Myrtle Dies

The Great Gatsby

By F. Scott Fitzgerald
Chap VII, pgs 134-145

Myrtle Wilson was really a minor character, but I believe her violent death shows the desperateness of the situation and also the turmoil that Daisy feels.  Myrtle walked away from her husband for the last time and Tom could no longer take her away.  Not to be crass, but now that Myrtle is out of the way, the only conflict seems to be with Gatsby and Daisy.  The novel had exposition where we learned about all the characters and the mystery of Gatsby, the narrative hook when we learned about his feelings and his past with Daisy, the rising action Gatsby vying desperately for her attention, the turning point of them spending more and more time together while Daisy's feelings for him grew, the climax where Daisy admits to her husband that she wants to leave him because she loves Gatsby, and now the falling action where we are not sure how Daisy and Gatsby will end up together or what exactly Tom is going to do about it.  We have not yet come to a resolution in which most everyone is settled and satisfied, or even stuck.  Tom's affair was ended with his lover's death, but now his wife might leave him for another man, which is just something that doesn't happen in those times.

Nick and Jordan <3

Amidst all of this the reader might forget about the plot development involving Nick and Jordan.  They met, hit it off, became closer and closer, and now they seem to have strong feelings for each other.  "As we passed over the dark bridge her wan face fell lazily against my coat's shoulder and the formidable stroke of thirty died away with the reassuring pressure of her hand" (Fitzgerald, 135-136).  I hope that the resolution to this situation will be a happy one, because I do not foresee a happy future for anyone else.  Even if Daisy leaves Tom for Gatsby, I will still have a little sympathy for Tom, and I think a part of Daisy will always love him.  And though Gatsby truly loves Daisy, something about him is just off- his past, his money, his business deals- all a little sketchy.  I would rather sweet Daisy not get caught up in all that.  As of yet, unfortunately, I am not exactly sure what would make Daisy truly happy.  I was even more intrigued by this subject of Daisy's happiness when i read the last paragraphs of the chapter.  Nick sees Daisy and Tom conversing: "They weren't happy, and neither of them had touched the chicken or the ale- and yet they weren't unhappy either.  There was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture, and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together" (Fitzgerald, 145).