Latest / Chapter by Chapter — The Lost Library / The Great Gatsby - Chapter Eight | Full Audiobook

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The Great Gatsby - Chapter Eight | Full Audiobook · Chapter by Chapter — The Lost Library

0:00
Welcome back to chapter by Chapter, the audio book
0:03
experience. We're continuing The Great
0:06
Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald. If this is your first time here,
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start from the beginning of this season and follow Nick
0:14
Carraway's story from the very start.
0:17
And if you've been with us since Chapter 7, welcome back.
0:21
The crash happened, Myrtle is dead, Daisy is back behind the
0:26
walls of East Egg, and Gatsby is still standing on the lawn in
0:30
the dark, watching her window, waiting for a light that never
0:34
comes back on. But this chapter doesn't open
0:37
with action. It opens with confession.
0:40
Gatsby finally talks about Dan Cody, about that October night,
0:46
about everything he was and everything he pretended to be.
0:50
He lays it all out for Nick like a man who knows the story is
0:54
almost over. And across town, in the ash
0:57
heaps, George Wilson is also piercing something together.
1:01
By the end of this chapter, the dream is done.
1:06
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Now sit back and let's continue the story.
1:42
Chapter 8. I couldn't sleep the entire
1:46
night. A foghorn droned endlessly on
1:49
the sound, and I tossed and turned, caught between grotesque
1:54
reality and wild, terrifying dreams.
1:57
Just before dawn, I heard a taxi pull up Gatsby's drive, and I
2:01
leapt out of bed to get dressed. I felt an urgent need to warn
2:05
him, knowing that morning would be too late.
2:09
As I crossed his lawn, I noticed his front door was still open,
2:13
and there he was, leaning against a table in the hall,
2:17
weighed down by either dejection or sleep.
2:21
Nothing happened, he said. Weekly.
2:23
I waited, and around 4:00 she came to the window, stood there
2:27
for a moment, then turned off the light.
2:31
His house had never seemed so vast to me as it did that night.
2:35
While we searched the grand rooms for cigarettes, we pushed
2:39
aside curtains that felt like pavilions and groped along
2:43
endless stretches of dark wall for light.
2:46
At one point I stumbled with a splash onto the keys of a
2:50
ghostly piano. Dust was inexplicably
2:54
everywhere, and the rooms were musty, as if they hadn't been
2:58
aired in many days. I discovered the humidor on a
3:02
table I didn't recognize, containing 2 cigarettes that had
3:06
gone stale and dry. We flung open the French windows
3:10
of the drawing room and sat there, smoking into the night.
3:14
You should leave, I suggested. They'll likely trace your car.
3:19
Leave now, old sport, Head to Atlantic City for a week, or
3:23
maybe up to Montreal. He refused to entertain the
3:27
idea. He couldn't possibly leave Daisy
3:29
until he knew what her plans were.
3:32
He was clinging to a last shred of hope, and I couldn't bring
3:35
myself to disillusion him. That night he shared with me the
3:39
peculiar tale of his youth with Dan Cody.
3:42
He told me, because Jay Gatsby had shattered like glass against
3:47
Tom's harsh malice, and the long hidden spectacle had come to an
3:51
end. I believe he would have
3:53
confessed anything at that point without holding back, but his
3:57
mind was on Daisy. She was the first truly nice
4:01
girl he had ever known. In various undisclosed roles he
4:06
had encountered people like her, but there was always an
4:09
invisible barrier between them. He found her thrillingly
4:13
desirable. Initially he visited her home
4:16
with other officers from Camp Taylor, then on his own.
4:20
It astounded him. He had never been in such a
4:23
magnificent house before, but what infused it with a
4:27
breathless intensity was Daisy's presence.
4:30
It was as ordinary to her as his tent at camp was to him.
4:35
There was an alluring mystery about the place, a sense of
4:39
upstairs bedrooms more exquisite and serene than any others, of
4:44
lively and joyful happenings unfolding within its halls, and
4:48
of romances that were not stale relics preserved in lavender,
4:52
but fresh, alive, and infused with the spirit of this year's
4:56
gleaming cars and dances whose flowers were still vibrant.
5:01
The fact that many men had loved Daisy before him only heightened
5:05
her allure in his eyes. He felt their presence
5:08
throughout the house, filling the air with the lingering
5:12
shades and echoes of emotions still pulsing with life.
