One of the more subtle and eerie uses of foreshadowing in The Great Gatsby appears in chapter seven and is accomplished through imagery. All of the principal characters have gathered at the Buchanans' home in East Egg for a luncheon, and the events of the day and evening comprise the novel's climax. Fitzgerald builds the tension that leads to the showdown between Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby in many ways, beginning with the unbearably hot weather that precedes the chapter's violent conclusion and Myrtle Wilson's death. The image that foreshadows Gatsby's death in chapter eight occurs when Tom Buchanan has left the salon described as "dark and cool." Daisy and Jordan, "silver idols" in their white dresses, look on as Nick, ever the observer, creates an image of the titular character:
"Gatsby stood in the centre of the crimson carpet and gazed around with fascinated eyes."
Here Fitzgerald presents Gatsby in a pool of blood, wide-eyed and unaware of the malignant forces that will claim his life in just a few short hours. Though neither Tom nor Daisy will pull the trigger, they will be culpable in his murder: Tom lets Wilson believe that it was Gatsby who killed Myrtle and Daisy fails to reveal her role in Myrtle's death--or warn Gatsby that Wilson is coming for him. This image in chapter seven foreshadows Nick's last glimpse of Gatsby in chapter eight and echoes the crimson motif as his lifeless body floats in "a thin red circle in the water."
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925.
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