Chapter 8

Summary

Later that night, Nick goes to visit Gatsby who is desperately trying to hang on to his dream.  He is reduced to reminiscing about their courtship in Louisville in 1917. He says how he loved her for her youth and vitality and idolized her social position, wealth and popularity.

In 1917, Daisy appears a more sympathetic character at this point in her life, appearing as a weak and vulnerable person, rather than a vicious one. Gatsby still believes that Daisy only said what she did due to pressure from Tom and will not come to terms with the fact that she feels little for Gatsby.

Early that morning, Gatsby’s gardener plans to drain the pool, as he thinks that the falling leaves of autumn with clog the drains. Gatsby wishes to have one more swim and tells the gardener to wait another day before draining the pool.  Nick says his farewells to Gatsby, telling him that he thinks he is worth more than the Buchanan’s and all their friends. Nick is due to meet Jordan for a date, but decides not to fulfill this engagement. He also feels too distracted to work.  While riding back to West Egg on the train, he looks down at the gray Valley of Ashes where the plot advances in that George Wilson finds out that the owner of the car which killed his wife is Gatsby.  He has suspected that whoever killed his wife, was also her lover. He is blinded by hate and mistakes the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg for those of God. Encouraged by Tom, he goes to Gatsby’s mansion, finds him in the pool, shoots him and then shoots himself.

Interpretation

Nick finally discovers the nature of Gatsby’s feelings for Daisy as he gives details of their relationship in Louisville in 1917. For Gatsby to lose Daisy would be like losing his entire world and he is desperate to try and keep his dream alive.  Nick imagines that Gatsby’s final thoughts are of their time together in 1917.  We have already seen how Gatsby idolizes wealth and Daisy. Now we see that the two are very much the same thing in Gatsby’s mind. Daisy is the symbol of everything he wants from life. Gatsby’s unshakeable faith in this dream has been an affirmation of the richer, more essential part of life, and he emerges as the only admirable character in the book apart from the narrator.  Gatsby dies with his dream still alive, awaiting an improbably ‘phone call from Daisy.