了不起的盖茨比The Great Gatsby.docx

了不起的盖茨比The Great Gatsby.docx

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了不起的盖茨比TheGreatGatsby

TheDisillusionofAmericanDreamin

TheGreatGatsby

*****

Supervisor

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SchoolofForeignLanguages,###########

December,2013

Contents

Abstract

I.IntroductiontoFitzgeraldandTheGreatGatsby3

A.Fitzgerald’sLifeandHisWorks3

B.SocialandHistoricalContextofTheGreatGatsby4

C.TheMainContentofTheGreatGatsby5

III.TheDisillusionofTheDreams6

A.TheDisillusionofTheAmericanDream6

1.TheDefinition6

2.TheDevelopment7

3.TheCorruption7

B.TheDisillusionofGatsby’sDream8

1.TheFortuneDream8

2.TheLoveDream10

V.TheFundamentalReasons11

VI.Conclusion12

TheDisillusionofAmericanDreamin

TheGreatGatsby

Abstract

F.Scott.Fitzgerald（1896-1940）,asoneofthemostfamousandgreatestwriterofthe1920s,isregardedasarepresentativeofthe“JazzAge”---anagebetweentheendoftheFirstWorldWarandtheoutbreakoftheGreatDepression.TheexplorationofmoralemptinessandhypocrisybeneaththeJazzAge,togetherwiththestylisticlanguagebrillianceofthenovelensuresFitzgerald’spositioninAmericanliterature.Owingtoitsextraordinaryliterarymerits,Fitzgerald’sGreatGatsbyislistedamongthemostnotabletwentieth-centuryAmericannovels.ThisthesisanalyzesFitzgerald’slifeandhisworks,socialandhistoricalcontextofTheGreatGatsby,themaincontentofTheGreatGatsby,thedisillusionoftheAmericanDreamandGatsby’sdream,andthefundamentalreasons,exposingthesocialstatusofAmericanJazzAge.

Keywords:

Fitzgerald,TheGreatGatsby,AmericanDream,Gatsby,disillusion

论了《不起的盖茨比》中美国梦的破灭

内容摘要

弗·司各特·菲茨杰拉德（1986--1940），作为19世纪20年代最具盛名的作家之一，被公认为是美国爵士时代（第一次世界大战后至大危机之前的一个时期）的代表作家。

对爵士时代下道德空虚和伪善的探索，以及他独特的小说语言文体使他在美国文学史中占重要地位。

由于其非凡的文学价值，菲茨杰拉德的《了不起的盖茨比》被列为二十世纪美国最著名的小说之一。

这篇论文分析了菲茨杰拉德的生活和主要作品，《了不起的盖茨比》的社会和历史环境及其主要内容，美国梦及盖茨比的梦想的破灭和其根本原因，揭露了美国爵士时代的社会现状。

关键词：

菲茨杰拉德，了不起的盖茨比，美国梦，梦想，破灭

I.IntroductiontoFitzgeraldandTheGreatGatsby

A.Fitzgerald’sLifeandHisWorks

Toanupper-middle-classfamily,FrancisScottFitzgeraldwasborninSaintPaul,Minnesotain1896.HecamefromMid-Westandhisfamilywasconsideredsociallyprominentandactuallypoor.Withthefinancialaidofhismother’sside,hefinishedhisprepstudyandtoPrinceton.ThenhewasoncecommissionedasecondlieutenantintheinfantryandassignedtoCampSheridanoutsideofMontgomery,Alabama.Whileatacountryclub,FitzgeraldmetandfellinlovewithZeldaSayre（1900–1948）,thedaughterofanAlabamaSupremeCourtjustice.Thewarendedin1918,andFitzgeraldmovedtoNewYorkCityhopingtomarryZeldawhoacceptedhismarriageproposalatfirst,butatlastshebreakofftheengagement.Fitzgeraldreturnedtohisparents'houseinSt.Paul,toreviseTheRomanticEgoist,recastingasThisSideofParadise.Therevisednovelwasacceptedinthefallof1919andhebecameabest-seller,sohegotafameandcommercialsuccess.HereturnedtoZeldaandmarriedher.Withaseriesofsuccessofhiswriting,thecouplehadahighstandardlife.

