NoAgenda, Here is my take on the death of Gatsby. There is a chain of events that leads to his death, the last and most important being Gatsby’s decision to take the blame for the accident that killed Myrtle Wilson. Instead of calling the authorities, he sacrifices his reputation and his life to protect Daisy. He knows the police are looking for the car but takes no steps to save himself, even staying home out of concern for Daisy. So in a sense his death was not necessary but a consequence of his own actions. Fitzgerald thought it was important to redeem Gatsby in the eyes of Nick, who, although he hates everything the millionaire stands for, writes at the beginning of the novel “Gatsby turned out all right in the end." and, after learning that Gatsby is protecting Daisy, tells him that he is “worth the whole damn bunch put together.” Fitzgerald accomplishes this redemption by making of Jay Gatsby a tragic hero. He dies in the end for Love of a woman as a tragic knight punished by God for his arrogance. The novel was unpopular when first written because it was thought to be a criticism of American morality, but is popular today as a tragic love story in the American style.