Hello and welcome to "Read it and (Don't) Weep," the podcast that will help you breeze through your high school literature classes. Are you tired of struggling to understand the themes and characters in classic works of literature? Do you wish you could just read the condensed version and be done with it? Well, I’ve got you covered! I am your host, Jackey Taggart, and I taught high school English for almost 20 years. 

Join me each episode as I dive into the world of high school literature and break down the essential elements of each work. From Shakespeare to Steinbeck, I'll cover it all. My goal is to give you valuable insights and analysis on some of the most popular high school literary texts, as well as tips and tricks for acing your tests and essays.  Let’s start reading!

Welcome back!  In this episode, we are going to discuss Chapter 7 in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Chapter 7 is the longest chapter in the novel, and it also contains the climax of the plot.  As you have hopefully read, the rising action has been building through chapters 4, 5, and 6, and the tension between characters is about to explode.  If you have not read Chapters 1-6, it might be a good idea to read those chapters and listen to my other episodes before continuing.  

The chapter opens with a new discovery, Gatsby’s parties are no more.  Gatsby has fired his staff and rehired new servants, who don’t appear to be servants at all.  Even Nick isn’t permitted to see Gatsby, at first.  However, Gatsby does call Nick.  It seems that Gatsby fired his staff and hired people that Wolfsheim recommended as they would not gossip about his business.  It seems Daisy has been coming over quite frequently to spend time with Gatsby.  Since she did not enjoy the parties, they stopped. “The whole caravansary had fallen in like a card house at the disapproval in her eye.”  Gatsby was calling at Daisy’s request, to come to lunch the next day with Jordan at Daisy’s house.  Nick accepts but is concerned that something big is going to happen. You think? Daisy inviting her secret lover to lunch with friends at her house in East Egg.  What could possibly go wrong!

Note the weather the next day – it was hot; not just hot, broiling!  Just like the rain was symbolic when Gatsby and Daisy reunited, the hot weather is also symbolic.  How do you usually feel when the weather is unbearable hot? Restless, irritated, on edge? This is exactly how our characters are going to appear throughout the chapter. The hot weather serves as a symbolic element that reflects the rising tension and conflict among the characters and foreshadows the trouble that is coming by the end of the chapter.  Also note the brief mention of time in the same sentence – almost the last day of summer.  So, it is early September as the last day of summer is September 23. 

Gatsby and Nick arrive at the Buchannan’s house and are shown to the salon, we might call it a sitting room or living room today. It is that same room we saw in Chapter 1 when Nick first came to dinner at Tom and Daisy’s house. In fact, there are several references to that first evening – the ladies are wearing white, they are lying on enormous couches unable to move, and Tom is rumored to be on the phone with a woman, but we hear Tom mention the sale of a car.  Now, just to refresh your memory, George Wilson wanted Tom to sell him his car back in Chapter 2, so Nick is correct that Tom isn’t lying, he is on a business call. 

Tom gets off the phone, greets his guests, and goes to get cold drinks for everyone.  When he leaves, Gatsby and Daisy take a moment to sneak in a few passionate kisses before Tom returns.  They are really flirting with danger by being so open about their secret relationship, and they would have continued with their passionate embrace if they were not interrupted by a new face. 

The nanny brings in Tom and Daisy’s daughter, Pammy.  She is a little blonde angel dressed all in white, just like her mother and Jordan.  Take note of the color reference and the symbolic meaning of white as pure and innocent. It is also important to note Gatsby’s reaction to the child.  Sure, he knew Tom and Daisy had a child together, but he never really thought she existed, until now, and he continues to glance at the child with a look of surprise.  While Pammy only briefly appears in the novel (her name only ever mentioned once, she holds symbolic meaning.  First, she is dressed all in white, symbolizing youthful innocence.   Similar to Tom and Myrtle’s puppy, she is quickly dismissed to be care for by the nanny showing Tom and Daisy’s carelessness and lack of parental responsibility.  Lastly, she is a symbol of Tom and Daisy’s union. Proof that they have lived together as husband and wife, and while Gatsby would like to return to his past with Daisy and deny her relationship with Tom was real, Pammy is a living remined that life has moved on since Gatsby and Daisy’ romantic fling 5 years ago, and Daisy will always have a connection with Tom, even if she leaves him. 

