The Development and Withering of American Dream In the Great GatsbyWord文件下载.docx
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I.Introduction
A.Fitzgerald'
sWorks
F.ScottFitzgeraldwasthemostrepresentativenovelistofthe1920'
s.Heacceptedacommissioninthearmyandwasnotdischargeduntil1919.Duringthistime,receivingwordofGinevraKing'
sengagement,hemetandfellinlovewithZeldaSayre.However,zelda,althoughwillingtobecomeengagedtoFitzgerald,didnotfinallyagreetomarryhimuntilhecoulddemonstratehisabilitytosupporther.HebecameanovelistforthesolepurposeofearringenoughmoneytomarryZelda.In1919,hepublishedhisfirstnovelThisSideofParadise,itwasanimmediatesuccess,foritwasthefirstAmericannoveltoportraytheyoung,postwargeneration.
In1925,hewrotehisbestnovelTheGreatGatsby.Inthefollowingyearstheylived,amongotherplaces,ontheFrenchRiviera,whichwouldprovidethebackgroundforTenderIstheNight.Zeldasufferedfromschizophrenia,aformofmentaldisorderthatischaracterizedbyabreakdowninrationalthinking.Afterthefirstbreakdownin1930,shebecameprogressivelyillandwasinstitutionalizedfortreatmentofhermentalhealth.Fitzgeraldsankintoalcoholismandwasfurthertroubledbyfinancialandpsychologicalproblemscawedbyhiswife’sextravaganceandjealousyofhiswritingTenderIstheNight(1934),completedaroundthistime,wasnotsopopularashehadexpected,whichworriedhimmuchanddeepenedhisfearofdisaster.HespenttherestofhislifewritingstoriesandscreenplaysthatwouldpayforZelda’streatment,bothinandoutofinstitution.Hissenseofdefeatandfailurewascompleteafterhecouldn'
tsucceedevenasafilmscriptwriterinHollywood.TheCrack-up,aseriesofessays,whichwerewrittenin1936,isamovinganalysisofhisfailure.FitzgeraldtriedtomakeafameintheliteraryscenewithanovelTheLastTycoon,whichmanycriticsbelievewouldhavebeenhismasterpiece,buthediedofaheartattackonDecember21,1940,whiletryingtocompleteit,withomrecapturingthetriumphandsuccessofhisyouth.
B.SocialandHistoricalContextofTheGreatGatsby
TheGreatGatsbywaspublishedin1925anddidnotreceivemanypositiveresponsesfromcriticsandreadersuntil1950s.TherevivalofinterestinFitzgeraldisaculturalphenomenon,whichdeservesourattention.ItisalreadyknownthatFitzgerald’simportanceliesinbeingacharmingechooftheJazzAge.Butwhatarousesmoreattentionisthefactthathisevocationofthatagecarrieswithitsominoustonesofimpendingdisaster.In1925itwasnoteasyforpeopletotakeawriterseriouslywhoportrayedtheyoung,thebeautifulandtherichasdehumanizeddehumanizinganddamned,andwhoimpliedthattheAmericandreamturnedsour.ArereadingofTheGreatGatsbystrikesthereaderswithnotonlyitslargeassimilationofthetwentieserabutalsoitssharpnesswithwhichheseizeduponthearchetypalthemeoftheTwenties.
Itishelpfultolookbackagainatthe1920sinAmerica,knownasTheRoaringTwenties,atthoseaspects,whichfurnishedthesubjectsandthemesofhisart,particularlythoserelevanttoTheGreatGatsby.WithPresidentWoodrowWilsonaskingforadeclarationofwaragainsttheCentralPowersbeforeCongressonApril2,1917,4,335,000AmericanmenhadbeenrecruitedfortheWar,364,00ofwhombecamecasualties.Althoughthefiguremaybetragicandsuffocating,itiseclipsedbythemuchlargerlossofothercountriesinvolvedintheWar,eithertheAlliesortheCentralPowers.ObviouslythehumanpaidanextremelyhighcostintheirintentionofrearrangingthemapoftheBalkans.InspiteoftheArmistice,manypeoplefeltthatthewarhadonlyplantedtheseedsforanotherwar.Fitzgeraldimpliedasmuchinhisfirstnovel.ThisSideofParadise,suggestingthedisillusioningbeliefthatWorldWarIwouldbetheWartoendallwars.Hehadthesameexperiencesofhisgenerationandfeltthathehadbeenleftoutofthemajorevent,ashewassentfortrainingtothesouthernstateofAlabamathroughouttheWarinsteadoffightinginFranceinEurope.However,hecompensatedwhathemayhavemissedafterthewarandbecomesawriterwhoismostidentifiedwiththe1920s.
InTheGreatGatsby,Fitzgeraldisrecordingandexaminingthedeathofasetofvalues,thedisillusionmentthatcomeswiththefailuretocompromise,theeffortsofrunawayprosperityandwildparties,thefearoftheintangibilityofthatmoment,thebuilt—inresentmentagainstthenewimmigration,thelatentracism,theeffectofprohibition,theriseofunderworldcrime,theeffectoftheautomobileandcorruptedprofessionalsports.AlloftheseFitzgeraldsuccessfullymadethesubjectofhiswork.