5:16
Yet he understood that his presence in Daisy's home was a
5:20
monumental fluke. No matter how grand his future
5:24
as Jay Gatsby might be, at that moment, he was a young man with
5:28
no wealth and no history, and at any instant the unseen mantle of
5:33
his uniform might slip away. So he seized the moment.
5:37
He took whatever he could, greedily and without scruples.
5:41
Eventually he took Daisy 1 quiet October night took her because
5:46
he had no legitimate claim even to hold her hand.
5:50
He might have loathed himself for it, for he had certainly won
5:54
her under false pretenses. Not that he had flaunted
5:57
imaginary riches, but he had intentionally given Daisy a
6:01
sense of security. He allowed her to believe he was
6:04
someone from a similar social standing, fully capable of
6:08
providing for her. In truth, he had none of those
6:11
assurances. No supportive family behind him,
6:14
and he was subject to the whims of an indifferent government
6:17
that could send him anywhere in the world.
6:20
But he did not loathe himself, and things did not turn out as
6:24
he had expected. He had likely planned to take
6:27
what he could and leave, but now he found himself chasing an
6:31
elusive dream. He understood that Daisy was
6:34
remarkable, yet he hadn't grasped just how remarkable a
6:38
nice girl could be. She disappeared into her opulent
6:42
home, into her rich, vibrant life, leaving Gatsby with
6:46
nothing. He felt as though he were bound
6:48
to her, and that was everything. When they met again two days
6:53
later, it was Gatsby who was breathless, who felt somehow
6:56
deceived. Her porch glowed with the
6:59
purchased luxury of Starlight. The Wicker of the settee creaked
7:03
stylishly as she turned toward him, and he kissed her curious
7:07
and beautiful mouth. She had caught a cold, which
7:10
made her voice even huskier and more enchanting, and Gatsby was
7:15
acutely aware of the youth and mystery that wealth captures and
7:19
preserves, of the freshness of many garments, and of Daisy
7:23
shining like silver, secure and proud above the heated struggles
7:28
of the poor. I can't tell you how astonished
7:31
I was to discover I loved her old sport.
7:34
I even hoped for a time that she'd let me go.
7:37
But she didn't, because she loved me too.
7:40
She thought I was now a. He had likely planned to take
7:43
what he could and leave, but now he found himself chasing an
7:47
elusive dream. He understood that Daisy was
7:50
remarkable, yet he hadn't grasped just how remarkable a
7:54
nice girl could be. She disappeared into her opulent
7:58
home, into her rich, vibrant life, leaving Gatsby with
8:02
nothing. He felt as though he were bound
8:05
to her, and that was everything. When they met again two days
8:09
later, it was Gatsby who was breathless, who felt somehow
8:13
deceived. Her porch glowed with the
8:15
purchased luxury of Starlight, the Wicker of the settee creaked
8:20
stylishly as she turned toward him, and he kissed her curious
8:24
and beautiful mouth. She had caught a cold, which
8:27
made her voice even huskier and more enchanting, and Gatsby was
8:31
acutely aware of the youth and mystery that wealth captures and
8:35
preserves, of the freshness of many and of Daisy shining like
8:40
silver, secure and proud above the heated struggles of the
8:44
poor. I can't tell you how astonished
8:48
I was to discover I loved her old sport.
8:51
I even hoped for a time that she'd let me go.
8:53
But she didn't, because she loved me too.
8:56
She thought I was knowledgeable because I knew things she
8:59
didn't. Well, there I was, far from my
9:02
ambitions, falling deeper in love every moment, and suddenly
9:07
I didn't care. What was the point of achieving
9:09
great things if I could have a better time telling her what I
9:13
planned to do? On the last afternoon before he
9:16
went abroad, he sat with Daisy in his arms for a long, silent
9:20
time. It was a crisp autumn day, the
9:23
warmth of the fire contrasting with the flush on her cheeks.
9:27
Occasionally she shifted, prompting him to adjust his arm
9:31
slightly, and once he pressed a kiss to her dark, lustrous hair.
