I have read The Great Gatsby for my literature class of my final year of high school. I quite like the book and I understand the message Fitzgerald is trying to send about the hollowness of the American Dream of the hedonistic Jazz Age through Gatsby's failure to 'repeat the past' and win back Daisy. His tragedy is clear in the climactic scene in the hotel when Tom reveals to Daisy the truth about Gatsby's background. From this point on, Gatsby's dream is brutally finished. But what is the point of having Gatsby die due to a random accident. A mix up about who was driving which car puts an end to his life. What message is Fitzgerald trying to send in having Gatsby killed due to a horrible, unfortunate mistake on the part of Wilson (and Tom who honestly believed Gatsby was driving the car)?