In the last two chapters of "The Great Gatsby", readers see the end of Gatsby. In chapter 8, Gatsby and Nick meet at Gatsby's mansion. Gatsby talks about his love for Daisy from a young age, and that he loved her for her"youth and vitality", while idolizing her social position, wealth, and popularity. Daisy promised to wait for Gatsby, but broke her promise by marrying Tom. So, it seems like Gatsby loved Daisy more than Daisy loved Gatsby in a way, because she wouldn't have married Tom if she really loved Gatsby. In chapter 9, Wilson tries to find out who killed Myrtle with their car. He knows for sure it isn't Tom because he came after the accident, so Wilson goes to Gatsby's mansion where Gatsby is relaxing in his pool, thinking about his life and how empty it is. Wilson immediately shoots Gatsby with a gun, and then proceeds to shoot himself. Nick is devastated, and thinks the Buchanan's are cheaters who deceives people, and gets away with it because of their wealth.
This is the most important chapter throughout the book. The plot escalates dramatically throughout the entirety of this chapter. The reader can observe in chapter 7, that the tension between Gatsby and Tom escalates. Many occurrences throughout the scene have a sort of awkward tension between the two. Tom is suspicious of Gatsby's and Daisy's rekindled love for each other, but his suspicions become accurate when Gatsby meets Daisy's baby. Daisy seems somewhat uninterested in her child, almost as if the baby reminds her of regretful love with Tom. However, Gatsby's face lights up in admiration for the baby, completely different from Daisy's attitude towards her own child. Daisy admits her love for Gatsby, and Gatsby is has a passionate look on his face when they decide to go out to the city together. Gatsby and Tom continuously argue and degrade each other. Tom claiming that "Gatsby never went to Oxford", and Gatsby claiming that "Daisy never loved Tom". Towards the end of the chapter, a report of an accident is mentioned. Apparently, Myrtle was hit by a car in the Valley of Ashes. Daisy was driving the vehicle, but Gatsby claimed the responsibility instead. One can infer that Tom purposefully sent out that car so that Myrtle can be hit, so this way he wouldn't feel as guilty for cheating on Daisy with Myrtle. Because hey, the way to get rid of your problems is to get rid of the person "causing" it right? Tom's aggressiveness and cruelty is shown with his actions in this scene, along with his superiority.
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Sneha GeorgeHeritage High School Archives
May 2015
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