THE GREAT GATSBY CHAPTER 7 ANALYSISBy: Brendan Callahan, Eddie Faro, Reilly Golden, and Chelsea Yagel

THE GREAT GATSBY: CHAPTER 7 ANALYSIS

• External Conflict:

• The external conflict between Tom Buchanan and Gatsby comes to the surface in chapter seven.

• The affair between Gatsby and Daisy puts Gatsby in direct conflict with Tom. The two men have an argument in the Plaza hotel over whom Daisy truly loves. Gatsby wants Daisy to leave Tom and start a new life with him; while Tom senses that his marriage is being threatened and accuses Gatsby of being a liar and criminal, exposing the underhanded dealings-such as bootlegging-he has made in order to gain the wealth he has accumulated.

• In the end, Tom is confident that he has defeated Gatsby, and this is realized when he tells Daisy to ride home with Gatsby.

THE GREAT GATSBY: CHAPTER 7 ANALYSIS • Gatsby hiding in the Buchanan’s bushes:

• The scene where Gatsby hides in the bushes on the Buchanan estate after his confrontation with Tom is highly symbolic of Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship.

• When Gatsby confesses to Nick that he will take the blame for Myrtle’s death even though Daisy was driving the car shows that Gatsby is willing to do whatever it takes to get Daisy to love him, even if it means guarding her house all night and saving Daisy from being charged with murder.

• The physical distance between Gatsby and Daisy in this scene is symbolic of how Gatsby can never fully attain his dream of being with Daisy. He is constantly on the outside of Daisy’s world trying to get in.

• It also symbolizes the emotional distance between the two characters. In the end, Gatsby finds himself vulnerable and utterly alone.

THE GREAT GATSBY: CHAPTER 7 ANALYSIS

• Weather:

• “The next day was broiling, almost the last, certainly the warmest, of the summer.”

• The confrontation between Tom and Gatsby occurs on the hottest day if the summer.

• This is highly symbolic because the oppressive heat reflects the mood and the highest point of anger and tension in the novel. The truth about Gatsby is revealed and tempers flare as Tom and Gatsby fight over Daisy.

 

• Myrtle’s Death:

• Myrtle’s Death in chapter seven is tragically symbolic of the consequences of materialism

• Myrtle is desperately trying to find a way to improve her current situation. She is stricken with poverty in the Valley of Ashes and sees her relationship with Tom, as a way to achieve the wealth and privilege she desires.

• By being killed by Gatsby’s expensive yellow car, a symbol of corruption and materialism throughout the novel, Myrtle is essentially killed by her own dream.

THE GREAT GATSBY: CHAPTER 7 ANALYSIS

TRIMALCHIO CHAPTER 7 SYNOPSIS• Over the summer Gatsby’s notoriety grows, culminating in a news

reporter going to his door and questioning him. After this Gatsby becomes reclusive for a few weeks, replacing everyone who works for him in fear of them leaking private information to the press. Gatsby reveals to Nick that he has been conspiring with Daisy to run away, but she is reluctant and easily exasperated by the idea. Gatsby and Nick meet Jordan, Daisy and Tom for lunch on a stifling summer day. They go into town per Daisy’s suggestion and rent a room to discuss what they should do. An argument erupts over who Daisy loves, and Tom tells Gatsby and Daisy to leave. Tom, Nick and Jordan leave a few hours later, coming upon a crowd of cars around Wilson’s Garage. It is revealed Myrtle was hit and killed by a big yellow car. When Tom realizes that it was Gatsby’s car, they quickly leave. Standing outside the Buchanan’s house waiting for a cab, Nick sees Gatsby emerge from the shadows. Gatsby reveals that Daisy was driving when Myrtle was hit, but that he would take the blame. Gatsby says that he plans to stand outside the rest of the night to insure Tom does not hurt Daisy, and Nick leaves him.

TRIMALCHIO ANALYSIS: THE

REPORTER• In the beginning of chapter seven in Trimalchio, a reporter comes to Gatsby’s house to find out more information about his identity. This paragraph occurs in chapter six in The Great Gatsby. This is a deliberate change to the novel’s structure.

• Most of chapter seven is focused on Gatsby and Daisy’s current affair and how this affair has affected them and those around them.

• Fitzgerald moved the paragraph about the reporter to chapter six in order to keep most of the chapter focused on Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship and make the writing and structure of chapter seven more coherent.

TRIMALCHIO ANALYSIS: GATSBY’S

APPEARANCE• On page 89 of Trimalchio Nick describes Gatsby’s appearance saying, “he

had lost a little of his tan and his eyes were bright and tired.” This description of Gatsby is not found in the final version of The Great Gatsby.

• This description shows how worn down and tired Gatsby has become. His vibrant, polished persona is deteriorating.

• This is a change in the novel’s structure. This scene is taken out of the final version so that Gatsby’s persona will not start falling apart until later in the chapter where his underhanded business deals are exposed by Tom Buchanan.

TRIMALCHIO ANALYSIS: DAISY

• At the beginning of chapter seven of Trimalchio, Gatsby tells Nick that Daisy came to his mansion with her car and a packed suitcase, telling him that they should run off together. This was taken out of chapter seven in the Great Gatsby.

• This change in structure was made because it is very uncharacteristic of Daisy to decide to leave Tom and run off with Gatsby. She could never leave Tom and the security he provides for her socially and financially. This is evident in the fact that she chooses to stay with Tom after the fight in the hotel.

• If Fitzgerald left this scene in the final version of the novel, it would be confusing for the reader to understand Daisy’s reasoning and why she would choose to stay with Tom over Gatsby.

TRIMALCHIO ANALYSIS:

GATSBY CRYING• On page 90 of Trimalchio, it states that, “He sat down suddenly and put his face in his hands and began to sob.” This is not found in chapter seven of the Great Gatsby.

• This occurs when Gatsby is talking to Nick about wanting Daisy to understand that she must tell Tom that she never loved him.

• The Gatsby found in the Great Gatsby is a confident, strong, and collected individual who would never let Nick see him crying. This is why this change in structure occurs. He is extremely careful in making sure that no one would see through his façade, so he would not lose the dream he has so meticulously built up.

• This highlights the vulnerable, scared Gatsby originally found in Trimalchio.

TRIMALCHIO ANALYSIS: THE TELEPHONE BOOK• Page 102 in Trimalchio: “There was a moment of silence. The telephone

book slipped from its nail and splashed to the floor, whereupon Jordan whispered “Excuse me,” and we all laughed.”

• This is found on page 127 of the Great Gatsby, but the line is changed to, “-but this time no one laughed.”

• This change in diction is to set the climatic tone of the hotel scene. The altercation between Tom and Gatsby has just begun after Gatsby defends Daisy from Tom’s passive aggressive comments towards her. The silence increases suspense between the characters and relates to the audience that the tension between Tom and Gatsby is reaching its highest point.

TRIMALCHIO ANALYSIS: GATSBY’S

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND• In the Great Gatsby, Tom reveals he has been investigating Gatsby’s

criminal ties. He states how Gatsby sold grain alcohol over the counter at side street drug stores in Chicago. He also calls Gatsby a bootlegger. This is not found in Trimalchio.

• Fitzgerald adds this to provide further depth into Gatsby’s criminal background and convey how Gatsby became so wealthy. It is used to emphasize Gatsby’s dangerous character and corrupt morals. In this reveal, Tom uses logos in order to provide Daisy and the audience with all the reasons why he is better than Gatsby and should be the man with whom Daisy spends the rest of her life.

• Logically speaking, Tom argues that he is the better man for Daisy because he is not the evil criminal that Gatsby is.