Chapter Seven brings many secrets out into the open. Jay Gatsby and Daisy reveal to Tom that they are in love, and Daisy attempts to tell Tom that she never loved him. Gatsby pushes her to say it, but she is not able to. She cannot deny the fact that at some time, no matter how small in measure, she did feel love for Tom. Tom and Myrtle's affair is also partially exposed when Wilson, Myrtle's husband, discovers that she is seeing another man. However, Wilson does not know who the man is and spends his time questioning every man that walks into his store. He is sick with grief and locks Myrtle in her room, planning to move her away from her adulterer. His plan is ruined when Myrtle escapes and runs toward the road.
She is hit by a car and killed instantly while the car races off into the distance. Wilson is devastated as is Tom when he learns of Myrtle's death. The "death car" is driven by Daisy, Gatsby in the passenger seat, but Gatsby is ready to take full blame. He leaves the car in a garage, thinking that they got away unseen. This is not true; witnesses report seeing a yellow car and police are on the lookout for the criminals. Tom is stricken with panic when he realizes that he was driving Gatsby's car earlier, and Wilson saw him. He tries desperately to tell the distraught Wilson that the car does not belong to him. Wilson is lost in his grief and does not hear anything Tom says. Through the midst of the chaos, Nick remembers that it is his thirtieth birthday and shudders at the thought of another decade.
Gatsby displays intense emotions in this chapter, such as anger, love, and guilt. Up to this point he has been the cool character in the book, but when Daisy is around, his emotions run high. He stands up to Tom on Daisy's behalf and is willing to sacrifice everything for her. He and Daisy are in the car that kills Myrtle, and although Daisy had been driving, Gatsby is prepared to take the blame.
Daisy is the cause of much of the conflict that occurs in Chapter Seven. She stirs up trouble by allowing Gatsby and Tom to meet and flaunts her affair in front of Tom. She is unconcerned with the feelings of others and acts solely on the basis of what she wants at that moment in time. Daisy is driving when she and Gatsby hit and kill Myrtle with the car and despite Gatsby's pleads, speeds away from the scene.
Tom not only discovers that his wife is having an affair in this chapter, his own affair is revealed. His life that he thought was perfect is now in chaos and he does not know how to deal with it. To top everything off, his mistress, Myrtle, is killed at the end and he thinks that his wife's lover is the killer.
Wilson is Myrtle's husband and she is his life. He is crushed when he discovers Myrtle's affair and attempts to lock her up and eventually move her away from her lover. When Myrtle is killed, Wilson is left in shambles.
Myrtle is not prevalent in this chapter up until she is killed. She escapes from the room where Wilson has locked her and runs frantically toward the road. She is killed instantly by a car that speeds away. It is when she is killed that her husband, her lover, and her lover's wife are all connected through her.
Nick, as always, sits back and watches the madness occur. He enjoys Jordan's company more than any of the others but is eventually put off even by her. He remembers toward the end that it is his birthday, and that he is thirty. On the car ride home he ponders the century looming ahead of him.
Jordan is Nick's solace through most of the novel and generally goes with the flow. She does not dwell on the past or worry about the present, and in the chapter, Nick comments on his admiration of those qualities.
*She is a trophy to Daisy, a show-and-tell item. Daisy's coldness is once again displayed.
Tom and Daisy's home is the first setting of the chapter. Tom, Daisy, Nick, Gatsby, and Jordan are all gathered there for lunch. Tom makes cool drinks in the parlor, and everyone is attempting to bear the heat. They decide to go on an excursion into town, and much of the chapter is spent en route in the cars. The overwhelming effect is that the heat is unrelenting. No one can help but complain because it is the hottest day of the summer.
"Her voice is full of money" (127) Gatsby says this of Daisy. It sums up Daisy perfectly. Money is her main objective in life and she is willing to sacrifice everything for it, including the man she loves.
"The next day was broiling, almost the last, certainly the warmest of the summer." (120) Nick describes the day and the heat as the summer's hottest. Just as the summer is coming to a climax, so is the plot. There are secrets uncovered, infidelity revealed, and a hit-and-run accident resulting in the death of Myrtle. All the emotions in Chapter Seven are as high and intense as the heat.
"I want to wait here till Daisy goes to bed. Good night, old sport" (153). The themes that run through this chapter are those of deception and admission of past infidelity. While Tom manages to keep his identity as Myrtle's lover a secret, Wilson does find out that she Myrtle has been unfaithful. Daisy and Gatsby are up front about their affair and their love and admit to both without guilt. This chapter exemplifies the loveless marriages and the unfaithfulness that is occurring with the majority of the characters. The main concern for Daisy is money and prestige while Gatsby simply wants to be with the woman he loves.
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