Fitzgerald establishes the themes of life and death late in chapter 2, when the drunk party guest crashes the car with Owl Eyes in it. Thus, cars become symbols of death or, when the characters aren’t crashing them, of one’s social status. In chapter 5, during the tour of Gatsby’s house, Nick thinks he hears Owl Eyes’s “ghostly” laughter emanating from one of the many rooms. It is almost as if Gatsby’s house has become a giant, empty tomb where he awaits his death.

In chapter 5, when Daisy and Gatsby rekindle their love, Nick refers to her voice as a “deathless song.” This effectively equates Daisy with a “deathless” or charmed existence and suggests that Gatsby, who becomes enchanted with this voice, doesn’t have the same experience. Together, the two are “possessed by intense life,” but separated, it is only Daisy who survives the affair. This is in part due to the fact that Daisy is married to a rich man who can protect her, if not be faithful to her. As Gatsby says in chapter 7, “Her voice is full of money,” and this is what makes her near invulnerable to harm.