《了不起的盖茨比》所反映的社会意义.docx

《了不起的盖茨比》所反映的社会意义.docx

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《了不起的盖茨比》所反映的社会意义

OntheSocialSignificanceReflectedinTheGreatGatsby

《了不起的盖茨比》所反映的社会意义

摘要

弗朗西斯·斯科特·基·菲茨杰拉德，美国小说家和短篇故事作家。

他是爵士时代的发言人，同时也被认为是二十世纪最伟大的作家。

二十世纪二十年代是当代美国社会初步形成的年代。

第一次世界大战造就了新的一代人，爵士乐时代也由此拉开序幕。

1925年《了不起的盖茨比》问世，这部小说无论是在思想上还是艺术手法上都是一部杰出的作品，奠定了弗朗西斯·斯科特·基·菲茨杰拉德在美国最伟大的小说家的地位。

这部小说为我们描绘了一幅爵士乐时代的生动画面，展现了当时整个美国社会的缩影。

爵士时代指的是二十世纪二十年代，开始于1919年结束于1929年的十年期间。

这一时期，美国经历了深刻的文化与社会变革，新的发明与生产技术大大改变了人们的生活方式，许多人搬离乡村，妇女们获得了投票权。

成千上万的人们活在一个富裕，奢侈，空虚赚钱的生活中，疯狂的追求个人的成功与享乐。

在《了不起的盖茨比》这部作品中，作者刻画了美国所谓的“爵士乐时代”追求金钱和享乐的潮流，并以冷静的笔触反思了社会现实和浮华表面下蕴藏的精神危机和美国梦的破灭。

本文通过分析这部作品揭示了小说中美国梦的破灭所反映的社会意义。

关键词：

社会意义；美国梦的破灭；爵士乐时代

Abstract

F.ScottFitzgeraldwasanAmericannovelistandauthorofshortstories.HewasregardedasoneofthegreatestwritersintwentiethcenturyandwasconsideredthespokesmanofJazzAge.TheoutlineofcontemporaryAmericaclearlyformedin1920s.Anewgenerationandanewtime—theJazzAgewascreatedinWorldWarI.TheGreatGatsbywaswrittenbyFitzgeraldandfirstpublishedin1925.ThisnovelishisbestworkinboththoughtandartandbecomeoneofthegreatestAmericannovelists.AsanepitomeofthewholeAmericansociety,thenovelshowedusavividpictureofJazzAge.Thetimebeginningfrom1919totheendof1929hasanicknamewhichiscalledtheJazzAge.Itisatimeofprofoundculturalandsocialchanges.Inthesetenyears,manynewinventionsandtechniquesgreatlychangedthewaypeoplelived.Lotsofpeoplemovedfromcountrysideandwomenwontherighttovote.Millionsofpeoplelivedarich,extravagant,frivolousmoney-makinglife,pursuedindividual“success”andpersonalenjoymentfrantically.InTheGreatGatsby,thewriter—FitzgeralddescribestheAmericantideofseekingwealthandenjoymentinJazzAge,andmakesintrospectiononthespiritcrisisreflectedfromtherealityandostentationandthedisillusionmentofAmericanDream.ThisstudyaimsatexploringthesocialsignificanceembodiedinthedisillusionmentoftheAmericanDream.

KeyWords:

Socialsignificance;disillusionmentofAmericanDream;theJazzAge

Contents

1.Introduction

F.ScottFitzgeraldiswidelyregardedasoneofthegreatestwritersofthetwentiethcentury.TheGreatGatsbywaswrittenbyF.ScottFitzgeraldandfirstpublishedin1925.Eventodayitisgenerallyconsideredoneofthebestnovelsintwentiethcentury.

