Gatsy Chapter Seven Analysis

In the book The Great Gatsby,  author F. Scott Fitzgerald displays the passive-aggressive struggle

between Tom and Gatsby by highlighting both men's motivation to dominate the other, even trivializing

simple matters like driving a car. After Tom contests Gatsby's offer and suggests that he "drive [Gatsby's]

car to down," Gatsby feels "distasteful," deliberately lying about how his car has "[not a lot of] gas." This

dialogue not only reinforces Tom's and Gatsby's need to dominate one another, ultimately defending

their title as the dominant, wealthy man for Daisy, but also foreshadows the inevitable confrontation

between Gatsby and Tom for Daisy's love and affection. Fitzgerald intensifies the tension between the

two characters by trivializing these kinds of simple matter, ramping up the suspension the readers felt as

they anticipate when all hell breaks loose.