The Great Gatsby, Chapters 7-9

What is a "libertine," and who behaves like one in this book?

A libertine is a person who is unrestrained by conventions or morality, and many of the guests at Gatsby's parties, or perhaps even Tom & Daisy are libertines--Myrtle, too

How is the behavior of the characters linked to the hottest day of the summer?

Tom appears short-tempered, and Daisy is on edge--the heat causes even the smallest frustration to make them angry

What does Tom discover in Chapter VII that unnerves him?

In Chapter VII, Tom sees the look in Daisy's eyes, and realizes that she actually loves Gatsby

What does Gatsby understand about Daisy's voice that Nick does not?

Nick had been fascinated by Daisy's voice, but couldn't figure out why, exactly, while Gatsby identifies her voice as "full of money," and understands all of her voice's varied forms without question

What is a "prig," and who IS one?

A prig is an obnoxiously proper person, and the only one who seems to act this way is Tom, though he is improper himself

When the group travels to the city in Chapter VII, how do they get there?

Gatsby and Daisy are in the coupe owned by the Buchanans when they drive to the city, and Tom, Jordan, and Nick are in Gatsby's car

Why does Tom finally let Wilson have the car he has been promising him since Chapter II?

Tom finally agrees to let Wilson have the car in Chapter VII, but it's not clear whether it is out of guilt or some sort of understanding of how it feels to be a husband who has been cheated on

What happens in Chapter VII that makes us believe that Myrtle is quite taken with Tom for real?

Nick sees Myrtle's eyes widen in horror when she sees Jordan Baker in the car, and imagines her to be Tom's wife--this implies that Myrtle really loves Tom

As earlier in the book, whose eyes besides Myrtle's keep "their vigil"?

The eyes that really seem to be watching everything are the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg

In what sense is Gatsby and "Oxford man," and what does this tell us about him?

Since Gatsby attended a program at Oxford for former officers for five months, there is a grain of truth to his contention that he is an "Oxford man," just like every story he relates about himself

Nick tells us he is tempted to laugh at Tom, who is shouting about the absence of morality and fidelity in the world--why is this?

Nick feels like laughing at Tom, who is shouting about the absence of morality and fidelity even as he himself is carrying on an affair with Myrtle

Why does Daisy call Tom "revolting"?

Daisy finds it revolting that Tom is a known philanderer (cheater) who passes off his infidelity as "a little spree"

Why does Daisy have a very hard time telling Tom that she never loved him, as Gatsby wishes?

Daisy may not care for Tom now, but she did once--and saying she never did could be a very final act for her

Why does Gatsby need Daisy to admit she never loved Tom, and only cared for Gatsby?

Gatsby needs Daisy to admit she never loved Tom because she would then become part of Gatsby's attempt to control everything in his world

How has Gatsby gotten some of his money, according to Tom?

Tom says that Gatsby's drugstores sell illegal alcohol

When Tom is talking about Gatsby's income in Chapter VII, what does he say that startles Gatsby?

In addition to mentioning that Gatsby is a "bootlegger," Tom also says that Gatsby is involved in something so big that Tom's source was even afraid to identify it

What happens to Daisy when she hears about Gatsby's status as a bootlegger?

Daisy withdraws into herself when she hears Tom call Gatsby a bootlegger in Chapter VII

Fitzgerald uses a remarkable collection of words in a single page of Chapter VII that tell the reader what is going to happen--what is being foreshadowed here?

Nick says that Gatsby's dream is "dead," that Daisy's courage is "gone," that the couple leaves like "ghosts" and that he and Jordan "drove on toward death"--this all foreshadows that someone is going to die in the book

Why does Tom make the point to Wilson that he just drove his own coupe from New York, that the "yellow car" is not his?

Tom disavows having been in the "yellow car" because it may have been involved in the accident--he didn't kill Myrtle

What tells us that Tom really was fond of Myrtle in Chapter VII?

Tom is crying as he drives away from Wilson's garage, telling us that he must have really cared for Myrtle

Why does Nick not wait for the taxi inside Daisy's house?

Nick tells us that he'd "had enough of all of them for one day and suddenly that included Jordan too," and seems to be disgusted with their self-absorbed attitudes

What do we find out at the end of Chapter VII that Tom does not know?

We find out at the end of Chapter VII that Daisy was driving the yellow car, not Gatsby, and Tom doesn't know

What does Nick watch from outside Daisy and Tom's house?

