Essay on Who Is Responsible For Gatsby's Death?

After Gatsby’s death in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are many characters whose actions led up to his death. Tom Buchanan, the villainous character, is most responsible. Although he didn't pull the trigger, his actions led to Gatsby’s death. He placed the blame of Myrtle Wilson’s death on Gatsby instead of Daisy. In addition, he never liked Gatsby and ultimately blamed him for his strained relationships and views him as a ‘shady’ character so he had motive for getting rid of him.

The main event that led to Gatsby’s death was the car accident and Myrtle's death. Earlier that day, Tom, Daisy, Nick and Gatsby, were together and Tom intergegateed Gatsby about his past. An already provoked Gatsby, tried to get Daisy to tell Tom that she doesnt love him. Tensions eventually get high and Tom's hatred towards Gatsby grows. He instructs his wife, Daisy, to take Gatsby’s car back to their home in East Egg. 

On her way home, Daisy hits Myrtle, Tom's mistress, with Gatsby's car. Toms sees the  yellow car and assumes it’s Gatsby’s because it's the same model he has. This isn't true, Daisy is the one who hit Myrtle. Regardless, he still places blame on Gatsby. Later that day, George Wilson comes to the Buchanan's home and wants to seek revenge on the person who killed his wife. Tom automatically placed the blame on Gatsby and asked Wilson to kill him.

Following Tom's orders, Wilson goes on to shoot Gatsby and kills him. Although Wilson is the one who pulls the trigger on the gun that kills Gatsby, he was ultimately following Toms orders. Tom could have talked Wilson down without throwing blame on Gatsby, but for Tom, it is most convenient if Wilson kills his rival. 

Tom once said to Nick “What if I did tell him? The fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy’s, but he was a tough one. He ran over Myrtle just like you’d run over a dog and never even stopped his car” (Fitzgerald 178). This shows Tom's intense dislike towards Gatsby by the fact of Tom’s tenicacy to be sure that Wilson knew that Gatsby was the owner of the vehicle that had run Myrtle over. Therefore, one can see why Tom is responsible for Gatsby's death.