ELA Blog Post #23

Is the climax the hotel scene when Tom and Gatsby argue, or is it when Gatsby meets Daisy at Nick's house? What central conflict or conflicts are being addressed in the climax, and how is this the turning point of the narrative (story)? Use textual evidence to back up your claims. 

In my opinion, the climax of the story is the hotel scene. Seeing as I believe that the conflict of this story is Jay vs. rich society in Jay's struggle for Daisy's love, the scene where Daisy first shows any negative feelings for Jay because of her views as an aristocrat seems to definitely be the climax. This is the first point in the story in which Jay's plans to gain Daisy's love and get her to denounce Tom actually fail. While the odds have been stacking up against him throughout the novel, this seems to be the first time where he really "fails", where Daisy first consciouly chooses Tom over him. In argument against the other scene being the climax, I'd say that while they do meet eachother, Daisy was already aware of Gatsby's presence near her (page 14), and at least outwardly claims she loved him all along. While there is definitely a huge shift in the conflict, I wouldn't call it a turning point as much as, say, as acceleration. Overall, while I feel this debate is very much open to interpretation, I personally feel the hotel scene is the climax of The Great Gatsby.