Summary
In the ninth and final chapter of “The Great Gatsby,” by F.Scott Fitzgerald, Nick describes the events of Gatsby’s death and its aftermath, two years later. Nick recounts how he attempted to arrange a large funeral for Gatsby, only to realize that none of Gatsby’s “friends” were willing to go; only Owl-eyes, a few servants, and Gatsby’s father, Henry Gatz, attend. Henry Gatz talks about how proud he is of his son, and shows Nick a timetable for self-improvement Gatsby had as a child, showing the young Gatsby’s drive and motivation. Later, Nick sees Tom, who reveals he told Wilson that the car that killed Myrtle was Gatsby’s, and told Wilson that Gatsby deserved to die. This leads Nick to the conclusion that Tom and Daisy are careless people who hurt and destroy others, knowing that their money will protect them. Nick decides to move back West, and on his last night in West Egg, muses on how America, a land of failed hopes and dreams, mirrors Gatsby’s hopes that were doomed to fail. Nick finishes this story of the West in the East with a poignant line on how our struggles to shape the future and disown our past are much like a boat struggling against a current that ultimately carries us back into the past.