9:36
The afternoon wrapped them in a serene embrace, as if to etch a
9:41
lasting memory for the impending separation the next day would
9:44
bring. In their month of love, they had
9:47
never felt closer, nor communicated more deeply than in
9:51
those moments when her silent lips brushed against his coat's
9:55
shoulder or when he gently touched the tips of her fingers
9:58
as if she were asleep. He excelled remarkably during
10:02
the war. He was already a captain when he
10:05
went to the front, and after the battles in the Argonne he was
10:08
promoted to Major, taking command of the divisional
10:11
machine guns following the Armistice.
10:14
He was desperate to return home, but a mix up or misunderstanding
10:19
diverted him to Oxford instead. Now he was troubled.
10:23
Daisy's letters carried a tone of anxious despair.
10:26
She couldn't understand why he couldn't come back.
10:29
She was feeling the weight of the world pressing in, yearning
10:32
to see him, to feel his presence beside her, to be reassured that
10:37
her choices were right. For Daisy was young and her
10:41
fabricated world was filled with the scent of orchids, the light
10:45
hearted snobbery of her social circle and orchestras that
10:48
dictated the rhythm of the year, encapsulating life's melancholy
10:53
and allure in fresh melodies. All night long, the saxophones
10:57
lamented the hopeless refrain of the Beale Street Blues, while
11:01
100 pairs of golden and silver slippers shuffled through the
11:05
gleaming dust. In the muted light of late
11:09
afternoon, rooms would pulse with a gentle, persistent
11:12
energy, a low, sweet fever. Fresh faces floated through the
11:17
space like rose petals, caught in the mournful music that
11:21
filled the air. In this dusky world, Daisy began
11:24
to stir with the changing season.
11:27
Suddenly she was juggling half a dozen appointments a day with
11:30
different men, falling asleep at dawn amidst the beads and
11:34
chiffon of her evening gown, surrounded by wilting orchids on
11:38
the floor beside her bed. Yet within her, a voice cried
11:42
out for resolution. She longed for her life to take
11:45
shape immediately, a decision driven by love, wealth, or
11:50
undeniable practicality. Something tangible and near that
11:53
force materialized in the heart of Spring with Tom Buchanan's
11:58
arrival. His presence was solid and
12:00
reassuring, and Daisy felt flattered.
12:03
There was undoubtedly a mix of struggle and relief.
12:06
The letter reached Gatsby while he was still at Oxford.
12:10
It was dawn on Long Island and we moved through the house,
12:14
opening the remaining windows to let in the light that shifted
12:17
from Gray to gold. The shadow of a tree fell
12:20
sharply across the dew, and ethereal birds began to sing
12:24
among the blue leaves. The air moved slowly and
12:28
pleasantly, barely a breeze promising a cool, beautiful day.
12:33
I don't think she ever loved him.
12:35
Gatsby turned away from the window and fixed me with a
12:38
challenging gaze. You have to remember, old sport,
12:42
She was really worked up this afternoon.
12:44
He said things to her that scared her, made it seem like I
12:47
was some kind of lowlife con artist, so much so that she
12:51
barely knew what she was saying. He sank into a chair, a shadow
12:55
of gloom over him. Sure, maybe she loved him for a
12:59
moment when they first got married, and even then, she
13:02
loved me more, you understand. Then, out of nowhere, he made an
13:06
odd comment. Anyway, it was just personal.
13:10
What could you make of that, except to sense a depth to his
13:14
view of the affair that defied easy understanding?
13:18
He returned from France while Tom and Daisy were still on
13:21
their honeymoon and embarked on a bleak yet compelling trip to
13:25
Louisville with the last of his Army pay.
13:28
He spent a week there, wandering the streets where they had once
13:31
walked together through the November nights, revisiting the
13:34
secluded spots they had driven to in her white car.
13:38
Just as Daisy's house had always seemed more mysterious and
13:42
lively than others, so too did his vision of the city, even in
13:46
her absence, carry a haunting beauty.
13:49
He left with the feeling that if he had searched more thoroughly,
13:53
he might have found her, that he was leaving her behind.
13:57
The day coach he was broke now, was stifling.
14:01
He stepped out to the open vestibule and sat on a folding
14:05
chair as the station receded and the backs of unfamiliar
14:09
buildings slid past. Out into the Springfields they
14:13
went, where a yellow trolley briefly raced alongside them,
14:18
its passengers perhaps once having glimpsed the ethereal
14:22
magic of her face on some ordinary St.
