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"But I don't see what Gatsby would get out of the lie."
What Gatsby gets out of the lie is to make him look like a hero in Nick's eyes. Twice Gatsby has tried to recruit Nick into his bond scam. Nick sells bonds for a living. Playing the hero could be what Gatsby needs to swing Nick over to working for him.
I had the feeling that Daisy told Tom she was driving and Tom got her to agree to put the whole blame on Gatsby. The scene Nick witnesses through the window supports this to me:
"Daisy and Tom were sitting opposite each other at the kitchen table, with a plate of cold fried chicken between them, and two bottles of ale. He was talking intently across the table at her, and in his earnestness his hand had fallen upon and covered her own. Once in a while she looked up at him and nodded in agreement.
They weren't happy, and neither of them had touched the chicken or the ale - and yet tbey weren't unhappy either. There was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture, and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together."
Yes, this passage could be interpreted that way, however, it could also just be they were making plans to move again, for the very next day they packed up and headed back west.
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"But I don't see what Gatsby would get out of the lie."What Gatsby gets out of the lie is to make him look like a hero in Nick's eyes. Twice Gatsby has tried to recruit Nick into his bond scam. Nick sells bonds for a living. Playing the hero could be what Gatsby needs to swing Nick over to working for him.
I had the feeling that Daisy told Tom she was driving and Tom got her to agree to put the whole blame on Gatsby. The scene Nick witnesses through the window supports this to me:"Daisy and Tom were sitting opposite each other at the kitchen table, with a plate of cold fried chicken between them, and two bottles of ale. He was talking intently across the table at her, and in his earnestness his hand had fallen upon and covered her own. Once in a while she looked up at him and nodded in agreement.
They weren't happy, and neither of them had touched the chicken or the ale - and yet tbey weren't unhappy either. There was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture, and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together."
Yes, this passage could be interpreted that way, however, it could also just be they were making plans to move again, for the very next day they packed up and headed back west.
I actually find the idea that Gatsby was driving, and not Daisy, very fascinating. I don't completely buy into it but I do grant that it is possible and something I will absolutely keep in mind during future reads.
Regarding the scene Nick sees through the window - Daisy could have told Tom about the accident and that Gatsby was driving. She would still be upset by the accident, if she were driving or not. (I'm not agreeing that this is how it happened but just looking at things from another angle).
Regarding the scene Nick sees through the window - Daisy could have told Tom about the accident and that Gatsby was driving. She would still be upset by the accident, if she were driving or not. (I'm not agreeing that this is how it happened but just looking at things from another angle).
Thank you for mentioning this. I noticed it as well. Gatsby starts to admit his guilt: "I turned the wheel..." and pauses, and it is Nick who blurts out "Daisy was driving... ." Then Gatsby agrees, adding that he pulled on the emergency brake to stop and change seats so he could drive. Yet all the witnesses say the car did not stop. The witnesses have no horse in this race, but Gatsby has a well-established motive for currying favor with Nick--to recruit him into his bond scam.