3.7.1
Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven - Summary (Part One)
Chapter Seven - Summary (Part One)
Suddenly, Gatsby’s parties cease. Concerned that Gatsby might be sick, Nick pays a visit to the house and finds out that Gatsby’s usual servants have all been replaced.
Gatsby's changing ways
Gatsby's changing ways
- Gatsby calls Nick the next day and explains that Daisy now 'comes over quite often' and he so felt it necessary to replace his servants with people who wouldn't gossip. The new servants are associates of Wolfsheim.
- Now that he has Daisy, Gatsby no longer has any interest in the 'new money' way of life in which he threw extravagant parties.
- But the presence of Wolfsheim’s men in his house suggests that Gatsby can’t escape the corruption he exposed himself to in his mission to become wealthy.
Lunch at Daisy's
Lunch at Daisy's
- The following day is the hottest of the year, and Daisy has invited Nick and Gatsby to have lunch with her, Jordan and Tom.
- While Tom is out of the room, Daisy kisses Gatsby on the lips and tells him that she loves him.
- The guests then meet Pammy, Daisy and Tom’s child. Gatsby seems surprised to meet Pammy, and Nick remarks that it is as if Gatsby has never 'really believed in its existence before'.
Daisy hints at the affair
Daisy hints at the affair
- The five sit down in a 'darkened' dining-room, but the atmosphere is uncomfortable. Daisy asks what they ought to do for the rest of the day, and she adds 'and the day after that, and the next thirty years', before suggesting that they all 'go to town'.
- Daisy tells Gatsby that he always looks 'so cool' like 'the advertisement of the man' in a tone that confirms to Tom that they are having an affair, leaving him 'astounded'.
- Tom suddenly decides that they will all follow Daisy’s suggestion and go to the city.
Car journeys to town
Car journeys to town
- Before they all start their journey to New York City, Nick privately comments to Gatsby that Daisy is very 'indiscreet', and Gatsby mysteriously comments that he thinks Daisy’s voice is 'full of money'.
- Tom decides he will drive Gatsby’s 'big yellow' car, and Gatsby can have his coupe. Gatsby takes Daisy, and Tom takes Nick and Jordan.
- Tom makes it clear to Nick and Jordan that he knows about the affair. Gatsby’s car is low on petrol, so Tom is forced to stop at Wilson’s Garage in the so-called Valley of Ashes to refuel.
George Wilson's revelation
George Wilson's revelation
- George Wilson comes out to refill the car, and he asks about the possibility of buying Tom’s car from him to resell because he is desperately trying to raise money to 'go west'.
- Tom is 'startled' by this news because it means that his mistress, Myrtle, will be moving away.
- George Wilson reveals that he has 'wised up' to the fact that his wife, Myrtle, has been living 'some sort of life apart from him in another world'; a realisation which has made him physically unwell.
Doctor T. J. Eckleburg's eyes
Doctor T. J. Eckleburg's eyes
- Just as he did at the start of Chapter Two, Nick notices the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg staring down at them from the advertising board.
- He then sees Myrtle Wilson looking at them from the window of the garage: she is staring at Jordan Baker, who is sitting in the front seat of Gatsby’s car, and Nick realises she must have mistaken her for Daisy.
Chapter Seven - Summary (Part Two)
Chapter Seven - Summary (Part Two)
When the group eventually arrive in New York City, they decide to book a suite in the Plaza Hotel, beside Central Park.
Tension in the apartment
Tension in the apartment
- Emotions are running high in the suite, and Tom becomes increasingly hostile towards Gatsby, challenging his history as an 'Oxford man' and implying he has lied about his origins.
- Tom then openly asks Gatsby 'what kind of a row' he is trying to cause between him and Daisy.
- Daisy 'desperately' tries to calm the situation down to avoid any further conflict.
- Gatsby declares to Tom that Daisy 'never loved' him, and Daisy, hesitantly, confirms that this is the case.
Daisy confesses love for Tom
Daisy confesses love for Tom
- Tom reminds Daisy about different parts of their history together, such as their time in Hawaii, and Daisy is forced to confess that actually she was in love with Tom, but that she loved Gatsby 'too'.
- Nick describes how Gatsby’s 'eyes opened and closed' as he is in a state of disbelief at this latest revelation.
- Gatsby seems heartbroken and almost physically hurt by the knowledge that Daisy has loved someone other than him.
Gatsby's criminal connections
Gatsby's criminal connections
- Sensing his advantage, Tom chooses this moment to reveal that he has uncovered Gatsby’s associations with criminals such as Wolfsheim. Daisy is 'terrified' by this.
- Tom feels as if he has won and, as a final insult, tells Daisy to travel back home with Gatsby in his car.
- After Gatsby and Daisy leave, Nick remembers that today is his birthday, and he has turned thirty and that, before him 'stretched the portentous, menacing road of a new decade'.
Michaelis' testimony
Michaelis' testimony
- As Tom, Nick and Jordan travel back to Long Island in Tom’s coupe, the narrative cuts to an inquest where a man named Michaelis, a neighbour of the Wilsons, is a key witness.
- Michaelis testifies that he saw Myrtle escape from the house and run into the middle of the street, where she was hit by a car which could have been 'light green', and that the car continued to drive on.
Tom, Jordan and Nick arrive
Tom, Jordan and Nick arrive
- The narrative again returns to Nick’s point of view. Tom’s car arrives at the scene of the accident and they stop to 'take a look' at the commotion. Overcome by grief, Tom suspects that it must have been Gatsby who killed Myrtle.
- Tom, Nick and Jordan go back to Tom’s house. Tom telephones for a taxi for Nick, who is 'feeling a little sick' from the shock of what he has witnessed.
Daisy's part revealed
Daisy's part revealed
- While waiting outside for the taxi, Gatsby emerges from some bushes and explains that Daisy was driving the car because she 'thought it would steady her to drive'.
- When the accident happened, Gatsby had tried to grab the wheel but was unable to stop Myrtle from being killed. Gatsby is concerned that Tom is going to harm Daisy that night, and he has instructed Daisy to 'turn the light out and on again' in her room if he 'tries any brutality'.
Daisy and Tom
Daisy and Tom
- Nick looks through one of the windows and notices that Daisy and Tom are sitting opposite one another, sharing a plate of fried chicken, and were 'talking intently'.
- While Nick can see that 'they weren’t happy', Nick also observes that 'they weren’t unhappy either'.
- Nick informs Gatsby that the house is all quiet so he ought to go home. Gatsby says he wants to wait there 'till Daisy goes to bed', and Nick leaves him 'standing there in the moonlight - watching over nothing'.
1Specification Overview
1.1Specification Overview
2Context
3Plot Summary
3.1Chapter One
3.2Chapter Two
3.3Chapter Three
3.4Chapter Four
3.6Chapter Six
3.7Chapter Seven
3.8Chapter Eight
4Character Profiles
4.3Daisy Buchanan
4.5Minor Characters
5Key Ideas
6Writing Techniques
6.1Structure, Genre & Narrative Voice
7Love Through the Ages - Thematic Analysis
7.1Love Through the Ages
Jump to other topics
1Specification Overview
1.1Specification Overview
2Context
3Plot Summary
3.1Chapter One
3.2Chapter Two
3.3Chapter Three
3.4Chapter Four
3.6Chapter Six
3.7Chapter Seven
3.8Chapter Eight
4Character Profiles
4.3Daisy Buchanan
4.5Minor Characters
5Key Ideas
6Writing Techniques
6.1Structure, Genre & Narrative Voice
7Love Through the Ages - Thematic Analysis
7.1Love Through the Ages
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