The group continues to make awkward small talk during lunch. Fitzgerald refers to this as nervous gayety. Another paradox – how can you be nervous and happily relaxed at the same time? Well, invite your lover over to have lunch with your husband and I guess the atmosphere might get a little tense. 

 The awkward conversations continue after lunch until Daisy suggests they head to town, meaning New York City.  Now, Daisy and Gatsby have been suggestively glancing at each other, and Daisy mouth’s “I love you” towards Gatsby when she thinks Tom is not looking, but she picked the wrong moment because Tom saw them.  In this moment, Tom realizes that his wife is having an affair with Gatsby. Even though it is fine for him to have affairs, he finds it UNACCEPTABLE for his wife to do the same. He is struggling to control his temper, so he jumps up and says let’s go to town! It takes the others a few minutes to respond to Tom’s sudden urges, but then the ladies go upstairs to get ready, and Tom, Nick and Gatsby go outside to get the cars. More awkward conversation as Tom continues to control his anger.  While Tom goes inside to grab a bottle of whisky to take with them on their trip, Nick tries to explain the sound of Daisy’s voice. What is it about Daisy’s voice that is so captivating? Gatsby turns to Nick and says, “Her voice is full of money.”   What a strange thing to say, but what does it mean?  Well, Nick understands the comment immediately.  He says, “that was it…. It was full of money – that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it the jingle of it, the cymbals song of it…High in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl.”

What does any of this gibberish mean? Well, this is yet again another symbol. Gatsby is not referring to the literal sound of her voice, but rather to the qualities he associates with wealth and high society. Gatsby, who we have learned comes from a humble background, sees Daisy as a representation of the luxurious, upper-class world he desires to be a part of. Even though Gatsby is wealthy, he is not in the same league as Daisy – the whole new money/old money idea again. Daisy’s voice is a symbol of the elegance and sophistication associated with wealthy upper class, old money families. Gatsby believes that by winning Daisy’s love, he will be accepted as a member of the wealthy elite, but remember, Gatsby is a romantic hero.  He has an idealized view of life and Daisy, so his ideas of wealth and love are a bit distorted. He truly believes that money will buy love and happiness, but we know that is not realistic. 

The group is now ready to leave for New York, but they decide to take two cars.  Tom encourages Gatsby to take his coupé and he will drive Gatsby’s car.  At first, Gatsby is unsure saying his car needs gas.  Tom gives a small jab to Gatsby’s character here saying, “You can buy anything at a drug store nowadays.” We will come back to this in a few minutes.  Gatsby agrees, but then Daisy decides she is going to go with Gatsby, and Nick and Jordan can ride with Tom in Gatsby’s car.  If you are adding notes to your book, this is an important point to remember – which characters are in which car as they drive to New York.  

As they all head out, Tom is still seething with anger, which becomes worse when he realizes that Nick and Jordan already know that Daisy is having an affair with Gatsby. It seems like Tom was suspicious of Gatsby after his brief visit with his friends, so he has been doing some investigating into Gatsby’s past, and they are all irritated as they stop at Wilson’s garage in the valley of ashes for gas under the watchful eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg. 

Wilson comes out and he looks physically ill.  He asks Tom about selling him Tom’s coupé so he can sell it to get money.  He and his wife are moving west.  When questioned further, Wilson tells Tom that he “just got wised up to something funny the last two days” so he needs money so he and his wife can leave.  What do you think Wilson got wised up to?  Well, if it is that his wife, Myrtle, is having an affair, you would be correct!  Wilson “had discovered that Myrtle had some sort of life apart from him in another world and the shock made him physically ill.” 

During this conversation, Nick notices that Myrtle is peering down on them from behind the curtains in an upper window.  Her eyes are not fixed on Tom, but on Jordan with her eyes wide with jealous terror.  Nick concludes that Myrtle thinks Jordan is Daisy, Tom’s wife.  Furthermore, Tom’s mood goes from bad to worse as the realization hits him that he is about to lose his wife and his mistress all in the same day – the same hour, and he is slowly losing control. 

