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What happens in Chapter 8 of The Great Gatsby?
When Nick visits Gatsby the next day, Gatsby relates the story of how he fell in love with Daisy, and how the two were to marry after he returned from the war, but instead she married Tom. After Nick leaves Gatsby, the narrative shifts to Wilson who concludes that whoever killed Myrtle must have also been her secret lover and determines to seek out the owner of the car that hit her. Wilson finds Gatsby lying on an air mattress in the pool, shoots him, and then shoots himself.
Read our Summary & Analysis of Chapter 8. (3-minute read)
What motivates George Wilson to kill Gatsby?
The direct reason that George Wilson kills Gatsby in Chapter 8 is that he mistakenly thinks both that Gatsby was his wife Myrtle’s lover and that Gatsby was driving his car when it struck and killed Myrtle. But Wilson’s more complicated motivation for murdering Gatsby and then killing himself is that he has been self-destructing throughout the novel and that after Myrtle dies, he thinks it is his duty to God to seek vengeance. In his fervid thinking after Myrtle’s death, Wilson even starts equating the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg with God, saying “God sees everything.”
Read our in-depth Character Analysis of George Wilson. (1-minute read)
Read about the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg as a key Symbol in The Great Gatsby. (1-minute read)
Are any aspects of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby autobiographical?
Some have speculated about how Fitzgerald’s own life and experiences may have impacted his novel—especially his relationship with his wife Zelda, who some have noted has some similarities to the character of Daisy Buchanan.
Read a brief essay about F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby. (3-minute read)
