Chapter 8

     After the long day, Nick goes home to a sleepless night. Before sunrise, Nick goes to Gatsby's house and Gatsby tells him how he waited until four in the morning and that nothing happened. Tom didn't try to hurt her, and Daisy did not come outside. Nick tells Gatsby that he should leave Long Island and forget about Daisy, but Gatsby refuses. Gatsby then tells Nick about himself and Daisy in Louisville in 1917. He tells Nick that he loved her for her youth, social position, wealth, and popularity. He tells Nick that Daisy is the first girl to who he felt do close that he had to lie about who he was to make her think he was worthy of her. Next, Gatsby tells Nick that he and Daisy made love and he felt that he was married to her. Daisy promised him that she would wait for him after the war, but she married Tom. The gardener then interrupts and tells Gatsby that he plans to drain the pool, but Gatsby tells him to wait a day because he wishes to go for a swim, even though he has never used the pool before. Nick then realizes he is very late for work, but just before he leaves he yells to Gatsby that he is worth more than the Buchanans and all of their friends.
     NIck goes into work, but can't focus and he even refuses to meet Jordan for a date. It then goes on to discuss what happened at the garage after Myrtle's death; Michaelis told Nick what happened. George Wilson stayed up all night talking to Michaelis about Myrtle. He tells him that before she died he confronted Myrtle about her lover. The next morning the eyes from the sign overwhelm Wilson and he thinks that they are the eyes of God. He comes to the conclusion that whoever hit Myrtle was her lover. He then jumps to the radical conclusion that God demands revenge and leaves to track down who hit Myrtle. Wilson goes to Tom because he knows Tom is familiar with the cars owner because he saw Tom driving it earlier that day, but knows it wasn't him who hit her since he arrived at the accident later. Wilson eventually goes to Gatsby's house where he is floating in the pool looking up at the sky. Wilson then shoots Gatsby, killing him, then proceeds to shoot himself. Nick then hurries back to West Egg to find Gatsby dead in his pool. Nick imagines Gatsby's final thoughts, and the emptiness of his life without Daisy.