Free Sample Essays > North American
Who Killed Jay Gatsby?
There he is, the mysterious Mr. Gatsby. No one knows his past, no one knows his true identity. 'This man is a king, a man of royal blood,' some said. 'No, this man is a military general-or maybe a spy! Yes, a spy!' Maybe he is a spy, or perhaps just another rich face in the crowd. One warm day, the man is killed, but by who? Who would kill this man of many faces? Although there are so many scapegoats to this crime, there are three that stand out above the rest: George Wilson, The Buchanans, and Jay Gatsby, himself.
Everyone is aware of the true murderer of Gatsby is Mr. George Wilson. Everyone also was aware that Wilson's wife, Myrtle, was having an affair with Tom Buchanan. Everyone, that is, except for George himself. Not the brightest crayon in the box, Wilson was a very gullable to what others told him. When his wife was hit by a car, he automatically assumed it was his wife's lover.
" 'He murdered her.'
' It was an accident, George.'
'I know,' he said defiantly, 'I'm one of these trusting fellas and I dont think any harm to nobody, but when i get to know a thing I know it. It was the man in the car.' (pg. 166, Ch. 8)
This led the man to talk to one he trusted, Mr. Tom Buchanan. Obviously, to cover himself, Tom lied to George, and told him that the lover of Myrtle was Gatsby. Well, now that we know the motives behind Wilson, what did he actually do? One morning, while floating in his pool, Gatsby was found dead. Nearby Gatsby, was George Wilson. After shooting Gatsby, Wilson even shot himself. A perfect describtion of afterwards can be said by Nick:
"It was afterward we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardner saw Wilson's body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete." (Pg. 170, Ch. 8)
If Wilson killed Gatsby, then just how are the Buchanans linked to this? This simple question has a not-so-simple answer. First of all, there is the connection to Tom Buchanan. His major crime is described along with Wilson's. Tom is the one who lied to Wilson, who was Myrtle's lover, and who was jealous of Gatsby and Daisy's relationship. Speaking of the devil, Daisy Buchanan has as much to blame for. Daisy was the one love of Gatsby's, being his obsession for many years. Another connection with Daisy is the death of Myrtle Wilson. Although many believe Gatsby was the one driving the car that killed [next page]