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In The Great Gatsby, why does Fitzgerald emphasize the heat?

In chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald emphasizes the heat wafting over the city, pointing out repeatedly that conditions are both boiling and scorching. Fitzgerald emphasizes the heat in order to symbolize the heated emotions (passion, anger, etc.) that the characters are secretly harboring and which eventually break out in a heated debate. At this point in the novel, Tom has been involved in an adulterous relationship with Myrtle Wilson for some time, while Daisy has been having an affair with Gatsby. As such, there's quite a lot of tension lurking below the surface. When Daisy, Tom, Gatsby, Nick, and Jordan travel to a hotel room in the city, this tension escalates, as Tom confronts Gatsby about his affair with Daisy, and a general argument breaks loose. This argument is a key turning point in the novel, as it sets up Gatsby's loss of Daisy and his coming downfall. Additionally, it mirrors the scalding weather, as the characters' heated emotions get the better of them and cause irreparable rifts in their relationships. 

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