Plot: Climax

The Fatal Collision

The pivotal point in The Great Gatsby occurs during the intense confrontation between Gatsby and Tom, followed by the tragic accident.
Myrtle, Tom’s mistress, dies in a car accident, which is ironically caused by Daisy, Gatsby’s love.
Gatsby, in his devotion to Daisy, takes the blame for the accident, exemplifying his selfless love and devotion.

Conflict at the Plaza Hotel

Preceding the accident, Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, Jordan, and Nick gather in the Plaza Hotel where the tension among them reaches its peak.
It is here that Gatsby’s and Tom’s rivalry comes to a head, with Gatsby insisting Daisy confess that she never loved Tom.
Despite initial hesitation, Daisy eventually admits she had indeed loved Tom, crushing Gatsby’s idealistic vision of their past love.

Gatsby’s Crumbling Dream

The climax symbolises the disintegration of Gatsby’s treasured dream of being with Daisy as she cannot renounce her past with Tom.
The reality shatters Gatsby’s rose-tinted glasses, causing him to face the disheartening truth that Daisy is not the idealised figure that he had built up in his mind.

The Morality Question

The characters’ actions during the climax call their morality into question, from Daisy’s hit-and-run to Gatsby’s decision to protect Daisy at his own expense.
This intensifies Fitzgerald’s critique of the 1920s American society where materialism and deceit prevail, and morality seems to have taken a backseat.

Summary

The climax in The Great Gatsby brings the novel’s simmering conflicts to the fore, culminating in tragic consequences and shattered dreams. It serves as a key turning point in the narrative, starkly revealing the characters’ true colours and Fitzgerald’s critique of the so-called glamorous American lifestyle of the 1920s.