As the group departs the gas station, Nick makes the general observation that “…it occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well.” What is he talking about?  Well, look at the two other men in this scene – Tom and George.  They are as different as night and day. Tom is of high social status as opposed to George Wilson who is struggling to make ends meet and support his wife.  Despite their social economic differences, both men are emotionally unwell for the same reason – betrayal and heartbreak when they realized their wives cheated on them.  Now, Tom has an additional layer here that he is the one involved with Wilson’s wife, but Wilson does not know this. Nick's comment suggests that the emotional and psychological impact of these revelations goes beyond societal divisions and can deeply affect individuals regardless of their outward circumstances. Important point to keep in mind.  If you are taking notes, this would be a good passage to flag to come back to later.  You may also want to jot a few ideas down in your reading journal.  What do you think Nick’s comment means in relation to the themes in the story? 

When they arrive in New York, they decide to get a suite in the Plaza Hotel.  Not surprising, it is just as hot here as it was at Tom and Daisy’s house, which makes sense.  It is always warmer in the city due to the buildings.  So, tensions are running very high right now, something has got to break this tension. Tom and Daisy are bickering like an old married couple when Gatsby steps in and tells Tom to leave her alone, Tom loses his self-control and starts questioning Gatsby.   

Daisy tries to break the tension by drawing attention to the sound of the Wedding March coming from the open window, which makes her think of her wedding day.  Kind of ironic that she is trying to distract her husband from questioning her lover by discussing her wedding.  But Tom is only momentarily distracted before he returns to questioning Gatsby.  First, Tom questions Gatsby about his Oxford education.  Gatsby is forced to admit that while he did attend Oxford, it was only briefly.  Quick history note – Gatsby is telling the truth. After World War I, soldiers were given the opportunity to attend college, including Oxford.  So, the picture he showed Nick back in Chapter 4 is legitimate. However, Gatsby only briefly attended Oxford, for about five months, not even a full semester.

Daisy again tries to distract Tom, but at this point, Tom will no longer avoid questioning Gatsby about what is going on and asks Gatsby directly, “What kind of a row are you trying to cause in my house anyhow?”  Thems fighting words, and the argument explodes. 

Tom burst out showing not only his anger but his ignorance with his bigoted comments about marriage, adultery, and interracial marriages.  At this point, both Daisy and Nick try to calm Tom down, but it is Gatsby who pours gasoline on the fire when he tells Tom, “Your wife doesn’t love you…She’s never loved you. She loves me.”

Nick and Jordan try to politely leave the room, but Tom’s anger is overwhelming, and so they remain seated. Gatsby continues to tell Tom that his relationship with Daisy has been going on for five years.  If Tom’s head could have exploded, it would have.  Has his wife has actually been cheating on him for FIVE YEARS! Gatsby clarifies, well, no, but we have loved each other for five years.  Tom is totally confused at this point and calls Gatsby crazy.  He has no clue what happened between Daisy and Gatsby before he met Daisy, but she is his wife, she loves him now, and he will make sure that Gatsby is never near his wife again. She loved me when she married me, and she loves me now.  To which Gatsby replies a singular “No.”

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Every time I read this book; I am always amazed that Tom doesn’t rip Gatsby to shreds at this point. Come on! He broke Myrtle’s nose for making comments about Daisy.  But somehow, he manages to control his temper and continues to rage on about his love for his wife, despite his occasional flings.  

Finally, Daisy can no longer hold her tongue and goes off on Tom for his multiple affairs that have caused them to have to move frequently to escape the shame of society.  Gatsby, feeling like he has won the argument, comforts Daisy telling her all that is over, all you need to do is tell him the truth, that you never loved him, and it will all be over. Daisy hesitates and then reluctantly says that she never loved her husband.  Tom looks at Daisy calmly and tenderly, mentioning events in their past that they shared when it was evident that they truly loved each other.  