ItisthemostinfluentialdecadeofFitzgerald’sdevelopmentinthe1920sinParis.FitzgeraldmadeseveralexcursionstoEurope,mostlyParisandtheFrenchRiviera,andbecamefriendswithmanymembersoftheAmericanexpatriatecommunityinParis,notablyErnestHemingway.Likemostprofessionalauthorsatthetime,Fitzgeraldsupplementedhisincomebywritingshortstoriesforsuchmagazinesas“TheSaturdayEveningPost”,“Collier'sWeekly”,and“Esquire”,andsoldhisstoriesandnovelstoHollywoodstudios.（Buckley172）

ThedecadeinfluencesFitzgeraldandhiswritingalot,justasArthurMizenerobservedthat“ScottFitzgeraldhadanimaginativesenseoftheexperienceofthe1920’s,whowasindeedawritersocloselyrelatedtohistime.Hewasindangerofbeingwhollyabsorbedbyhissenseofitandofwritingbooksthatwouldnotsurviveit.”（EbleKenneth,1973:

100）

In1925FitzgeraldmanagedtocompleteTheGreatGatsby.Itgavehimacriticalcommentandcommercialfailure.（Chang282）However,everythingchangedafterthefirstbreakdownin1930.Fitzgeraldsankintoalcoholismandwastroubledbyfinancialandpsychologicalproblemscausedbyhiswife'sluxuryandjealousyofhiswriting.TenderIstheNight（1934）wascompletedaroundthattime.Hespenttherestofhislifewritingstoriesandscreenplay.In1940,hediedofaheartattackwhenhewasonlyforty-four.

B.SocialandHistoricalContextofTheGreatGatsby

TheGreatGatsbywaspublishedin1925anddidnotreceivemanypositiveresponsesfromcriticsandreadersuntil1950s.Throughoutthe1920s,Americanswerelivinginoneoftheerasofthegreatestchange.IntheterritoryoftheAmericanLiterature,therewereagreatnumberofgreatwriterswiththeirdistinguishedworks,suchastheworksofT.S.Eliot,ScottFitzgeraldandErnestHemingway,andtheirgenerationexpressedthespiritofthattimes.（Lee,98）

Thereweremanyfactorsthatmadeitdifferentfromanyotherperiod;themostimportantwastheFirstWorldWar.Thewargavetheimpactonthatperioddeeply.Thepeoplewentintothewarwithanunusualamountofenthusiasm,inspiredbytheidealofmakingtheworldsafefordemocracy.TheUnitedStatesmadealargeamountofmoneyforsellingmunitionsandbecametherichestcountryintheworld,whichmadepeoplefeelthatmoneywaseverywhere,andeveryonealsohadopportunitytoearnthatofthem.Thewarledtotheswitchoftheworld’sorder,eachcountrywhichparticipatedinitmoreorlessgotseriouslywounded,sixmilliondead,thedeclineofeconomy,however,intheUnitedStates,hismainlandwaswithoutanyfighting,whichstimulateditseconomyandtechnology.（Piper,174）Americawasdeterminedtoconcentrateoneconomicgrowth,technologicaldevelopment,andcommercialexpansion.Somenewproductshadbeenmade.

Thewriterslivedinthe1920smetanewchallengetotheirstablecodeofvalues,theygotlost,acknowledgedas“LostGeneration”,becauseofthisreasontheAmericanliteratureachievedanewdiversityanditsgreatestheights.

C.TheMainContentofTheGreatGatsby

Themaineventsofthenoveltakeplaceinthesummerof1922,narratedbyNickCarraway,amanfromtheMid-West,whocomestoNewYorktodobusiness.HemeetshissecondcousinDaisyatNewYork,andherhusbandTomBuchanan.Hehearsabouthisneighbor,amysteriousmancalledJayGatsby,whoalwaysholdsfabulouspartiesathishouse.