Itisalovestorybetweenamanandawoman.Thehero—Gatsbywasabounderbysellingwineandattendingotherunlawfulactivitiestoearnmoneyinthe1920s.ThefictionshowsthebreakoftheAmericanDreambydescribingthedisillusionmentofGatsby’sdreamanditindicatedthetragedyofAmericansocietyatthattime.ThebackgroundofthewholestoryissetonLongIslandinNewYorkCityin1922.Inthenovel,Gatsby’sgreatpassionforDaisywasdescribedclearlybytheauthor.TheAmericanDreammakeseverypersonbelievethataslongasheworkshard,apoormancangetalotofopportunitiesandbecomeamillionaireonthiswonderfulland.（Gao,2008）ThiskindofspiritencouragesAmericanpeopletomaketheirdreamscometrue.However,whenGatsby’slifeendedtragicallyandDaisydidnotfeelashamedandsadandwenttoanothercitywithhishusband—Tom,whichindicatedGatsby’sAmericanDreamwasshattered.Inthenovel,Gatsby’spassionateloveforDaisyisearthyandenthusiastic,andheiswillingtodoanythingforDaisy.DaisyfellinlovewithGatsbywhenshelearnedthatGatsbywasayoungjuniormilitaryofficer.Unfortunately,shebrokeoffwithGatsbyquicklybecauseGatsbywasborninapoorfamily.WhenGatsbybecameamillionaire,Daisyfellinlovewithhimatonce.WhenGatsbydied,shedidnotattendtoGatsby’sfuneralandwentoutofthecitytohaveajourneywithherhusband.Gatsby’sAmericanDreamwasthathecouldbecomericherthanTom,Daisy’shusbandwhowaswealthyenoughandhecouldprovideanythingtoDaisy.Intheircompetition,TomwonDaisy’slovefinally.Actually,Gatsby’sAmericanDreamcannotcometruebecausethereisahugegapebetweenGatsbyandDaisyinmanyrespects.Daisywasborninafortunatefamily,livinginawealthylifeallthetime.ItisdifficultforGatsbytoliveanaffluentlifeandbecomeoneoftheupperechelonsofsocietyfigures,becauseGatsbycamefromapoorfamilyinNorthDakota.HealsocannotaffordtheextravagantlifeofDaisy.Asalovestory,TheGreatGatsbyaimstocriticizethepresentcontextofsocietyatthattime.Infact,itisastoryofthedisillusionmentofAmericanDreaminaneraofunprecedentedprosperityandmaterialexcess,inwhichliesthisnovel’ssocialmeaning.

2.AnAnalysisoftheNovel

AsoneofthegreatestnovelistsintheAmericanliteratureofthe1920s,F.ScottFitzgeraldwascalledthespokesmanofJazzAge.Ashismasterpiece,TheGreatGatsbywaswrittenbyF.ScottFitzgeraldin1925,andthebackgroundofthenovelisinalongislandandNewYorkCityof1920s.

2.1AnIntroductionofF.ScottFitzgerald

F.ScottFitzgeraldwasagreatIrish-AmericanJazzAgenovelist,shortstorywriterandwaswidelyconsideredasthefamousrepresentativesofthelostgeneration.HewasgivenbirthinSaintPaulduringWorldWarI.FitzgeraldwasnamedafterhisancestorFrancisScottKey,butwascommonlyknownas“Scott”.

Hecraftedfivenovelsanddozensofshortstoriesaboutyouth,despair,andage.Thefiguresarevividandauthenticinhisnovels.Hisheroes—handsome,confident,andhisheroinesaretypicallybeautiful,intricate,andalluring.

FitzgeraldspentseveralyearswithhisfatherinNewYork,andthen,hewenttoschoolinSaintPaulMinnesotafrom1908-1911.Inthefollowingtwoyears,hehadtogotoaboardingschoolofNewJerseybecausehewasweakathisstudies.Despitebeingamediocrestudentthere,hemanagedtoenterinPrincetonandbecameamemberofthisschoolin1913.Then,hebecamefriendswithEdmundWilsonandJohnPealeBishopthere.HeburdenedwithacademicdifficultiesandapathyplaguedintheUniversitythroughouthisthree-yearcareer.SoFitzgeraldlefttheschooltoenrollintheUnitedStatesArmywhenAmericanwasinvolvedinWorldWarI.Fitzgeraldbecameasecondlieutenant,andwasstationedatCampSheridan.TherehemetZeldaSayre，the“topgirl”,inFitzgerald’swords,ofMontgomery,Alabama.FitzgeraldrealizedthathewasunabletoprovidewhatZeldareallywant,sohedecidedtomakemoneybyworkingatanadvertisingfirmandwritingshortstories.AndZelda’soverpoweringdesireforwealth,fun,andleisureledtodelaytheirweedinguntilhecouldproveasuccess.ThisSideofParadisewaspublishedin1920,whichcausedagreatliterarysensation.FitzgeraldearnedenoughmoneytoconvinceZeldathathecouldsupporther.Then,ScottandZeldaweremarriedinNewYork’sSt.Patrick’sCathedral.