14:26
The track curved, steering them away from the sun, which as it
14:31
dipped lower, seemed to cast a blessing over the fading city
14:36
where she had once breathed life.
14:38
He reached out desperately, as if trying to capture just a wisp
14:43
of air to hold onto a fragment of the place she had made
14:47
beautiful for him. But everything was slipping past
14:50
too quickly for his tear blurred eyes, and he realized he had
14:55
lost that part of it, the freshest and most cherished
14:59
forever. By 9:00 we had finished
15:03
breakfast and stepped out onto the porch.
15:06
The night had brought a sharp change in the weather and the
15:09
air carried a hint of autumn. The gardener, the last of
15:13
Gatsby's former staff, approached the steps.
15:17
I'm planning to drain the pool today, Mr. Gatsby.
15:20
Leaves will start falling soon, and then there's always trouble
15:23
with the pipes. Don't do it today, Gatsby
15:26
replied. He turned to me with a hint of
15:29
apology. You know, old sport, I haven't
15:32
used that pool all summer. I glanced at my watch and stood
15:37
up. 12 minutes until my train. I had no desire to head into the
15:42
city. It wasn't just that I felt
15:44
unproductive, I simply didn't want to leave Gatsby.
15:49
I let one train pass, then another before I could bring
15:53
myself to part. I'll give you a call, I finally
15:56
said. Please do old sport, I'll call
16:00
around noon. We descended the steps slowly.
16:04
I suppose Daisy will call, too. He looked at me with a hopeful
16:08
anxiety, as if he needed me to confirm it.
16:11
I suppose so. Well, goodbye.
16:15
We shook hands and I began to walk away.
16:18
Just before reaching the hedge, something struck me and I turned
16:21
back there. A rotten crowd.
16:24
I shouted across the lawn. You're worth the whole damn
16:28
bunch put together. I've always been glad I said
16:31
that. It was the only compliment I
16:34
ever gave him because I disapproved of him from start to
16:37
finish. At first he nodded politely,
16:41
then his face broke into that radiant, understanding smile, as
16:46
if we had always been secretly in agreement on that point.
16:50
His flamboyant pink suit stood out vividly against the white
16:54
steps and I thought of the night I first arrived at his grand
16:58
home three months earlier. The lawn and driveway had been
17:02
filled with faces all speculating about his
17:05
corruption, and there he stood on the steps, hiding his
17:09
untainted dream, waving them off.
17:13
I thanked him for his hospitality.
17:15
We were always expressing our gratitude for that, myself and
17:19
the others. Goodbye, I called out.
17:22
I enjoyed breakfast. Gatsby in the city.
17:25
I attempted to sort through an endless list of stock quotes,
17:29
but eventually I dozed off in my swivel chair.
17:33
Just before noon. The phone startled me awake,
17:36
sweat beating on my forehead. It was Jordan Baker.
17:40
She often called around this time, since her unpredictable
17:43
movements between hotels, clubs and private homes made her hard
17:47
to reach otherwise. Normally her voice came through
17:51
the line, fresh and cool, like a piece of green turf flying in
17:56
through the office window. But today it sounded harsh and
18:00
dry. I've left Daisy's house, she
18:02
said. I'm in Hempstead and I'm heading
18:05
down to Southampton this afternoon.
18:07
Leaving Daisy's house was probably a tactful move, but it
18:11
irritated me and her next comment made me tense.
18:15
You weren't so nice to me last night.
18:18
How could it have mattered then? There was a pause, a silence
18:22
that stretched between us then. Still.
18:26
I want to see you. I want to see you too.
18:29
What if I skip Southampton and come into the city this
18:32
afternoon? No, I don't think this afternoon
18:35
works all right. This afternoon's impossible.
18:39
Various things. We continued in this vein for a
18:43
bit until suddenly the conversation just stopped.
18:46
I can't recall who ended it with that decisive click, but I know
18:50
I was indifferent. I couldn't have faced her over a
18:53
tea table that day, even if it meant never speaking to her
18:56
again in this life. A few minutes later I tried
19:00
calling Gatsby's house, but the line was busy.