At this point, Daisy’s resolve is broken, and she admits that she loves them both.  Gatsby is like, excuse me?  No, that’s not possible.  But Daisy turns to Gatsby and says she truly cannot say that she never loved Tom. They have too much history for her to say such a thing.  Gatsby realizes that he will never be able to get Daisy to agree with him while she is still in this room with Tom.  So, he tries to get her to leave so they can be alone.  Alone, he feels he can convince her that she never loved Tom, she has only ever loved him, but we as readers know, this is just not true.  As readers, we must pause and ask, is Daisy prepared to leave Tom? Now, you can definitely argue against me, but I say no, Daisy is not prepared to leave her current life.  I think that, in a moment of weakness, when she was sad and lonely, Gatsby came back into her life.  She was flattered by his love and attention, and it helped her to momentarily forget how lonely she was. It made her feel good to be desired again. She may also have felt like her affair was an act of revenge against Tom for all his affairs.  But it was just a fling, a fantasy.  When the illusion is broken, she will return to her life of wealth, sophistication, and elegance with Tom. 

Now, Tom takes advantage of this momentary distraction to share what he discovered during his investigations into Gatsby’s wealth.  Gatsby works with Wolfsheim, and they sell bootleg liquor out of drug stores.  

History lesson - It is important to note that the Eighteenth Amendment, banning the sale of alcohol in the US, was in effect from 1919 until 1933 when it was repealed.  This is referred to as Prohibition, which I discussed in the episode on the Roaring Twenties.  What do drug stores have to do with this? Well, during this time, drug stores, or pharmacies as we refer to them today, could sell whiskey by prescription, so many drugstores operated as a front for bootlegging, which is the illegal production, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages. The drugstores often had secret entrances to speakeasies. These speakeasies were secret bars or clubs where people could gather to consume alcohol in violation of the Prohibition laws. The club where Nick, Gatsby, and Wolfsheim have lunch is a speakeasy. 

But this information isn’t enough to destroy Gatsby, so Tom mentions a mutual friend, Walter Chase.  Readers do not get any additional information about this man, but from the conversation, we know is has power and wealth. But what truly destroys Gatsby is Tom’s comment that Gatsby has “got something on now that Walter’s afraid to tell (Tom) about.”  Readers are never given this information, but we are told that Daisy is terrified.  We also know that Gatsby has received many secret phone calls, some of which have made him quite angry.   Now, I have read serval articles that make some pretty good arguments about what Tom is referring to, but I am not going to offer my own speculations on this topic.  It is enough to say that Gatsby may be much more dangerous than he appears, which may or may not confirm many of the rumors speculated about him at the beginning of the novel.  You will need to draw your own conclusion here.  Ultimately, Tom has brought Gatsby’s character into question yet again, and it is up to readers to determine how much they trust Gatsby’s honesty. 

It is at this point Daisy makes her choice.  She is overwhelmed and wants this argument to end, so she cries out, “Please, Tom! I can’t take it anymore.” She asks Tom to rescue her, not Gatsby.  Tom, realizing that Daisy and Gatsby need to talk, tells Daisy to head home with Gatsby in his car.  Tom, Nick, and Jordan will follow in Tom’s car.  Note they are all traveling back to East Egg in the opposite car they arrive in!

After Daisy and Gatsby leave, Nick realizes it is his 30th birthday.  A bit odd that he forgot his own birthday, but this is important to note why Fitzgerald included this event.  When I was growing up, back in the dark ages, I remember hearing the phrase, “Don’t trust anyone over thirty.”  Thirty was old; it was not young, youthful, or full of life.  In fact, life was over after 30. Just look at your parents! They were over 30, they had no idea what it was to be young and full of life.  Well, I am definitely over 30, but definitely don’t feel old, and I don’t think readers are supposed to see Nick as old either.  In fact, as I have gotten older, I have started to view life differently.  With age has come wisdom, and I think that this is what readers are supposed to take away from Nick’s 30th birthday.  This is a turning point in his life, one where he can reflect on his past and see how decisions he has made impact his life and his views of society, social class, love, and life in general.  This is also the turning point in the plot. What is going to happen with Daisy and Gatsby? Daisy and Tom? Nick and Jordan? How are their views of life going to change?  If you are keeping a reading journal, write down some of your ideas about these characters and how your perceptions of them have changed, if at all, throughout the novel. 

