Chapter Summary:
So into Daisy, Gatsby cancels his parties, which were a means of attracting Daisy, and hires new ‘servants’, people connected to Meyer Wolfsheim, as a way of preventing gossip around Daisy’s constant visits. On the hottest day of the summer, Nick goes to lunch at Daisy and Tom’s and finds Jordan Baker and Gatsby there as well. As Tom greets Gatsby, Daisy interrupts and orders Tom to make them cold drinks, and then as soon as he is out of sight, she openly kisses Gatsby on the lips and expresses her love for him in front on everyone. Then, Daisy’s daughter, “Pammy”, comes into the room with the nurse and, through her interactions with her mother, it is evident that Daisy has no real connection with her daughter other than that she’s an item to be flaunted. Tom and Gatsby get into an argument and the group decides to go into town to break the tension. On the way, Tom stops at Wilson’s to get gas and George tells him that he and Myrtle are moving West. The group ends up at the Plaza Hotel because it is too hot outside. Tom and Gatsby start arguing again and Gatsby blurts out that Daisy never loved Tom. Daisy agrees with Gatsby and tells Tom that she never loved him, but after he gets upset, she admits she loved him once, but not now. In response, Tom outs Gatsby’s shady business with Wolfsheim, making Daisy upset. Nick remembers that today is his thirtieth birthday. Daisy begs to go home and rides with Gatsby, while the rest of the Group rides with Tom. On the way, Tom, Nick, and Jordan stop at Wilson’s and realize that an accident had taken place. Michaelis, Wilson’s neighbor, tells everyone that Myrtle ran into the street and was hit by a big yellow car. It is obvious that the car that hit Myrtle was Gatsby’s car and Michaelis tells the group that the car didn’t even stop, but hit Myrtle and kept going. Gatsby tells Nick that Daisy was driving to “steady her nerves” but that he is prepared to take the blame for her accident.
Character:
a) “Pammy” Buchanan
Most Defining Quote:
b) “That’s because your mother wanted to show you off. You dream, you. You absolute little dream.” (Daisy 117)
Characteristics:
c) Tom and Daisy’s little daughter mainly taken care of by the nurse, not by her parents. She has small hands and looks like Daisy with her yellow hair.
Role in the Book:
d) The daughter’s role in this book is to show the readers exactly what kind of person Daisy is. Because of her daughter, we can tell that Daisy only cares about the act and about appearances instead of focusing on the key things in life that make us better people, like developing relationships with our families. Daisy’s daughter really proves that Daisy isn’t too interested in her marriage with Tom because of her lack of interest in their daughter.
Quote:
“She never loved you, do you hear? She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved anyone except me!” (Gatsby 130)
This quote is significant because, although he tells Tom of the affair out of anger, it shows Gatsby exploding in the hottest chapter of the book. After waiting five years in the shadows for Daisy, the woman he loves more than his life itself, he can’t take the silence anymore and his emotions explode as he tells Tom what has been going on between him and Daisy. This quote and the way Gatsby feels at this moment in Chapter 7 stuck out to me because I feel like I can relate to Gatsby’s feelings as he waits for the one person he thinks will make him happy. Gatsby and I both have loved the same person for a long time with no satisfaction, Gatsby more intensely and creepily than I, obviously, whether we like it or not. It can’t be helped even if we know this person isn’t worth it in the end. Gatsby loves a shallow married woman with a child and I love someone that can never know or return my feelings. I think I might be Gatsby… minus the criminal status and stalker qualities, which is sad, because I’d much rather spend my time thinking about other things than dead-end love.
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