Nick watches Tom and Daisy in their kitchen, Tom putting his hand on Daisy's, and they seem to be in love after all, or at least willing to go on together

Why does the fact that Tom and Daisy are holding hands in their kitchen seem to suggest something bad for Gatsby?

Tom comforting Daisy, and her allowing him to comfort her, seems to suggest that Gatsby is about to lose her forever

What are "strata," and why are they important to the story in Chapter VIII?

Strata are levels of society, and they become important in Chapter VIII because Nick has become disillusioned with the upper class, of which he is both part and apart from, and that included Jordan Baker, whom he sees as just like Daisy and Tom

What does Nick mean in Chapter VIII when he talks about Gatsby not being able to "leave Daisy until he knew what she was going to do"?

Nick says Gatsby can't leave Daisy because Nick believes the affair is finished

Why does Gatsby reveal everything to Nick at this point in the book?

Gatsby finally "comes clean" with Nick at this point because everything that Gatsby had created for himself seemed to fall apart in the face of Tom's hatred for him

How is Gatsby's uniform in the army like an "invisible cloak"?

Gatsby seems to have an invisible cloak because all men seem to look equal from a social standpoint when they are dressed in an army officer's uniform

Why do we find that the young Gatsby was drawn to Daisy?

Gatsby is drawn to Daisy by her beauty, her fortune & home, and the fact that many men love her--as always with Gatsby, he views life and everything in it in terms of worth

Why does Gatsby tell Nick that he's "worth the whole damn bunch put together," speaking of the Buchanans and everyone else they know?

From Gatsby's point of view, Nick is worth the whole "rotten crowd" of Tom and Daisy and the rest because the dreamed world of the ultra-rich is finished for him, and the others have brought Gatsby nothing but heartbreak

Why is Nick no longer interested in Jordan Baker?

Nick thinks of Jordan just like Tom and Daisy, and cannot bring himself to see her again

Who does something "unscrupulously" in Chapter VIII, and what does this person do?

Tom tells Wilson that Gatsby was driving the car that killed Myrtle, behaving unscrupulously in not being honest or fair to Gatsby

Do the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg appear in Chapter VIII?

The huge blue eyes of the doctor are staring at Wilson and Myrtle when Wilson describes the fight that sent her running out

When Wilson disappears for three hours, where do you think he's gone?

Wilson has gone in search of Gatsby since Tom told him that Gatsby was driving the car that struck Myrtle

What does Nick mean when he says that Gatsby "felt he had lost the old, warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream"?

Nick believes that Gatsby has paid a terrible price for his single-minded dream to possess Daisy

Why does Wilson kill Gatsby?

Wilson kills Gatsby because Tom has given Wilson the impression that Gatsby was carrying on with Myrtle, and that Gatsby has killed her

Why does Nick feel responsible for getting people to the funeral in Chapter IX?

Nick feels he ought to get people to the funeral because he somehow seems to be Gatsby's only friend--even Wolfsheim abandons Gatsby somewhat

Why does Wolfsheim abandon Gatsby after his death?

Wolfsheim seems to think that getting involved in Gatsby's death in any way might hurt his own business

What does the schedule of young Jimmy Gatz say about him?

Jimmy Gatz set a strict schedule of self-improvement, so he seems to have long held the goal of ultimate success

What are "resolves," and who has them?

Young Jimmy Gatz gave himself resolves in his schedule, resolutions to make himself better

Is Nick surprised that Daisy has not sent a message or flowers? Are you?

Nick lets us know that he doesn't resent the fact that Daisy didn't send message or flowers, almost like he expected it

After criticizing the Middle West for most of the book, why does he now seem to appreciate it?

Nick has come to rely on the Midwest for stability and continuity, something he hasn't found in the East

What would Nick's fantastic dreams in Chapter IX seem to be about--does it involve his feelings about the East?

Nick's dream of four solemn men in a work by El Greco, the men carrying a drunken woman on a stretcher, signifies his view of the East as a cold, heartless place

How does Nick feel about Daisy and Tom at the end of the book?

Though Nick sees Daisy and Tom as careless people who smash things up and then retreat back into their money, it seems pointless to hate them--he can't forgive or like them, but they seem unaware of anything but themselves

In the last three paragraphs of the book, how does Nick make the symbol of the green light very concrete?

Nick says at the end that the green light represents the rich, full future of our own dreams "that year by year recedes before us," almost graspable but always beyond reach

What does the last sentence of the story mean?

Nick says in the last sentence that we row against the current--we don't move forward, but always return to the dreams of our past