The Great Gatsby
Scene #7 · Chapter 7
Myrtle is struck and killed by Gatsby's car driven by Daisy
Scene Description
Myrtle Wilson, locked in her room by her husband George, sees Gatsby's yellow car approaching and breaks free, running into the road. She waves her arms, apparently believing Tom is driving, seeking rescue from her husband. The car strikes her with devastating force, tearing open her body and killing her instantly. Daisy, who is actually driving, does not stop. Gatsby later tells Nick that Daisy was behind the wheel but that he intends to take the blame.
Why It Matters
Myrtle's death results from multiple characters' carelessness and deceptions—Tom's affair, George's imprisonment of her, Daisy's reckless driving, and Gatsby's willingness to let Daisy drive his conspicuous car. The mistaken identity that causes Myrtle to run toward the car embodies the novel's theme of confused identities and misplaced dreams. Gatsby's decision to protect Daisy demonstrates his devotion but also his fatal inability to see that she will not make the same sacrifice for him.
Related Prompts
Related Quotes
Michaelis and this man reached her first, but when they had torn open her shirtwaist, still damp with perspiration, they saw that her left breast was swinging loose like a flap, and there was no need to listen for the heart beneath. The mouth was wide open and ripped a little at the corners, as though she had choked a little in giving up the tremendous vitality she had stored so long.
Chapter 7 · Narrator
"Was Daisy driving?" "Yes," he said after a moment, "but of course I'll say I was."
Chapter 7 · Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway
The "death car" as the newspapers called it, didn't stop; it came out of the gathering darkness, wavered tragically for a moment, and then disappeared around the next bend.
Chapter 7 · Narrator