“Death Car” Chain of Events
– before NYC
• It’s hot and miserable, so Daisy, Tom, Nick,
Jordan, and Gatsby leave the Buchannan’s house
in East Egg for Manhattan to cool off
– Daisy and Gatsby take Tom’s blue car
– Nick, Jordan, and Tom take Gatsby’s yellow car
• On their way through the Valley of Ashes, Myrtle
Wilson sees Tom driving the yellow car from the
upstairs window where George Wilson has
imprisoned her because he knows about her
affair with Tom
Death Car” Chain of Events
in/ after leaving NYC
• Daisy, Tom, Nick, Jordan, and Gatsby enjoy themselves in the City
more or less; Tom is starting to questions Daisy and Gatsby’s
relationship
• At the end of the evening, arguing ensues – everyone leaves the
Plaza Hotel to head home
– Gatsby and Daisy are in Gatsby’s yellow car now
– Nick, Jordan and Tom are in Tom’s blue car now
• Myrtle sees the yellow car and tries to escape the garage the
Wilsons own. She runs towards the car, thinking Tom is driving.
The driver doesn’t see her and hits and kills her, driving away.
• Gatsby tells us that Daisy is actually driving the yellow car when
Nick talks to Gatsby at the Buchannan’s house after the accident.
• Who will the police think is responsible for the accident? Who will
George Wilson think is responsible for the accident?
Discussion Questions
• Give an example of Tom’s diction that shows he is becoming wise to
Gatsby and Daisy’s affair. Cite it.
• Give an example of pathetic fallacy from chapter 7 and explain its
purpose.
• Fitzgerald chose to have Gatsby’s car be a “yellow circus wagon”.
Why?
• Make a prediction. If this is rising action, what will be the climax of
this book?
• Explain Tom’s line (122) “An Oxford man! Like hell he is! He wears a
pink suit.”
• The only black folks we see in this entire novel are in chapter 7; we
also meet “The Greek, Michaelis”: what is Fitzgerald doing by
including the only non-white characters in the book in this scene?
• Many students have referred to the events of chapter 7 as “tragic”.
Define tragedy. What are its parts? Is this scene technically tragic?
Is the novel as a whole tragic?