Contents
Chapter VII
Overview
Gatsby ends his parties and secretly meets Daisy, leading to a tense lunch where Tom senses their affair. In a Plaza Hotel confrontation, Gatsby insists Daisy never loved Tom, but she falters as Tom exposes Gatsby’s criminal ties.
On the return drive, Daisy kills Myrtle in Gatsby’s car. Gatsby plans to take the blame and keeps watch outside Daisy’s house, while Nick observes Daisy and Tom quietly reconciling.
Summary
Rumors peak as Gatsby’s Saturday lights go dark; he has dismissed his servants to stop gossip because Daisy visits in the afternoons. He invites Nick to Daisy’s for lunch. In the oppressive heat, Daisy flirts openly with Gatsby, reveals her daughter to him, and Tom bristles at a suspicious phone call. Daisy pushes everyone to go to New York.
They swap cars: Tom drives Gatsby’s, with Nick and Jordan; Gatsby rides with Daisy in Tom’s coupé. At Wilson’s garage, Tom learns George plans to take Myrtle West; Myrtle watches jealously from a window, mistaking Jordan for Tom’s wife. Tom, rattled by losing control of both wife and mistress, pursues Daisy to the Plaza Hotel.
In a stifling suite, Tom confronts Gatsby about “Oxford” and criminal rumors. Gatsby declares Daisy never loved Tom. Pressed, Daisy admits she loved Gatsby but also once loved Tom, undermining Gatsby’s dream. Tom reveals Gatsby’s bootlegging and other shady dealings, and Daisy retreats from Gatsby emotionally. Tom sends Daisy home with Gatsby in Gatsby’s yellow car.
Near dusk in the valley of ashes, Myrtle runs into the road and is struck and killed by the yellow car, which does not stop. Arriving after, Tom calms the distraught Wilson and distances himself from the yellow car. Driving home, Tom weeps with rage at the hit-and-run. Nick, turning thirty, feels disenchanted as they return to East Egg.
Outside the Buchanans’, Nick meets Gatsby, who reveals Daisy was driving but that he’ll take the blame. Gatsby keeps vigil to protect Daisy from Tom. Nick spies Tom and Daisy in the kitchen, speaking intimately like conspirators, suggesting a quiet reconciliation. Nick leaves Gatsby watching the house in futile devotion.
Who Appears
- Jay GatsbyEnds his parties, replaces servants; openly courts Daisy; confronts Tom; exposed for bootlegging; lets Daisy drive; plans to take blame for Myrtle’s death; keeps vigil.
- Daisy BuchananFlirts with Gatsby, shows her daughter; urges trip to town; wavers in Plaza, admits loving both; drives Gatsby’s car that kills Myrtle; later quietly reconciles with Tom.
- Tom BuchananSuspicious and controlling; confronts Gatsby; exposes his crimes; asserts dominance; sends Daisy with Gatsby; distances himself from the death; weeps yet regains control.
- Nick CarrawayNarrator; observes tensions, Plaza showdown, and aftermath; turns thirty; witnesses Tom and Daisy’s quiet reconciliation; learns Daisy drove in the fatal crash.
- Jordan BakerAttends lunch and trip to town; observes the conflict; remains detached; later parts from Nick for the night.
- George WilsonIll and desperate; plans to take Myrtle West after suspecting infidelity; devastated by her death.
- Myrtle WilsonWatches Tom’s car, mistakes Jordan for his wife; later runs into the road and is killed by Daisy driving Gatsby’s car.
- MichaelisCoffee-shop owner; principal witness; recounts Wilson’s condition and the circumstances of Myrtle’s death.
- Pammy BuchananDaisy’s daughter; briefly appears, startling Gatsby with tangible proof of Daisy’s life with Tom.