“So we drove on towards death through the cooling twilight.”

The story shifts perspectives at this point to a new character, Michaelis, who operates a coffee shop across from Wilson’s garage.  Through Michaelis, we learn that Wilson is truly losing his mind.  He has Myrtle locked up so she can’t leave before he is able to plan their move out west.  Wow! He has locked up his wife – doesn’t seem mentally stable to me. Later that evening, Myrtle breaks free of her confinement while arguing loudly with Wilson. She runs out into the street to flag down an approaching car, but the car hits her leaving her dead on the side of the road. 

Now, why does Myrtle run out into the highway to flag down a car coming from New York?  It could be the fact that Gatsby’s car is so recognizable, and she saw Tom driving it earlier, assuming it was Tom’s car, so she thinks that Tom is there to rescue her. He can save me if only I can get his attention. Now, this is just the conclusion I have drawn based on my readings.  We will never truly know what was going through Myrtle’s mind, so feel free to draw your own conclusions. 

Some time later, Tom, Nick, and Jordan approach the scene, and Tom, in full panic, stops and rushes into the garage. He sees Myrtle’s body, wrapped in blankets, lying on a worktable.  He screams at people until he learns from a police officer that Myrtle was killed in a hit and run. Two cars were approaching, one from each direction, and the one coming from New York stuck Myrtle but kept going.  Tom continues to ask about the cars until he it told the car that hit Myrtle was yellow, and he makes the connection that Gatsby must have hit Myrtle – taken his mistress’s away from him since he couldn’t take his wife (at least this is the conclusion that I believe Tom’s irrational mind made in the moment). He also knows that Wilson will also make the connection with the car, so Tom storms into the room with Wilson, who is completely and utterly destroyed, and screams forcefully at Wilson that the car he was driving earlier was not his car.  He had only borrowed it from a friend.  The police try to question Tom, but the only information he gives is that his car is blue, and he has just come from New York. As Tom, Nick, and Jordan leave the scene, Tom is sobbing, both angry and distraught, he calls Gatsby a coward for not even stopping his car after the accident. 

The trio return to Tom’s house in East Egg.  Jordan tries to convince Nick to stay, but he has had enough.  He clearly sees the destruction that has occurred and is sickened by everything he has seen.  Before getting a taxi back to West Egg, he sees Gatsby standing in the shadows of Tom and Daisy’s house.  Gatsby asks about the young woman, and Nick informs him that she is dead.  At this point, Nick realizes that it was Daisy, not Gatsby who was driving the car that hit Myrtle.  As the two cars approached, Daisy had the choice to swear and hit the oncoming car (probably injuring herself and Gatsby) or hitting Myrtle, not that she knew who this woman was, just a nameless woman from the valley of ashes, a nobody.  Gatsby still holds to dream that is he could just talk with Daisy, convince her that they are in love, that she never loved Tom, and they will be able to run away to live happily ever after.  Still holding on to the dream even though it is gone for good. As Nick leaves, he reflects on Gatsby who is “standing there in the moonlight – watching over nothing.” This gives off the same vibes from Chapter 1 when Gatsby was reaching out for the green light, but now it has all disappeared.  

So, what happens next?  Are Tom and Daisy back together for good? What will happen to Gatsby? There are still a lot of lose ends to tie up in the story, so make some predictions on how everything will play out.  Maybe even reflect on Nick’s comments from Chapter 1, “No, Gatsby turned out alright in the end.” What do you think will happen that makes Nick continue to see Gatsby as admirable?

Thanks for listening to this episode of Read it and (Don’t) Weep. Be sure to subscribe to the show so you will be notified when new episodes are released. If you liked today’s show, please leave a review so others can discover my show.  If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, drop me an email at readitanddontweep@gmail.com, or reach out to me on social media. I would love to hear from you. The links are in the show notes.  

Thank you for listening.  I am Jackey Taggart and remember to read it and don’t weep. 

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