A Death Unknowingly Self-Inflicted

The Great Gatsby
p. 157-180

I was actually surprised by the ending of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gastby. I did not expect Wilson to actually kill Gatsby, and the fact that Tom directed Wilson to Gatsby's house makes me hate him even more. What a jerk!
Anyway, reading these last chapters, I realized that Gatsby's death was ultimately a result of a chain of events that he predominantly had control of; therefore, could one say his death was self-inflicted? Probably not, but I thought it was an interesting thought. So this is what I am saying: if Gatsby had never met Daisy way back in the day, he would not have died this tragic, young death. His love for Daisy was his cause for moving to Long Island and the reason he reconnected with her. If he had not reconnected with her, they would not have taken the trip to New York City, she would not have been driving his car, she would not have killed Myrtle, and Wilson would not have gone on the bloody vengeful rampage that took his life. Way to go Daisy.
Another piece of the story I found interesting was the concept of Gatsby's "dream." Those who did not know Gatsby on a personal level (sooo mostly everyone...even his dad) thought Gatsby's "dream" was to be successful in business and to make a substantial amount of money (and to throw extravagant parties, of course).  However, Nick knew better. "He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it" (Fitzgerald, 180). Reading this sentence out of context, one may think it was referring to Gatsby's hardwork that brought all of his success. However, this sentence is truly referring to his journey and hardwork to reunite with Daisy. Daisy was Gatsby's dream-he simply aquired it by the means of rising to prestige in society, owning a large house in close proximity to hers, and eventually finding a way for their paths to cross once more.