“Is Tom most responsible for Gatsby’s death? Daisy? Myrtle? Gatsby himself? Give reasons why or why not each character is implicated in the murder.” Great Gatsby Essay There are five people that are responsible for Jay Gatsby’s death. One of them is directly to blame, since he pulled the trigger. The other three were involved in the murder. The one who pulled the trigger was George Wilson. He was in pain because of the murder of his wife. He loved her, and he was completely insane with grief. Wilson thought that Gatsby was Myrtles lover. He said, “She ran out to speak to him and he wouldn’t stop” (Fitzgerald 166). This means that Wilson thinks that Myrtle knew the owner of the yellow car. Since Wilson had found out …show more content…
I think he realizes that his presumptuous little flirtation is over” (Fitzgerald 142). Myrtle is the fourth person responsible for Gatsby’s death. If she was not having an affair with Tom then none of this would have happened. Myrtle was taking advantage of her husband’s kindness and his lack of intelligence, “A white ashen dust veiled his dark suit and his pale hair as it veiled everything in the vicinity-except his wife, who moved close to Tom” (Fitzgerald 30). if her affair with Tom was non-existent then George would not have known who Gatsby was and he might not have shot him to avenge his wife’s murder. If Myrtle had not run in front of the car that she would still be alive and so would Gatsby. She could have just waited until the next day to see Tom she did not have to run in front of his car. Gatsby himself is the fifth person to blame for his death. If he was not trying to restore his old relationship with Daisy then Tom would not want to get revenge on him. Another reason that Gatsby is responsible for his own death is that forgot everything except Daisy. He did not think about anything except Daisy. He also should not have kept driving after Daisy hit Myrtle. After he pulled the brake he could have gone back to see if Myrtle was alive and to get help for her, “I tried to make her stop but she couldn’t so I pulled on the emergency brake. Then she fell over into my lap and I drove on” (Fitzgerald 151) He only threw
Gatsby was murdered by Wilson, because he thought that Gatsby was the one that hit his wife and killed her. Tom is a main contributor to Gatsby’s death because Myrtle was his mistress. Tom was the one that suggested he drive Gatsby’s car to town with Jordan and Nick. Myrtle saw them that day and Nick noticed “her eyes, [which became] wide with jealous terror were fixed not on Tom, but on Jordan Baker, whom she took to be his wife” (125). On the way back home, Gatsby and Daisy were driving the yellow car, which was the car that Tom was driving earlier. Myrtle ran out in front of the car as if “she wanted to speak to [them], [thinking they] were somebody she knew” (143). She ran thinking that it was Tom and that he would stop but, it wasn’t.
Myrtle Wilson, the wife of George, and the lover of Tom Buchanan, is brutally murdered toward the end of the novel. After an uncivilized afternoon in New York, Daisy and Gatsby head swiftly back to East Egg. Gatsby explains to Nick, “It all happened in a minute, but it seemed to me that she wanted to speak to us, thought we were somebody she knew” (Fitzgerald 109). Myrtle ran out toward the car looking for Tom but sadly for her it is not him. Many know about Tom’s affair, but not with whom he is having it, especially Daisy. Daisy never slows the car down, and she never realizes who she hits. This shows that Daisy is oblivious to Myrtles existence. Myrtle is sleeping with her husband, she ruins their marriage, and Daisy kills her. The irony exists in this because Daisy actually saves her marriage by killing
Tom told George, Myrtle’s husband that it was Gatsby’s car that hit her. So George, seeking revenge, killed Gatsby.
The story The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald takes you through the life of the protagonist of the novel, Jay Gatsby, who is shot to death in the end. Who was really the reason for Gatsby’s death? There are many of reasons that lead up to Gatsby’s death and several people who are considered to have caused it. Although George Wilson physically killed him, Tom Buchanan, Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby himself all take part in the death. Tom’s anger, Daisy’s carelessness, and Gatsby’s idea of the American Dream all contribute to his death in the end.
After guessing correctly that Daisy was really the one driving the car that killed Myrtle, Nick just goes home. If Nick had shared this information, it’s quite probable that Gatsby’s life would’ve been spared. Although this could not have prevented Myrtle’s tragic end, some of the mess of the whole situation wouldn’t have happened. For example, If Tom knew that Daisy had been the one responsible, he would not have pointed Wilson in Gatsby’s direction. Tom probably would have kept quiet about it being Daisy’s fault because he wants to protect her, and Gatsby would’ve lived on. Perhaps Tom could even have talked Wilson down, saving his life as well. However, Nick decided to keep this to himself, ultimately killing both Gatsby and
To understand the nature of Gatsby’s death, first you must know the circumstances that precede it. Myrtle, Mr. Wilson’s wife, was run over by Gatsby’s car, which Daisy was driving. Driven by vengeance and the mistaken belief that Gatsby had killed Myrtle, Mr. Wilson proceeded to murder Gatsby and then himself.
