope Gatsby would see her and stop. The key light from the car alerts the audience of what is to happen. The light may also connote, Myrtle is walking into the 'light which may symbolise her foreseeable death. 

Like Gatsby's car, Myrtle's dress is very vibrant. This may highlight the important of the car and Myrtle in this scene. 

The car light shines on Myrtle's face before she is hit. The light may further connote she 'sees the light' - her death is imminent. 

Her facial expression and body language shows her desperation for the car to stop. Myrtle attempts to draw attention to herself by stretching her arms in a 'stop' signal but it does not work.

The shot of Myrtle flying in the air shows her red nail varnish. Again, the colour red connotes danger. However, as Myrtle was calling out for her lover Tom, who she assumed was driving the   yellow car, it could be suggested the colour red connotes her love.

Gatsby's expression shows the audience he did not intend to hit Myrtle with his car. He attempts to  steer the car away from her yet to no avail. The audience can see his determination to avoid hitting Myrtle and steer himself to safety. 

Even though they fought and George was visibly violent towards Myrtle, the audience can see his  shock as he watches his wife die in front of him. His hand on the window may suggest his helplessness as he can't save her from her death. 

The scene ends with another shot of the eye with glasses image- which may suggest they are all under the watchful eyes of God and all sins are met with punishment. This may connote Myrtles death was the result of her committing a sin.