The Great Gatsby Chapter 7 Study Guide

Besides Myrtle's, what other eyes "kept their vigil" on the activities along the roadway?

Doctor T. J. Eckleburg's eyes from the billboard are also watching everyone.

What indication is there at this point that, in Myrtle's mind anyway, Tom has been more than a fling?

Myrtle has refused to move away with husband. Clearly, she wants to stay in New York because she imagines she'll have some sort of future with Tom.

2. When Gatsby briefly meets Daisy's little girl, he is somewhat unnerved. Symbolically, what does the little girlrepresent?

The girl is physical evidence that he cannot repeat the past. He can't erase the fact that Daisy now has a daughter. The girl doesn't fit into Gatsby's view of his future with Daisy; she's evidence that proves Nick is right about being unable to relive the past.

What is the scene that Nick observes taking place between Tom and Daisy in the kitchen?

They are talking together at a table, with cold chicken and a couple of bottles of ale between them. Tom is talking, Daisy's nodding in agreement, and Tom's big hand wraps over Daisy's hands. It's clear to Nick that they're conspiring together.

What causes Tom to realize that his wife has been having an affair with Gatsby?

Tom can read between the lines as Daisy is fawning over Gatsby. He can tell from the tone of her voice, which is not discreet.

Why does this scene suggest ill for Gatsby?

Tom has won. Daisy will follow Tom and do as he says. She wants to be saved from this situation and Tom, not Gatsby, is the man she'll look to for rescue.

What does the reader learn that Tom does not know?

We know that Daisy, not Gatsby, was the driver of the car that hit Myrtle.

What indication is there that Tom really was fond of Myrtle?

When he realizes that Myrtle's been hurt, there's a "harsh sound in his throat" and he pushes his way toward the front of the crowd to see her.

Describe the driving arrangement that brings the five characters into the city.

Daisy and Gatsby drive together in Tom's car, while Tom drives Nick and Jordan in Gatsby's car.

Why does Daisy have a tough time saying, as Gatsby wishes, that she never loved Tom?

Even though it goes against Gatsby's wish, there was a time when Daisy loved Tom. She can't erase the fact that they had some good times.

Why, do you suppose, Fitzgerald links the behavior of the characters to the hottest day of the summer?

Fitzgerald has the weather mirror the growing heat/tension among the characters in the love triangle. Things are hot and miserable. This use of weather foreshadows the blow-up at the hotel room.

How has Gatsby earned most of his money, and what does Tom say that startles Gatsby?

Gatsby has illegally earned his money by bootlegging and having shady business operations. Tom startles Gatsby when he knows that Gatsby is up to a bigger score, something of which Tom's contact Walter doesn't know the details.

Why, do you suppose, Tom decides to let Wilson finally have the car he has been promising him?

He feels slightly uncomfortable when he has to face the pain that the affair has caused Wilson. If Wilson's planning on taking Myrtle out west, then Tom must figure one last deal on a car is something he owes to the poor man he's turned into a cuckold.

Why does Tom make the point to Wilson that he just drove the coupe from New York and the yellow car does not actually belong to him?

He knows that Wilson saw him driving the very same car earlier that afternoon and he wants to remove any suspicion that may fall on him.

What does Gatsby understand about Daisy's voice that Nick does not?

He knows that part of her voice's allure is that it sounds like money, like gold coins jingling.

As always, there is a grain of truth in what Gatsby says. In what sense is he an Oxford man?

He participated in a study abroad program for soldiers after the war. He attended some classes at Oxford, but was there only five months.

Daisy says that Tom is "revolting." To what, can you imagine, is she referring?

He says that he loves her, but admits that he sometimes goes "off on a spree" and has an affair. He's admitting to his infidelity in the same breath that he says he loves her.

Why is it so important to Gatsby that Daisy say she never loved Tom?

In order for his fantasy to be complete, he needs to hear that her love for him was pure, that she could never love another man. This isn't true, of course, just as the dream that Gatsby has cannot be achieved.

Describe the hit-and-run scene.

Myrtle, who's been locked up by her husband, spots the flashy yellow car that she saw Tom driving earlier in the day. She breaks out of her home and runs into the street, trying to flag down Tom, but not realizing that Tom isn't in that car. The car, driven by Daisy, mows down Myrtle and then leaves the scene of the accident. Later, Gatsby tells Nick that Daisy was driving, but that he'll take the blame in order to protect her.

What is Daisy's reaction to this news?

She's terrified and then pulls back from Gatsby. Eventually, she begs Tom to stop talking and attacking Gatsby. She wants to go home.