Question at position 9 In Chapter 2, what could the dog that Tom buys Myrtle symbolize?The dog represents Myrtle’s hope for Tom's loyalty, reflecting her belief that he will one day be as devoted to her as a pet dog.The dog symbolizes Myrtle’s longing for stability and domesticity, emphasizing what she lacks in both her marriage and affair.The dog highlights the tension between Tom and Myrtle, symbolizing their differing views on responsibility and commitment.The dog represents the carelessness of the wealthy, who act without considering consequences and leave others to handle their mess.

Question

Question at position 9 In Chapter 2, what could the dog that Tom buys Myrtle symbolize?The dog represents Myrtle’s hope for Tom's loyalty, reflecting her belief that he will one day be as devoted to her as a pet dog.The dog symbolizes Myrtle’s longing for stability and domesticity, emphasizing what she lacks in both her marriage and affair.The dog highlights the tension between Tom and Myrtle, symbolizing their differing views on responsibility and commitment.The dog represents the carelessness of the wealthy, who act without considering consequences and leave others to handle their mess.

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Exploring the symbolism of the dog in the context of Tom and Myrtle, we evaluate what each proposed interpretation would suggest about the characters and themes.
Option 1: 'The dog represents Myrtle’s hope for Tom's loyalty, reflecting her belief that he will one day be as devoted to her as a pet dog.' This reading emphasizes loyalty and domestic devotion, but the dog scene in the narrative is more about social critique and imbalance rather than Myrtle gaining genuine loyalty from Tom; it personalizes devotion in a way that doesn’t align with Tom’s pattern of inconsistency.
Option 2: 'The dog symbolizes Myrtle’s longing for stability and domesticity, emphasizing what she lacks in both her marriage and affair.' While longing for stability can be a motif in Gatsby-era fiction, the dog’s presence is less about Myrtle’s desire for a conventional home and more about the fault lines in wealth, power, and responsibility among the affluent characters, making this interpretation incomplete as a primary symbol.
Option 3: 'The dog highlights the tension between Tom and Myrtle, symbolizing their differing views on responsibility and commitment.' The relationship between Tom and Myrtle does involve tension and conflicting attitudes toward commitment, but the dog’s symbolism is broader: it points to the consequences of wealth for others and who is left to deal with messes, rather than a simple marital argument about responsibility.
Option 4: 'The dog represents the carelessness of the wealthy, who act without considering consequences and leave others to handle their mess.' This reading aligns with a recurring critique in the text: wealth enables reckless behavior, and those with money avoid accountability, causing harm to those around them who must bear the fallout. The dog functions as a tangible sign of that neglect and social irony, illustrating how the privileged class can act without facing the consequences of their actions.
In summary, each option offers a plausible angle, but the strongest and most thematically consistent reading ties the dog to the broader meditation on wealth, irresponsibility, and the resulting burden carried by others, which is captured most directly by the fourth choice.

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