Chapter 8 Summary and Analysis

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In the wake of Myrtle’s murder, Nick is unable to sleep. Near dawn, he hears Gatsby pull up in a taxi and goes over to speak with him. After fumbling around, turning on lights and looking for cigarettes, the two sit smoking in the drawing-room, discussing what to do next. Nick suggests Gatsby get out of town, just for a week, just until the fuss dies down, but Gatsby won’t hear of it. He has to stay until Daisy makes a decision. Nick doesn’t have the heart to tell him that she already has, and that she didn’t pick him.

It’s during this conversation that Gatsby tells Nick about Dan Cody and his past. Nick told this story earlier to allay the reader’s concerns about Gatsby’s very shady business dealings, but Gatsby tells it to Nick now to bring him into his confidence and to finally, after years and years, make another friend. Gatsby also tells Nick about meeting Daisy in Louisville while he was still a young officer and about seducing her one night. “I can’t describe to you how surprised I was to find out I loved her,” he says, and explains how the rest of his life became centered around Daisy. While in the war, they wrote letters back and forth, and when he did well and came out of the fighting with the rank of a major, he tried his best to get back to her. Then, while Gatsby was still at Oxford, she met Tom and married him. This was a terrible blow. Gatsby returned to Louisville while she was still on her honeymoon in France, and then, finding himself broke and out of work, he went about trying to find his way back to her. This process took him years.

At dawn, a servant comes in to tell Gatsby he’s going to drain the swimming pool soon. It’s the end of summer, and there won’t be any more parties at the estate. Still, Gatsby doesn’t want to drain the pool just yet. He hasn’t used it and decides now that he wants to. Nick leaves him to his swim and heads into the City, promising to call at noon. He’s useless at work, incapable of concentrating, so when Jordan calls him up to say that she’s left Daisy’s and is heading out to Southampton, it doesn’t take much for them to snap at each other and end the affair once and for all. Nick tries calling Gatsby after that, to no answer. It’s just noon.

Fitzgerald again breaks from the chronological narrative in order to relate how George Wilson, grieving for Myrtle, gradually picked himself up and began searching for her killer. First he had to calm down, and that took several hours, just sitting on his couch and rocking back and forth while he cried. His neighbor, Michaelis, who’d witnessed the accident and ran the coffee shop next to Wilson’s garage, sat with him and tried to comfort him, asking him if he went to church and wanted to talk to someone. George, who didn’t attend church regularly, didn’t have one to turn to, but he did believe in God. He’d even told Myrtle once, “You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!” He’d been looking out the window at the time, staring out at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, the oculist whose huge billboard stands over the Valley of Ashes. This equation of God and the Doctor’s eyes makes Michaelis uncomfortable, so the two men part. That’s when Wilson begins looking for Myrtle’s killer.

He starts out on foot. He walks from Port Roosevelt to Gad’s Hill, stopping briefly to buy a cup of coffee and a sandwich. His movements at this point are easy for the police to retrace, after, because he’s walking along the side of the road, looking like a crazy person. Then he falls off the map for three hours until he reappears at half-past two in West Egg, where he goes from door to door, looking for Gatsby’s house. It’s the chauffeur who hears the shots. Gatsby was swimming in the pool at the time and doesn’t appear to have had a chance to defend himself. When Nick gets back from work, the butler, the chauffeur, and the gardener help him haul the body out of the pool. Only then do they find Wilson’s body. Evidently he’d shot himself.

Symbols

Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s Eyes. Wilson cements the idea that the Doctor’s eyes are a symbol of God in this chapter by staring out the window at them and telling Myrtle, “You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!” It would seem, given Myrtle’s death, that God hasn’t turned his back on the Valley of Ashes, as earlier chapters suggest, but in reality Wilson is just a madman tricked by grief into believing that the eyes staring back at him are God’s, and that this in some way justifies the revenge he’s about to exact. If God has indeed abandoned humanity, then it follows that George Wilson’s decision to shoot Gatsby is a result of his realization that God will not punish his wife’s murderer. That’s why he has to do it himself.

Flowers. With Gatsby’s death, the floral symbolism suddenly takes on an insidious new layer, with roses in particular being described as “grotesque” in the moments before Gatsby’s death. Traditionally, roses have been associated with love and romance, their vibrant red colors symbolizing passion and desire. Here, the rose becomes grotesque precisely for those associations, because real love, as Gatsby realizes, isn’t possible in this novel and has only led to heartbreak and inevitably to death. Thus, the rose Gatsby sees becomes a mockery of love, and all flowers are figured as vehicles of desolation and decay.

Themes

Death. It becomes clear in this chapter that Fitzgerald has been telling us the story of Gatsby’s death all along and that he has been preparing us for it through the use of symbolism, imagery, and foreshadowing. This theme of death, for instance, has been woven throughout the novel, and it appears for the last time when Wilson materializes beside Gatsby’s pool. He’s described as one of the poor ghosts “breathing dreams like air” and as an “ashen, fantastic figure” intent on destroying Gatsby’s dreams. Wilson thus becomes a personification of Death itself that sucks the life out of Gatsby and his beautiful dream of the world.

Dreams and the American Dream. Near the end of the chapter, Nick relates how, in the hours before the murder, Gatsby must’ve given up on Daisy and finally admitted to himself that she was never going to call him. “I have an idea that Gatsby himself didn’t believe [it, the phone call] would come, and perhaps he no longer cared,” Nick says. If so, that would mean Gatsby had given up on his dreams, not just of winning Daisy back but also of being as rich, successful, and happy as he’d always wanted to be. In this way, Gatsby’s dream becomes tied up with the American Dream, and both die in this chapter even before Wilson pulls the trigger.