The1920sprovedthemostinfluentialdecadeofFitzgerald’sdevelopment.Hissecondnovel—TheBeautifulandDamned,whichrepresentsanimpressivedevelopmentbeyondhispreviousimmature,waspublishedin1922.TheGreatGatsby,whichwasconsideredashismasterpiece,waspublishedin1925.FitzgeraldmadeseveralfamousjourneystoEurope,especiallyParisandtheFrenchRiviera.HebecamefriendswithpeoplewhowerethemembersoftheAmericanexpatriatecommunityinParis;Hiswife’sintensepersonalityhadgreateffectonFitzgerald’swritings.Sometimes,heevenquotedseveralsegmentsofhiswife’spersonaldiariesinhisownworks.Zeldahasevermentionedthisin1922,sayingthat“Infact,Mr.Fitzgerald—Ibelievethatishowhespellshisname—seemstobelievethatplagiarismbeginsathome”（ZeldaFitzgerald:

TheCollectedWritings,1922:

338）.Fitzgeraldbegantoworkonhisfourthnovelduringthelate1920s.However,hewassidetrackedbyfinancialdifficultiesthatnecessitatedhimbegantowrotecommercialshortstories.AndtheschizophreniastruckZeldaSayreFitzgeraldin1930.Heremotionalhealthremainedfrangiblefortherestofherlife.ShewashospitalizedinMarylandofBaltimorein1932.TenderIstheNightwaspublishedin1934,whichwasregardedasoneofFitzgerald’sfinestworksbycritics.Fitzgeraldsufferedtwoheartattacksinlate1940.Afterthefirstheartattack,thedoctortoldhimnottodophysicalexertionandtoliveinafirstfloorapartment.Then,hefolloweddoctor’srecommendationandmovedinanapartmentwithhislover.

Fitzgeralddiedattheageofforty-fourduetothesecondheartattackin1940.Fewpeopleattendedhissimpleandsmallfuneral.However,DorothyParker,whowasoneoftheattendantscriedandmurmured,“Thepoorsonofabitch”,alinefromJayGatsby’sfuneralinFitzgerald’sTheGreatGatsby.Hiswife—ZeldadiedinafireatamentalinstitutioninNorthCarolina,in1948.

2.2TheSocialBackgroundoftheNovel

Inthetwentiethcentury,Americans’lifechangedgreatlysincetheemergenceofalargepartofgreatwritersinthehistoryofAmericanliterature.Theyarerepresentativesof“theLostGeneration”inthatage.Atthesametime,therearemanyfamousworkswrotebythemtoexpresstheirmindsandfeelings,suchastheworksofF.ScottFitzgerald,ErnestHemingwayandT.S.Eliot.

AmericahasenteredaneweraoftheunprecedentedeconomicprosperityaftertheWorldI,becausetheWorldWarIhasagreatimpactonthatperiodofAmerica.Alotofpeopleattendingthewarbelievedthatdefendingthecountryistheirdutyandtheyhopedtheircountrytobeabetterplacetolivein.Duringthewar,Americaearnsalargesumofmoneybysellingmunitionsandbecomestherichestcountry.AmericanDreambecomesthemainpurposeofAmericans.Theybelievethattheirdreamscanberealizedbyhardwork.

WorldWarIwitnessedanewgenerationandanewtime,theJazzAge.WithF.ScottFitzge