The Great Gatsby Summary of Chapter 8
by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Early the next morning Nick goes over to check up on Gatsby. He has been at Daisy's all night, watching to see if she was safe. He and Nick stay up talking about Gatsby's past. Gatsby is being very honest with Nick and tells him that Daisy was the first nice girl he had ever really met. He was in love with her and planned on marrying her but the war split them apart. When it was over he intended to go back and marry her but ended up at Oxford instead. When he finally made it back to America and went to Louisville, he could not find Daisy. She was on her honeymoon with Tom Buchanan. Nick has to leave Gatsby to get to work. He is concerned about him, but Gatsby insists that he will be fine. After Nick leaves Gatsby decides to go swimming in his pool and relax.

Nick now tells the reader about what happened at Wilson's to start the chain of events that would occur. Michaelis has stayed with Wilson to make sure that he is all right. Wilson tells Michaelis that someone killed Myrtle on purpose, whoever was having the affair with her. Michaelis thinks it is all nonsense and tries to talk reasonably to Wilson. He ends up staying there until late. A man Michaelis recognized from the day of the accident offers to stay with Wilson. When Michaelis returns, both Wilson and the man are gone. Wilson had gone looking for Gatsby. Someone had told him that Gatsby was involved. When Wilson finally finds Gatsby's home he shoots Gatsby in his pool and then kills himself as well.