In chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby, tensions between Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan finally erupt to the surface. Tom receives the explosive revelation that Gatsby and his wife Daisy are former lovers. Gatsby aggressively attempts to press his advantage by announcing his intention to take Daisy by stating:
She never loved you, do you hear? She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart, she never loved anyone except me!
However, Gatsby asks too much. When Daisy admits to loving both men, Tom asserts, "Daisy loved me when she married me, and she loves me now."
Tom also reveals to the group that Gatsby is the head of a crime syndicate that deals in illegal liquor. This shocks Daisy, as she begins to realize that she doesn’t know Gatsby as well as she had assumed. Tom, who had originally felt threatened by Gatsby, is the clear victor of the conflict over Daisy, and everyone present knows it.
Tom Buchanan doesn’t just permit Daisy and Gatsby to drive home together—he orders it! He tells Daisy, “You two start on home . . . in Mr. Gatsby’s car.” Although this initially seems odd, he explains by dealing a death blow to Gatsby’s dreams: “Go on. He won’t annoy you. I think he realizes that his presumptuous little flirtation is over.”
Tom Buchanan is so comfortable in his wealth and so confident in Daisy’s love for him that he wants to end the extramarital affair before it really begins. Tom knows he has won total victory in his battle with Gatsby and hopes that a final conversation between Daisy and Gatsby will resolve the conflict forever.
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