Asdespicabletieswereconstantlydisclosedbetweenmoney,politics,sports,crimeandbusiness.Thencamethehistoricmoment,October29,1929—thecompletecollapseofthestockswhichmarkedtheendoftheJazzAge.FitzgeraldportraysbrilliantlyinTheGreatGatsby,thesenseofloss,whichheusedtodescribetheendofadecadeandtheendofanAmericanera.Fitzgerald’scomprehensionandmoralinterpretationoftheerawasofgreatsignificance.Thefurtherthe1920sgoback,themorethenovelemergesasaverypenetratingcriticismoftheAmericandreaminthatdecade.
II.AReflectionofTheAmericanDream
A.TheTraditionoftheAmericanDream
Theseculartradition,onecharacterizedwithanumberofthefoundingfathersoftheUnitedStates.Theycherishedideascommoninpre-revolutionaryFranceandtheFrenchEnlightenment.Thistraditionsawtheworlddifferentlyfromthewaythepilgrimsandpuritansdid.Theythoughtthenatureofmanwaseithergoodorneutral.Thesocietycouldimpressanyideatoman’smindthrougheducationthatencouragedindividuals’benevolenceandnaturalwillingnesstobegoodandhappy.Whathappenedtoreligionduringthistimewasthattherewaslittlebeliefinaprovidentialgod,thuslittlebeliefinapersonalgodthoughtherewasthenotionthatreligioncouldbeofbenefittosocietybyencouragingbenevolenceandsocialvalues.Churcheswereregardedasasocialinstitutionwherepeoplegatheredtogethertoimprovesociety.Therewasalsodeism,deistswhothoughtgodisthewatch-maker,createstheuniverseandthenwithdrawsfromit.Inaword,therewasmorefreethinkingandthereweremorefreethinkers.CriticslikeIrvingarguethatJeffersonwasspecificallyreactingagainsttheclosedEuropeansociety,wherepowerandwealthbelongedonlytothearistocraticrulingelite.ProsperitywasencouragedasthegiftofGod,andthatmenofwealthwereGod’sstewards,chargedwiththeresponsibilityofdoinggoodtotheirfellows.Suchdoctrinesasthese,inheritedfrom17thcenturyEngland,playedanimportantroleintheAmericansuccessrationale.
Inadditiontotheabovereligiousandpoliticalfactors.whichconstitutedtheAmericandream,theBritishcolonistsbroughtwiththemthebourgeoisierevolutionaryideasinthe17thcentury.Theyputmoreemphasisonindividualfreedom,equality,humanrightsandautonomy.Economically,thesuccess-mindedimmigrantswhocametotheNewWorldhaddoubtlesslyintheirheadssuchorganizedformasjointstockinthehopeofdevelopmentfreedfromallkindsoffeudalistsuppressionandrestraintsathome.ItisacommonplaceofAmericancolonialhistorythatmostimmigrantshopedtoimprovetheireconomicstatus,pursuefreedomandmaterialsuccess.Materialsuccessishighlyvaluedinboththesacredtraditionandtheseculartradition.Thesuccessfulpuritancouldprovehewassavedbyhismaterialsuccesswhiletheseculartraditioncouldproveagoodlifebymakingfameandfortune.
Meanwhile,theagriculturallaborersknewthatlandtherewasplentiful,andeasilyacquired.Tradesmenandlaylaborersrevolvedtheirhopesaroundthepromiseofthehighwages,whichwereanaturalconsequenceofthelackoflabor.Inalmosteveryaspect,AmericanopportunitiesdestroyedclasspatternsprevailinginEuropeandalteredoldordersofrankandcustom.JustasIrvingstatedthatinalandwhereachievementwasmoreimportantthantitlesofnobility,therewasalwaysthepossibilitythatanobodycouldbecomeamanofconsequenceifheworkedhardandkepthiseyeonthemainchance.Inthispromisinglandcharacterizedbyindividualfreedomandopportunities,thecolonistscouldacquireland,wealthandachieveSuccessthroughhardwork.SoonemightsaythatcapitalismhaslaidapoliticalandeconomicfoundationforthebirthoftheAmericandream.
Inaddition,inthemiddleofthe19thcentury,aseriesofstoriesaboutsuccesscameintoprintinAmerica.HoratioAlger,whowasbornin1832,wasamostprominentsuccessstorywriter.HehasprobablybeenthemostwidelyreadofallAmericanauthors.Hewroteover100novelsandisestimatedtohavesoldapproximatelytwentymillioncopiesofthem.MostofAlger’snovelsfollowthesamepattern:
aboyworkshiswayupfrompovertytorespectabilitythroughhardwork,thriftandgoodluck.Suchabeliefisadvocatedinhisnovels:
whoeveryouare,youareboundtosucceedaslongasyoumakepersistenteffortsandtryyourbest.Anotherimagecreatedinhisstoriesisonewhoachievedpoliticalsuccess,themostfamousbeingAbrahamLincoln.ItmakespossibleanordinarymallbecomepresidentoftheU.S.A.AllthebasicvirtuesessentialtotheAmericanvalueareembodiedinLincoln.ThetraditionalAmericanvalueisemphasizedthroughthemessagethatyourdreamwillcometruewithyourdiligence.Alongwiththevirtuesadvocatedbythesacredtraditionandthepracticalprogressiveideascherishedbytheseculartradition,Alger’ssuccessstorieshavehelpedtoinspireAmericanstostrivehardformaterialsu