Thursday, August 8, 2013

What would be a good headline for a tabloid news story about Gatsby's death?

How about this: "Murder Suicide!  Bereaved husband shoots rumored bootlegging, pool-lounging kingpin who ran down his wife, then turns his gun on himself!"


Because this is a tabloid headline, meant to sell newspapers with lurid news items, this headline is itself sensational. The facts, as Nick records them, are that George Wilson shot Gatsby because Tom led Wilson to believe that Gatsby was driving the car that killed Myrtle.  Rumors about Gatsby as a bootlegger have circulated throughout the novel, along with many other rumors that would probably be included in the body of the news story. Gatsby was lounging in his pool when killed, but this was not his usual activity: in fact, it was the first time all summer he'd been in his swimming pool. It is true that Myrtle was run over and killed by Gatsby's car, though Daisy was driving, and that Wilson kills himself after killing Gatsby. 

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