19:03
I attempted 4 times. Finally, an exasperated operator
19:07
informed me the line was reserved for a long distance
19:11
call from Detroit. I took out my timetable and
19:14
circled the 3:50 train. Then I leaned back in my chair,
19:18
trying to gather my thoughts. It was just noon that morning.
19:22
When the train passed the ash heaps, I deliberately moved to
19:26
the other side of the car. I imagined a curious crowd
19:30
lingering there all day, little boys poking around for dark
19:33
patches in the dust, and some talkative man recounting the
19:37
events repeatedly until they lost their reality.
19:40
Even for him and Myrtle Wilson, tragic end faded into obscurity.
19:46
Now let me rewind a bit and recount what transpired at the
19:50
garage after we left the previous night.
19:53
They struggled to find Catherine, the sister.
19:56
It seemed she had broken her usual rule against drinking that
19:59
night, for when she finally arrived she was so drunk she
20:03
couldn't grasp that the ambulance had already left for
20:06
Flushing. Once they managed to make her
20:09
understand, she fainted, as if that was the most unbearable
20:12
part of the whole ordeal. Someone, either out of kindness
20:16
or curiosity, offered her a ride, following the path of her
20:20
sister's body. Well past midnight, a shifting
20:24
crowd gathered at the front of the garage, while inside, George
20:28
Wilson rocked back and forth on the couch.
20:31
For a time, the office door was left open, and everyone who
20:35
entered the garage couldn't help but glance inside.
20:38
Eventually, someone remarked on the indecency of it, and the
20:42
door was closed. Michaelis and a few other men
20:45
stayed with him. Initially there were four or
20:48
five, then it dwindled to two or three.
20:51
Later, Michaelis had to ask the last stranger to wait another 15
20:55
minutes while he went back to his place to brew a pot of
20:58
coffee. After that, he remained alone
21:01
with Wilson until dawn. Around 3:00 in the morning, the
21:05
nature of Wilson's incoherent ramblings shifted.
21:09
He became quieter and started talking about the yellow car.
21:13
He declared he had a way to find out who owned it, then suddenly
21:17
revealed that a couple of months ago his wife had returned from
21:20
the city with her face bruised and her nose swollen.
21:24
But as soon as he heard himself speak, he recoiled and began to
21:28
cry out. Oh my God.
21:30
In a voice filled with anguish, Michaelis awkwardly tried to
21:35
divert his attention. How long have you been married,
21:38
George? Come on now, try to sit still
21:41
for a moment and answer me. How long have you been married?
21:45
12 years. Did you ever have any children?
21:48
Come on, George, sit still. I asked you a question, Did you
21:52
ever have any children? The hard brown beetles kept
21:56
hitting against the dim light, and every time Michaelis heard a
22:00
car speeding down the road outside, it sounded to him like
22:03
the one that hadn't stopped a few hours ago.
22:06
He was reluctant to enter the garage because the workbench was
22:10
stained where the body had lain, so he moved uneasily around the
22:14
office. He became familiar with every
22:16
object there by morning and occasionally sat beside Wilson,
22:20
trying to calm him. Do you have a church you go to
22:24
sometimes, George, even if you haven't been in a while?
22:27
Maybe I could call the church and get a priest to come over
22:30
and talk to you. You know I don't belong to any.
22:33
You should have a church, George, for times like this.
22:36
You must have gone to church at some point.
22:39
Didn't you get married in a church?
22:42
George, listen to me. Didn't you get married in a
22:45
church? That was a long time ago.
22:48
Answering seemed to disrupt his rhythm, and for a moment he fell
22:52
silent. Then that same mix of partial
22:55
understanding and confusion returned to his faded eyes.
22:59
Check the drawer there. He said, gesturing toward the
23:02
desk. Which drawer?
23:05
That one right there. Mycalius opened the drawer
23:08
closest to him. Inside, there was only a small,
23:11
luxurious dog leash, crafted from leather and braided silver.
23:16
It looked brand new. This.
23:19
He asked, holding it up. Wilson stared at it and nodded.
23:24
I found it yesterday afternoon. She tried to explain it to me,
23:27
but I knew something was off. You think your wife bought it?
23:32
She had it wrapped in tissue paper on her dresser.