Gatsby thought he was being chivalrous for Daisy, but he did not care that Daisy chose not to take responsibility for her hit-and-run. Myrtle’s husband, George Wilson, gets revenge for Myrtle’s loss, assuming that Gatsby had an affair with his wife and killed her once he finds a dog leash and Myrtle 's belongings. George kills Gatsby,
First of all, Tom is indirectly responsible for Gatsby’s death because he tells George who owned the yellow car and where to find it. “‘Tom,’ I inquired, ‘what did you say to Wilson that afternoon?’ He stared at me without a word and I knew I had guessed right about those missing hours. I started to turn away but he took a step after me and grabbed my arm. ‘I told him the truth,’ he said” (190). This quote shows that Tom told
Unfortunately for Myrtle, she could not reach her goal. Beyond that, we don’t know if her life would have been better given how many issues Tom has anyway. Now this action taken by her didn't just impact the ones she loved. Jay Gatsby was murdered because of this event. He took the blame to protect Daisy and in the end it got him killed.
In doing so she was responsible for killing Gatsby indirectly. When Gatsby reached for the wheel to avoid hitting Myrtle he was too late and he told Nick “it must have killed her instantly”(Fitzgerald 144). This quote says not only did Gatsby not hit her he tried to steer the car so it would not hit Myrtle but was too late. Daisy was driving Gatsby’s car and struck Myrtle killing her on impact without ever stopping or slowing down. Because Daisy was driving Gatsby’s car Tom had told Myrtle’s husband George that Gatsby was the one who had hit her. Daisy was aware that Tom had told George that and she never told anybody the truth of what happened. When Nick asked Gatsby if Daisy was driving he said “Yes but of course I’ll say I was”(Fitzgerald 143). Gatsby took the blame for Daisy because Daisy was too worried about herself getting in trouble. In order to get his revenge George sneaks up to Gatsby while he is swimming and he shoots and kills him. He then turns the gun and shoots himself after saying that “God sees everything”(Fitzgerald 160). It can be argued that Daisy is also responsible for the death of George too but there is almost no doubt that she was the reason Gatsby was killed. Daisy could have saved Gatsby if she had come out with the truth and George may have not been able to kill Daisy if he .went after her. Even if George did go after her she was the one who had
Various events unravel into one another. When Wilson discovers that his wife was cheating on him he is enraged, and is most likely why he locked Myrtle in a room. Myrtle is struck fatally by the yellow car after escaping the room Wilson locked her in. The secret of Tom and Myrtle’s affair causes Wilson to act out violently, and ultimately leads to the death of Myrtle. Wilson is also propelled to murder Gatsby because he thinks he is the one who was in a relationship with Myrtle. Myrtle’s secret relationship, as well as the secret as to who killed Myrtle, causes Wilson to act out violently under false
Jay Gatsby lies dead, sprawled across the floatie in his pool. But whose fault is it when the question question of responsibility comes up? At the end of the story The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby, formerly known as James Gatz, is murdered. George Wilson is the gunman who took Gatsby's and his own life at the end of the story. However, is Wilson really to blame for Gatsby's death? With many people in the story who affect his life and his decisions, there is greater texture to the original question then noticed at first. There are many elements that contribute to the murder of Gatsby. It is clear that someone other than Mr. Wilson bears greater responsibility for this crime. Daisy Buchanan,
Undoubtedly, Tom is responsible in part for Gatsby's death because he tells Wilson that Gatsby killed his wife. Tom admits that Wilson came to his house with a loader revolver to ask Tom about who killed his wife. Tom recalls the experience to Nick: “What if I did tell him? That fellow (Gatsby) had it coming” (178). Some may argue that Tom thought he was telling the truth and here, but even if he has not yet spoken with Daisy -- and thus lying outright to protect her -- there exists some doubt in his mind
As a result of her portrayed delicacy Gatsby claims he was driving the car which resulted in the death of Myrtle; “of course I’ll say it was me”. This not only highlights Daisy’s personality but Gatsby’s too, with his decision to take the blame for Daisy’s crime simply down to the product of his desire to fill a chivalrous male role.
Without any though, he takes the blame for the death of Tom's mistress, Myrtle. Gatsby doesn't make a lot of verbally expressed observations; he speaks with his actions and his thoughts.