Chapter 7, pages 113-145
Since Gatsby currently has Daisy with him, he stops throwing his lavish parties. Later on another day, Nick attends lunch at Daisy and Tom's house, where he finds Jordan and Gatsby. Once Fitzgerald introduces Daisy's daughter for the first time, immediately she distances herself away from the baby and towards Gatsby, much to Tom's concern. During a trip to New York, Nick, Jordan, Gatsby, Tom, and Daisy run into George Wilson, who recently discovered Myrtle's affair. After Daisy and Gatsby accidentally hit Myrtle while driving, Gatsby proclaims that he will take the blame out of his love for Daisy.
George Wilson: "I've been here too long. I want to get away. My wife and I want to go West" (Fitzgerald 123).
George is a hard working, honest man, who is caught in the middle of an adulterous affair between his wife, Myrtle, and Tom. Although he recently found out, he decides to stay faithful to the vows he made with Myrtle, and instead of leaving her, decides to start over in a new location, again avoiding ending way out of his marriage, and keeping his faith in Myrtle as his wife.
George provides a conscience and normality in his marriage to Myrtle. While Myrtle is superficial, greedy, and manipulative, George does not lie or cheat his way through life, and works hard maintaining and keeping his business. In addition, although many characters, including his wife, hold superficial and materialistic attitudes throughout the novel, George, along with Nick, hold up the dignity of the human race, and provide likable qualities that very much lack throughout people during this time.
"Daisy and Tom were sitting opposite each other at the kitchen table....They weren't happy...yet they weren't unhappy either" (143).
Although both Daisy and Tom are stuck in a loveless marriage, they still find some happiness through it, presumably their wealth and social status, as they were both happy and sad in their marriage. The roaring 1920s were all about wealth and partying, which they have, but without some type of personal connection bringing them joy in their marriage, since the baby doesn't even seem to make either happy. While previous chapters only indicate unhappiness - seen through Tom's affair with Myrtle and many other women, as well as Daisy's true love for Gatsby. The "lost generation" myth also comes into significance here, seen through two 30 something year old people looking for a reason to be happy in their lives.
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