Expert Q&A

What does the "grotesque rose" symbolize in chapter 8 of "The Great Gatsby"?

"He must have looked up at an unfamiliar sky through frightening leaves and shivered as he found what a grotesque thing a rose is and how raw the sunlight was upon the scarcely created grass."

In chapter 8 of The Great Gatsby, what actions does Jordan take after the accident? How is Gatsby's body discovered?

After the accident, Jordan Baker calls Nick to inform him she has left Daisy's house and is heading to South Hampton, effectively ending any relationship with Nick. Gatsby's body is discovered by Nick, who rushes home to find Gatsby dead in his pool, shot by George Wilson, who then kills himself. Wolfsheim's men, trained to ignore such incidents, disregarded the gunshots that resulted in Gatsby's death.

In Chapter 8 of The Great Gatsby, how has Gatsby's house changed?

In Chapter 8, Gatsby's house has become empty and abandoned, contrasting sharply with its previous lively and grand state. Once filled with guests and music, it is now musty, dusty, and silent, symbolizing the end of Gatsby's dreams and ambitions. The vast, deserted house reflects the emptiness of Gatsby's life after taking the blame for Myrtle Wilson's death.

What does Gatsby mean when he says "it was just personal" in chapter 8 of The Great Gatsby?

"'Of course she might have loved him, just for a minute, when they were first married—and loved me more even then, do you see?'

Suddenly he came out with a curious remark:

"In any case,' he said, 'it was just personal."

What could you make of that, except to suspect some intensity in his conception of the affair that couldn’t be measured?

When Gatsby says "it was just personal" in chapter 8, he means that Daisy married Tom for personal gain, convenience, and social status rather than love. This phrase is a reversal of the idiom "to take something personally," which traditionally softens difficult comments. Gatsby's remark suggests that Daisy's marriage lacked genuine emotional connection and was driven by practical benefits.

In chapter 8 of The Great Gatsby, what does the simile about Daisy suggest?

The simile in Chapter 8 of The Great Gatsby suggests that Daisy embodies wealth and privilege, akin to "silver," highlighting her detachment from the struggles of the poor. This imagery underscores the class divide of 1920s America, with the affluent living "safe and proud" while others endure "hot struggles." The simile reflects Fitzgerald's critique of the era's social disparities, portraying Daisy as insulated by her wealth from the harsh realities faced by the less fortunate.

How does the paragraph in chapter 8 of The Great Gatsby extend the paradox of Nick's feelings on Gatsby?

Nick's paradoxical feelings about Gatsby in Chapter 8 highlight a conflict between his professed values and his actions. Despite claiming to scorn everything Gatsby represents, Nick continues to support him, even after the hit-and-run incident involving Daisy. This paradox extends as Nick simultaneously denounces and sympathizes with Gatsby, suggesting that Nick's true values might prioritize human connections over moral judgments, revealing a potential inconsistency in his character.

What is the literary device used in this quote from Chapter 8 of The Great Gatsby: "I have an idea that Gatsby himself didnt believe...amorphous trees"(169)?

The literary devices used in this passage include metaphor, imagery, contrast, and foreshadowing. Fitzgerald employs ghostly and uncanny imagery to depict Gatsby's transformation into a ghostly figure as his dream fades. The "old warm world" contrasts with the "frightening" leaves and "raw" sunlight, creating a liminal space between life and death. The use of assonance, with words like "ashen" and "amorphous," enhances the sense of impending doom and the perversion of Gatsby's dream.

Why does Fitzgerald detail Gatsby and Daisy's initial love affair in Chapter 8?

Fitzgerald chooses to present a detailed description of Jay Gatsby and Daisy's initial love affair in chapter 8 in order to build suspense, contribute to the mystery surrounding Gatsby's character, and drive the plot of the story. By withholding this important information, Fitzgerald piques the reader's interest as they anticipate discovering the source of Gatsby's inspiring dream.

In chapter 8 of The Great Gatsby, why does Fitzgerald describe Daisy's hair as "dark" when her daughter, said to resemble her, has "yellowy" hair?

On the last afternoon before he went abroad he sat with Daisy in his arms for a long, silent time. It was a cold fall day with fire in the room and her cheeks flushed. Now and then she moved and he changed his arm a little and once he kissed her dark shining hair.

Fitzgerald's description of Daisy's hair as "dark" in chapter 8 might be due to the dim lighting from the fire or a natural darkening over time. Though there is no definitive answer, it is suggested that her hair is dark blond. The primary focus is on Daisy's captivating voice rather than her hair color, highlighting its lesser significance.

Does "rag of a suit" in chapter 8 of The Great Gatsby refer to "from rags to riches"?

The phrase "rag of a suit" in Chapter 8 of The Great Gatsby may not directly reference "from rags to riches," but rather suggests irony and disillusionment. Gatsby's pink suit, once a symbol of his romantic dreams and aspirations, becomes a "rag" as his dreams crumble. This reflects a reversal from "riches to rags," highlighting the collapse of Gatsby's incorruptible dream due to Daisy's retreat into materialism and the resulting tragedies.

Which odors have an effect on Jay Gatsby in "The Great Gatsby"?

In "The Great Gatsby," odors symbolize Jay Gatsby's idealized memories of Daisy. He associates her with freshness and newness, contrasting with the "musty" smells of the past. Descriptions of her home evoke "ripe" and "radiant" activities, with fragrances of fresh flowers and new cars. Daisy herself is linked to floral scents, like jonquils and plum blossoms, reinforcing Gatsby's view of her as perpetually vibrant and desirable, akin to a perfect, unfading flower.

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