How Does Tom Buchanan Cause Gatsby's Death

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic novel about the dark side of the 1920s. The book revolves around Jay Gatsby, a very wealthy gangster, and ultimately his death in the end. While Daisy Buchanan, a woman Gatsby loves but is married to another, is driving herself and Gatsby home, she strikes Myrtle Wilson and kills her. It is no secret that Myrtle is Tom Buchanan’s mistress, and so she came running into the street thinking that it was Tom in the car and that he would stop for her. Even though George Wilson pulled the trigger and directly killed Gatsby, it was ultimately Tom Buchanan who caused his death. In all actuality, Tom Buchanan was the one who caused Gatsby’s death, and it was essentially because of his infidelity. While

Oblivious as to what is happening, Nick asks Jordan what is happening. Flabbergasted, she discloses that she “‘thought everybody knew. [that] Tom’s got some woman in New York’” (Fitzgerald 14). Many people are aware that Tom is cheating on his wife, and it is later revealed that Myrtle practically lives a second, more glamorous life with Tom. This culminates when she runs out into the street screaming for Tom after an argument with George and gets hit by Gatsby’s car. However, George Wilson was actually planning on leaving town with Myrtle, but only stayed because Tom finally decided to sell him his car. When Daisy finally decides to confront Tom about her love for Gatsby, she begs them to go to New York because of the sweltering heat. Tom, Jordan, and Nick take Gatsby’s car, while Jay and Daisy take Tom’s car. Gatsby’s car is low on gas, so Tom pulls over to Wilson’s automobile shop. Sick because he has just learned that his wife is cheating on him, Wilson tells Tom that “‘[he] just got wised up to something funny.that’s why [he wants] to get away’ ‘[Tom says he’ll] let [George] have that car’” (Fitzgerald