Jay Gatsby fired his servants in Chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby primarily to prevent gossip about his affair with Daisy Buchanan, replacing them with discreet individuals linked to Meyer Wolfsheim who could be trusted to keep secrets, especially since Daisy now visited his mansion daily. He also stopped his extravagant parties, as they were no longer needed to lure Daisy, and instead wanted privacy for their secret relationship.
At Daisy's request, Gatsby attends lunch with her and Tom. Gatsby reveals that he has replaced his servants with some of Wolfshiem's associates, probably because he privately thought his servants would leak information about him and Daisy. It is a very hot day, which makes all of them uncomfortable.
It turns out that Gatsby has replaced all of his servants with ones sent over by Wolfshiem. Gatsby explains that this is because Daisy comes over every afternoon to continue their affair—he needs them to be discreet.
Preoccupied by his love for Daisy, Gatsby calls off his parties, which were primarily a means to lure Daisy. He also fires his servants to prevent gossip and replaces them with shady individuals connected to Meyer Wolfsheim.
Why does Gatsby fire all his servants and stop giving parties? To avoid them gossiping about him and Daisy. They were replaced with Wolfheim's "brothers and sisters", who were probably not servants, but people doing illegal acts. Gatsby sees something at Daisy's that bothers him very much.
The Great Gatsby isn't explicitly LGBTQ+, but it's frequently read through a queer theory lens, particularly focusing on narrator Nick Carraway's complex feelings for Gatsby, suggesting homoerotic undertones, closeted sexuality, and intense, possibly romantic, longing that transcends typical friendship in a repressive era. While F. Scott Fitzgerald never confirmed Nick as gay, interpretations point to Nick's detailed descriptions of men, his avoidance of intimacy with women like Jordan, and his fascination with Gatsby as hints of his hidden sexuality.
So there you have it. Gatsby ditched his faithful servants because he was afraid that they would gossip about his clandestine meetings with Daisy at the house.
Why does Gatsby stop giving parties? Gatsby wants to be alone with Daisy. This is what he has always wanted. The parties were only so Gatsby could get nearer to her.
Lesson Summary
The moral of The Great Gatsby is that the American Dream is ultimately unattainable. Jay Gatsby had attained great wealth and status as a socialite; however, Gatsby's dream was to have a future with his one true love, Daisy.
She is Nick Carraway's second cousin, once removed, and the wife of polo player Tom Buchanan, with whom she has a daughter named Pammy. Before marrying Tom, Daisy had a romantic relationship with poor doughboy Jay Gatsby. Her choice between Gatsby and Tom becomes the novel's central conflict.
Myrtle Wilson's death symbolizes the tendency of society to favor the elite at the expense of the lower classes. Tom and Daisy, the elite couple, walk away virtually consequence-free after destroying and killing Myrtle, as well as indirectly causing the deaths of George Wilson and Jay Gatsby.
Possibly drunk from the day in the city, Daisy carelessly strikes Myrtle with Gatsby's car. She then negligently speeds off from the scene of the accident without stopping.
Chapter 7 is the longest chapter of The Great Gatsby and it is the climax of the story. In it, the love triangle between Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom comes to a head, and the resulting confrontation reveals the true character of all three participants.
Gatsby's dream, personified in the green light, is the primary symbol of the novel and ties into Fitzgerald's overwhelming critique of the American Dream throughout the novel. Gatsby's car has many roles throughout the novel, so much so, it could even be considered a secondary character.
While it features complex characters and engaging symbolism, some readers find it slow-going or difficult to fully grasp, with mature content that makes it better suited for older teens or adults.
Gatsby's parties aren't celebrations—they're attempts to summon the past. He doesn't throw them for joy, but for one guest: Daisy Buchanan, the love he lost. But when she finally arrives, the illusion collapses.
Gatsby as a Tragic Hero
Parallels to Aristotelian tragic hero with a fatal flaw. Gatsby's flaws: inability to tell the truth, determination to recreate the past. Attempts to win Daisy, leading to tragedy. Lack of noble birth but reinvents himself with a fabricated history.
The American dream
Though The Great Gatsby appears to be a tragic love story, the main theme of the novel examines the state of 1920s America as a whole, and in particular the disintegration of the so-called 'American dream'.
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald the narrator, Nick Carraway, is often one who could be named the moral compass because he is a honorable and virtuous man and often shows his good character in the novel.
Gatsby's extravagant mansion represents the overconsumption of the wealthy upper class in the 1920s. He owns a mansion far too big for his own good, all in an attempt to show off his wealth and win Daisy back.
Gatsby seeks out Nick after Tom and Daisy leave the party; he is unhappy because Daisy has had such an unpleasant time. Gatsby wants things to be exactly the same as they were before he left Louisville: he wants Daisy to leave Tom so that he can be with her.
After the Allied Powers signed an armistice with Imperial Germany, Gatsby resided in the United Kingdom in 1919 where he briefly attended Trinity College, Oxford, for five months. While there, he received a letter from Daisy, informing him that she had married Thomas "Tom" Buchanan, a wealthy Chicago businessman.
Preoccupied by his love for Daisy, Gatsby calls off his parties, which were primarily a means to lure Daisy. He also fires his servants to prevent gossip and replaces them with shady individuals connected to Meyer Wolfshiem.
Gatsby's dogged pursuit of the past is also a pursuit of his own soul. According to Nick, Gatsby “wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps that had gone into loving Daisy” (118). Gatsby is defined by his longing for the past, and only by recovering the past can he hope to recover himself.
Of what does Tom accuse Gatsby? Tom calls Gatsby a "common swindler" and reveals that he has made his fortune in bootlegging.