the next day, early afternoon
George Wilson shoots and kills Jay Gatsby
George Wilson, believing Gatsby killed Myrtle, traces the yellow car to Gatsby's mansion. He finds Gatsby floating on a pneumatic mattress in the swimming pool. Wilson shoots Gatsby dead, then turns the gun on himself. The murder-suicide is discovered by Nick, the chauffeur, the butler, and the gardener. Gatsby's death marks the end of his dream and the culmination of the novel's tragedy.