23:35
Michaelius didn't see anything strange about that, and offered
23:39
Wilson a dozen reasons why his wife might have purchased the
23:42
dog leash. It was possible that Wilson had
23:45
heard these same justifications before, perhaps from Myrtle
23:49
herself, because he began to whisper.
23:51
Oh my God. Once more, his confidante left
23:54
several explanations hanging in the air.
23:57
Then he killed her. Wilson declared, his mouth
24:00
suddenly agape. Who did I have a way of finding
24:04
out? You're being morbid, George, his
24:07
friend replied. This has been a lot for you and
24:10
you're not thinking straight. You should try to sit quietly
24:13
until morning. He murdered her.
24:16
It was an accident. George Wilson shook his head.
24:20
His eyes narrowed and his mouth twisted slightly with the
24:23
faintest hint of a knowing. Hmm, I know, he said with
24:28
certainty. I'm one of those trusting guys
24:31
and I don't wish harm on anyone. But when I learned something, I
24:34
know it. It was the man in that car.
24:37
She ran out to talk to him and he wouldn't stop.
24:41
Michaelius had witnessed this too, but it hadn't struck him as
24:44
having any particular significance.
24:47
He believed that Missus Wilson had been fleeing from her
24:50
husband rather than trying to stop any particular car.
24:54
How could she have been like that?
24:57
She's a complex 1. Wilson replied, as if that
25:00
explained everything. Ah.
25:03
He began to rock back and forth again while Michaelis stood
25:07
there, twisting the leash in his hand.
25:10
Maybe there's a friend I could call for you, George.
25:13
This was a desperate suggestion. Michaelius was almost certain
25:17
Wilson had no friends. There wasn't enough of him, even
25:20
for his wife. He felt a small relief a little
25:23
later when he noticed a change in the room, a blue lightning by
25:26
the window, and realized dawn was approaching.
25:30
By 5:00, it was bright enough outside to turn off the light.
25:34
Wilson's glazed eyes drifted out toward the ash heaps, where
25:37
small Gray clouds took on strange shapes and darted about
25:41
in the faint dawn breeze. I spoke to her, he muttered
25:45
after a long silence. I told her she might deceive me,
25:49
but she couldn't deceive God. I took her to the window with
25:53
effort. He got up, walked to the rear
25:55
window and leaned against it, pressing his face to the glass.
25:59
And I said God knows what you've been doing, everything you've
26:03
been doing. You may fool me, but you can't
26:06
fool God. Standing behind him, Michaelius
26:10
was startled to see that Wilson was staring at the eyes of
26:13
Doctor TJ. Eckelberg had just emerged, pale
26:17
and immense from the fading night.
26:19
God sees everything, Wilson repeated.
26:22
That's just an advertisement, Michaelius reassured him.
26:26
Something compelled him to turn away from the window and glance
26:30
back into the room, but Wilson remained there for a long time,
26:34
his face pressed close to the glass, nodding into the dim
26:37
light. By 6:00 in the morning, Mycalius
26:41
was exhausted and relieved to hear a car pull up outside.
26:44
It was one of the night watchers who had promised to return, so
26:48
he prepared breakfast for three, which he and the other man ate
26:51
together. Wilson was quieter now and
26:54
Michaelius went home to sleep. When he awoke 4 hours later and
26:58
rushed back to the garage, Wilson was gone.
27:01
His movements, always on foot, were later traced to Port
27:05
Roosevelt and then to Gads Hill where he bought a sandwich he
27:09
didn't eat and a cup of coffee. He must have been weary and
27:12
walking slowly as he didn't reach Gads Hill until noon.
27:16
Up to this point, his whereabouts were easily
27:19
accounted for. There were boys who had seen a
27:21
man acting kind of strange and motorists whom he had stared
27:25
oddly at from the roadside. Then, for three hours, he
27:29
vanished. The police, based on what he had
27:31
told Michaelius that he had a way of finding out, assumed he
27:36
spent that time going from garage to garage inquiring about
27:39
a yellow car. Yet no garage owner who had seen
27:43
him ever came forward, and perhaps he had a simpler, more
27:47
certain method of discovering what he needed to know.