TheyintroduceNicktoJordanBaker,withwhomNickbeginsaromanticrelationship,fromwhomhelearnsthatTomhasamistress,Myrtle,whosehusbandisamechanic,GeorgeWilson,alsothestorybetweenDaisyandGatsby.

NickgetsinvitationtoGatsby’sparties.HelearnsmoreaboutGatsby,hisbackgroundandhisbusinessandgetfamiliarwithhim.HealsofindsthatGatsby’sdesireforDaisyispartofhisabsolutebeliefinlifeandthehappinessofhislife.NickpromisestohelpsGatsbytogetDaisytomeethim.

WhenTomdiscoversthatGatsbyissecretlyinvolvedwithhiswife,heimmediatelyforcesDaisymakeachoicebetweenthem.Tobreaktherisingtensionoftheconfrontation,DaisysuggeststhatthegroupdrivetoManhattantoliterallyandfigurativelycooloff.AtthePlazaHotel,Daisyadmitsthatshelovesthemboth.ButwhenTomexposessomeofGatsby’scriminalactivitiesDaisyisfrightened.

DaisydrivesoffwithGatsbyinfront.WhenNick,Tom,andJordanarriveatWilson’sgaragetheydiscoverthatMyrtlehasbeenknockeddownandkilledbyGatsby’scar.NicklaterlearnsfromGatsbythatDaisyhasbeendrivingthecar,butheintendstotaketheblame.ThenextdayGatsbyiskilledbyWilson,Myrtle’shusband.

NooneappearsatthefuneralexpectGatsby’sfatherandanothermanwhowasaformerguestatGatsby’sparty.TomandDaisyjustleave.NickendshisrelationshipwithJordan,andmovesbacktotheMidwesttoescapethedisgusthefeelsforthepeoplesurroundingGatsby'slifeandforthemoralemptinessofthewealthyAmericanlifestyleandthepursuitoftheAmericanDream.

III.TheDisillusionofTheDreams

A.TheDisillusionofTheAmericanDream

1.TheDefinition

Itisgenerallyknownthat“theAmericandream”hasgreateffectsonAmericanhistory,especiallyonthelifeofAmericanpeople,butwhatis,exactly,“theAmericandream”?

Differentpeoplemayhavedifferentunderstandingandinterpretations.

Thedefinitionofthe"AmericanDream"hasbeenchangingallthetimeinthelongriverofhistory,andincludesbothpersonalcomponentsandaglobalvision.IntheUnitedStatesDeclarationofIndependence,ourfoundingfathers:

"…heldcertaintruthstobeself-evident,thatallMenarecreatedequal,thattheyareendowedbytheirCreatorwithcertainunalienableRights,thatamongtheseareLife,LibertyandthePursuitofHappiness."MightthissentimentbeconsideredthefoundationoftheAmericanDream?

TheearlyAmericanswhoheldthissortofdreamcametoAmericaandhopedtoachievegreatsuccessesinashorttime.Americabecomesanattractiveplacecalledparadisewhereeverypersoncanachievetheirdreams.

ItwasfirstusedbyJamesTruslowAdamsinhisbookTheEpicofAmericawrittenin1931.Hestates:

TheAmericanDreamisthatdreamofalandinwhichlifeshouldbebetterandricherandfullerforeveryone,withopportunityforeachaccordingtoabilityorachievement.（Adams32）

TherearethreeremarkablecharacteristicsoftheAmericanDream.Firstly,theAmericanDreamadoptsapositiveattitudetowardsmaterialsuccessandconsidersitasallimportantexpressionofself-fulfillment.Secondly,theAmericanDreamisalsoknowntosupporttheideathatthechancetoachievematerialsuccesswillfallsontothepersonwhohas