Characters
Jay Gatsby
Gatsby loses Daisy, the object of his long and arduous quest, after he asks her to choose between her husband and himself and demands that she tell Tom that she has never loved him. Although Daisy is lost to Gatsby in reality, the blame that he takes for the death of Myrtle and the vigil he keeps over the Buchanan house illustrate that his dream is still alive in his imagination.
Nick Carraway
Nick appears in the chapter as an impartial third party and serves as the
narrator of the action. He has no major impact on the events that take place.
Tom Buchanan
Tom becomes physically ill when he discovers that he may be losing his girlfriend and his wife. He exposes Gatsby's source of wealth and takes control of Daisy after she breaks down and turns to him to preserve the status quo. He sends Daisy home with Gatsby as a show of his confidence.
Daisy Buchanan
Daisy is torn between her husband and her old love when she is forced to choose between Tom and Gatsby. She desperately wants to maintain the status quo and keep Tom as her husband, as well as Gatsby as her lover. Daisy's lack of inner resources when she is asked to choose between the two men allows Tom to take control of the situation.
Jordan Baker
Jordan appears disinterested during the entire chapter. She takes no real part in the action and has no feelings regarding the argument between Tom and Gatsby.
George Wilson
Wilson appears to be weak with illness in this chapter as he comes out of his garage to fill Gatsby's car with gasoline. He has finally discovered that his wife is having an affair and has locked her in an upstairs room. He plans to keep her there until their move west in the near future.
Myrtle Wilson
Myrtle peers out the window as Tom pulls into the garage in Gatsby's car. Myrtle mistakes Jordan, who is riding with Tom, as Tom's wife. She later runs into the road to stop Gatsby's car, but instead is hit by the car and killed.
Michaelis
Michaelis is the young Greek who runs a coffee joint next door to Wilson's garage. He witnesses Myrtle's death and was the first one to her side to cover her dead body with blankets.
Pammy Buchanan
The daughter of Tom and Daisy appears for the only time in the novel. She is paraded in front of the company as if she is an object to be displayed, not a human being.
Dr. T. J. Eckleburg
Doctor T. J. Eckleburg is an oculist whose face in an advertisement is plastered on a billboard in front of Wilson's garage. He watches over the desolate Valley of Ashes with his blind eyes.
"Blocks" Biloxi
"Blocks" Biloxi is the topic of Tom and Daisy's pointless conversation during the evening in New York. "Blocks" was a man who attended the wedding of Tom and Daisy and fainted during the ceremony.
Meyer Wolfshiem
Wolfshiem is Gatsby's partner in the drug store business, which acts as a front for bootlegging activities. Tom brings up Wolfshiem's name during his argument with Gatsby as proof of his illegal source of wealth.
Chapter Seven