F. Scott Fitzgerald
I honestly can not believe how chapter eight ended. George Wilson knew it was Gatsby that killed Myrtle, and as revenge, Wilson went to Gatsby's house, killed him, and then shot himself. I am always horrible at predicting what is to come in a book, but I never expected Gatsby to die, nonetheless be murdered.
"...and the holocaust was complete" (Fitzgerald, 162).
Originally, I assumed he was comparing this minor incident to The Holocaust, because of the meaning that has accompanied that word ever since World War II. I was extremely confused as to why he would compare the killing of two people to the horrible event in history that ended millions of lives. However, I quickly realized his words had nothing to do with the tragic event of the 1940's, since that had not even occurred in history yet. Nonetheless, I find his ending of this chapter very effective. The term "holocaust" isn't used much in our society because of the meaning it carries with it, but in this situation, it is perfectly fitting. The murder of Gatsby and the suicide of Wilson could definitely be described as its definition according to Webster Dictionary as a "complete devastation." The deaths of these men will greatly impact the ending of the story because our protagonist is now dead.
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