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When she sees the chance to have that small hope realized, however she takes it. That chance comes one day on the train when Myrtle meets Tom Buchanan. And though she has some hesitations about entering a relationship with Tom, she reminds herself "you can't live forever."(pg. 15) Her life with Tom becomes more real to her than the one she lives with George, because it is the life she wants. This is evidenced by her treatment of George, "as if he were a ghost," because he is part of her past life, the one she wishes were dead and over. She avoids returning to the valley of ashes because it reminds her that her life in the city with Tom is not completely real, despite her attempts to make it so with her apartment and dog. Daisy and Tom's attachment to her stand in Myrtle's way, and so Myrtle lives in a dream world. .
The day she met Nick Carraway and the subsequent party can be broken down into several parts in order to show more of Myrtle's character. The first is the trip from the train to the apartment. During this time, we see her belief that she is of a high social caliber manifesting itself in the way she tries to make herself feel special. Fitzgerald tells us that she "let four taxicabs drive away before she selected one, lavender colored with gray interiors."(pg. 11) Myrtle feels that she deserves better than what she already has, so when given any choice, she chooses the most extravagant or original possible, something she is not able to experience in her life with George. This is also an attempt to convey to others her own worth. Next, she wants a puppy. Although her explanation for the desire is that they are simply "nice to have," it stems from a desire to control something. In the valley of ashes, she is controlled by her economic position, and when she escapes that in her other life, she is controlled by Tom. Having a puppy to take care of and fuss over would allow her to control some other creature, making her lack of control in her own life easier to handle.
