The Great Gatsby: Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Key Quotes

Descriptions of the Setting:

“Nobody came.” This time, the phrase describes the scene after Myrtle’s death, a stark contrast to the vibrant, full-of-life parties Gatsby used to throw. This decline in turnout shows the fading high life Gatsby once knew and accentuates his loneliness.
“The holocaust was complete.” The tragic climax of the chapter - the deaths of Gatsby and Wilson, and the metaphorical death of Gatsby’s dream - is described here as a holocaust, giving a sense of total devastation.

Character Confrontations:

“God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!” Wilson tells this to Myrtle’s killer, but it also applies to Gatsby and his attempt to recreate the past, implying a moral judgement upon Gatsby’s endeavour.
“It was all very careless and confused.” Nick’s assessment of Tom and Daisy wraps up their characterisation, revealing their self-centredness and lack of responsibility for the harm they cause to others.

Introduction to Themes:

“I couldn’t forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified.” This presents the theme of perspective - Nick is able to understand Gatsby’s actions and motives, but he does not like or forgive Gatsby, highlighting the subjective nature of human judgement.
“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness…“ The theme of recklessness is summarised here, as Nick criticises the rich for their lack of responsibility or concern for the damage they cause to people in their pursuit of pleasure.

Use of Symbolism:

“And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world…“ Here, the ‘old, unknown world’ symbolises Gatsby’s dream - his vision of a lost past with Daisy, which is now truly lost with his death.
“That green light…Meant nothing to me but…You believed in it.” This conversation between Nick and Gatsby reveals the symbolic value of the green light - it represents Gatsby’s dream and his hopes for the future.
“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” This line encapsulates one of the key concepts of the novel - the haunting influence of the past and the futile struggle of humans to escape or change it. This underlines the theme of time’s inevitability and Gatsby’s unsuccessful struggle against it.