From The Great Gatsby
George Wilson
The quiet mechanic
A hardworking, tired garage owner who loves his wife and works hard to make ends meet.
Who is George Wilson?
George Wilson owns a small repair garage in the dusty Valley of Ashes, where he wipes grease from his tools and fixes cars all day. He is a tired, hardworking man who loves his wife Myrtle and hopes to earn a little more money. George is polite and quiet, but life is hard for him, and he often feels confused and worried.
George Wilson is a character in The Great Gatsby, the 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.
What is George Wilson like?
- Hardworking
- Weary
- Meek
George Wilson’s story
George Wilson runs a small garage by the Valley of Ashes. Nick describes him as a pale, tired man who seems to be fading into the gray dust around him. He trusts Tom Buchanan and hopes to buy a car from him and resell it, so he can earn enough to move West with his wife. He does not know that Tom is secretly seeing Myrtle.
Over the summer, George begins to suspect that Myrtle is hiding something. He finds out that she has someone else in her life and locks her in the room above the garage, saying that he is going to take her West. His plan collapses when Myrtle runs out to the road and is killed by the car.
After her death, George is beside himself with grief. He sits at the window and stares at the giant billboard of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, saying that God sees everything. Tom tells him that the yellow car belongs to Gatsby, so George goes to find the driver. In the book’s saddest scene, he shoots Gatsby at the pool and then ends his own life.
“God sees everything”
A moment to remember
George politely asks Tom whether he will finally sell him that old car, hoping to fix it up and earn a little extra money.
Family and friends
- Myrtle Wilson: wife
- Tom Buchanan: man he hoped to buy a car from
- Jay Gatsby: the man he wrongly blames
- Nick Carraway: the narrator who observes him
Talk about it
George works very hard but still feels worried a lot. What could a good friend or neighbor do to help someone who is tired and worried?
Questions about George Wilson
- Who is George Wilson?
- George Wilson is the owner of a repair garage in the Valley of Ashes and the husband of Myrtle. He is a tired, quiet man who wants to start a better life out West.
- Why does George Wilson shoot Gatsby?
- George believes that the owner of the yellow car killed Myrtle, and Tom Buchanan tells him that the car is Gatsby’s. He does not know that Daisy was driving.
- What are the eyes on the billboard?
- The giant eyes belong to an advertisement for a Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, who is an eye doctor. George looks at them after Myrtle dies and says that God sees everything.
Read the story in
The Great Gatsby
Ages 6–9, 72 pages