27:51
By 2:30, he had reached West Egg and asked someone for directions
27:55
to Gatsby's house. By then he had learned Gatsby's
27:59
name. At 2:00, Gatsby donned his
28:02
bathing suit and instructed the Butler to notify him at the pool
28:06
if any calls came through. He stopped by the garage to
28:09
retrieve a pneumatic mattress that had entertained his guests
28:13
throughout the summer, and the chauffeur assisted him in
28:16
inflating it. He then ordered that the open
28:18
car should be used under no circumstances, a curious
28:22
decision given that the front right Fender needed repairs.
28:26
Gatsby hoisted the mattress and headed toward the pool.
28:30
He paused once to adjust it, and the chauffeur offered
28:33
assistance, but Gatsby declined with a shake of his head and
28:37
soon vanished among the trees, their leaves turning yellow.
28:41
No phone call came, yet the Butler stayed awake, waiting
28:45
until 4:00, long after there was anyone to answer it.
28:48
Had it come? I suspect Gatsby himself doubted
28:52
it would, and perhaps he no longer cared.
28:55
If that were the case, he must have felt he had lost the
28:58
comforting world of the past, having paid dearly for clinging
29:02
too long to a single dream. He must have gazed up at the
29:06
unfamiliar sky through the ominous leaves and shivered,
29:10
realizing the grotesque nature of a rose and the harshness of
29:14
sunlight on the barely formed grass.
29:17
It was a new world, tangible yet unreal, where forlorn spirits
29:22
breathing dreams like air drifted aimlessly like that
29:26
ghostly fantastic figure moving towards him through the
29:29
shapeless trees. The chauffeur 1 of Wolfsheim's
29:33
proteges heard the gunshots, but later could only say that he
29:37
hadn't thought much of them at the time.
29:40
I drove straight from the station to Gatsby's house, and
29:43
my anxious rush up the front steps was the first sign of
29:46
alarm for anyone there. But I believe they knew.
29:50
Then, without words, the four of us, the chauffeur, Butler,
29:54
Gardner, and I hurried silently down to the pool.
29:58
The water barely stirred, just a faint movement as the fresh flow
30:02
from one end made its way to the drain at the other.
30:05
The mattress, burdened and heavy, drifted unevenly down the
30:09
pool, its path altered by a slight breeze that barely
30:13
rippled the surface. A cluster of leaves brushed
30:16
against it, causing it to turn slowly, tracing a thin red
30:20
circle in the water like the leg of a compass.
30:23
As we began to carry Gatsby back to the house, the gardener
30:27
noticed Wilson's body lying a short distance away in the
30:30
grass. And with that, the tragedy was
30:33
complete. And that's where Fitzgerald
30:35
leaves us. A thin red circle spreading
30:38
through the water, A mattress drifting.
30:41
A phone that never rang. Chapter 8 is the novel's
30:45
reckoning. Everything that survived the
30:48
crash, Gatsby's hope, his patience, his extraordinary
30:52
capacity for belief gets quietly extinguished in a single
30:56
afternoon. Not with a confrontation, not
31:00
with a scene. Just a man floating in a pool,
31:03
waiting, and another man walking through the ash heaps with a
31:07
gun. A few things worth sitting with
31:11
as you go. Think about the timing of the
31:13
confession. Gatsby has never talked the way
31:16
he talks to Nick in this chapter.
31:18
For five years he's been myth, performance, mystery.
31:23
But somewhere between the foghorn and the dawn, the ACT
31:26
drops. What's left underneath isn't
31:29
tragic. It's almost tender.
31:31
A young soldier who fell in love with a girl and never really
31:35
recovered. That's the whole story.
31:37
And then there's Wilson. Fitzgerald keeps cutting back to
31:41
the garage, to the Gray vigil. Mycalius keeps through the night
31:45
to Wilson, rocking and muttering.
31:47
He and Gatsby have more in common than the novel ever says
31:51
out loud. Two men who built their lives
31:54
around women who were always somewhere else.
31:57
But the detail that haunts me most.
31:59
Gatsby never used the pool all summer.
32:02
He built the spectacle, threw the parties, filled the house,
32:06
and never once went for a swim. He saves it for the last day,
32:10
The one day he finally has nothing left to perform.
32:14
He dies in the only moment of the whole novel where he isn't
32:18
waiting for anything. In the next episode we move into
32:24
Chapter 9, the aftermath, the funeral, and a city that has
32:28
already forgotten him. Thanks for listening.