How Does The Great Gatsby End?
The Great Gatsby ends with Gatsby's death. Myrtle Wilson is killed by Gatsby's car with Daisy at the wheel. Her husband, George Wilson, blames Gatsby, shoots him, and then kills himself. Nick Carraway leaves for the Midwest.
Almost nobody comes to Gatsby's funeral, although hundreds came to his parties.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| The turning point | Gatsby's car kills Myrtle Wilson |
| Who was driving | Daisy |
| Who is blamed | Gatsby |
| Gatsby's death | Shot by George Wilson, who then kills himself |
| At the funeral | Nick, Gatsby's father and almost no one else |
| Nick's choice | Ends things with Jordan and goes home |
What leads to the ending?
On a hot afternoon, a group goes into New York and takes a suite at a hotel. There Gatsby presses Daisy to say that she never loved her husband. She wavers. Tom Buchanan then exposes the source of Gatsby's money as illegal business, and Daisy pulls back from him.
↑ Back to the topWho kills Myrtle Wilson?
On the drive home, Gatsby's car hits and kills Myrtle Wilson, Tom's mistress. Daisy was driving, and she does not stop. Gatsby is the one who is blamed.
↑ Back to the topHow does Gatsby die?
Tom tells George Wilson, who is grieving, that the car belonged to Gatsby. Wilson, who believes that the driver was the lover of his wife, goes to Gatsby's estate. He finds Gatsby in the pool and shoots him, then turns the gun on himself. Gatsby has spent the afternoon waiting for a call from Daisy that never comes.
↑ Back to the topWho goes to Gatsby's funeral?
Nick arranges the funeral. Hundreds of people came to Gatsby's parties, but almost none of them attend. His father travels from the Midwest. Daisy and Tom have left town without a word. The contrast with his parties is part of the point of the ending.
↑ Back to the topHow does the book end for Nick?
Nick ends his relationship with Jordan Baker. He decides to leave the East, which has come to seem hollow to him, and returns to the Midwest. On his last night he walks to Gatsby's empty beach and thinks about the green light on Daisy's dock.
The last line of the book is about that wish: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
↑ Back to the topMore about The Great Gatsby
This guide covers the book only. Film and TV versions differ in places.