从人鼠之间看美国梦.docx

从人鼠之间看美国梦.docx

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从人鼠之间看美国梦

西北大学现代学院

本科生毕业论文

题目：

从《人鼠之间》看美国梦

年级：

2010级

专业：

英语

学号：

***********

*********************

*****************

2014年5月7日

ANANALYSISOFAMERICANDREAMINOFMICEANDMAN

_________________________________________

ABachelor’sThesis

Presentedto

TheDepartmentofForeignLanguages

ModernCollegeofNorthwestUniversity

Xi’an,China

_________________________________________

InPartialFulfillment

OftheRequirementsforthe

BachelorofArtsDegree

______________________________________

By

CaiJing

May7,2014

诚信声明

本人郑重声明：

本人所呈交的毕业论文（设计）是在导师的指导下独立进行研究所取得的成果。

毕业论文（设计）中凡引用他人已经发表或未发表的成果、数据、观点等，均已明确注明出处。

除文中已经注明引用的内容外，不包含任何其他个人或集体已经发表或在网上发表的论文。

特此声明。

论文作者签名：

日期：

年月日

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Iwouldliketoexpressmygratitudetoallthosewhohelpedmeduringthewritingofthisthesis.AspecialacknowledgementshouldbeshowntoProfessorYao,fromwhoselecturesIbenefitedgreatly.IamparticularlyindebtedtoMiss.Hua,whogavemekindencouragementandusefulinstructionsallthroughmywriting.FinallyIwishtoextendmythankstothelibraryassistantswhosuppliedmewithreferencematerialsofgreatvalue.

摘要

《人鼠之间》是约翰·斯坦贝克的代表作之一，曾被美国国会图书馆协会列为“21世纪百部最具挑战性书目”之一。

在《人鼠之间》中斯坦贝克通过对主人公悲惨命运的描写，揭示美国底层人民追求美国梦的艰辛过程，即从满怀希望到梦想破灭。

小说通过对农场民工乔治·弥尔与雷尼·斯默在大萧条期间在加州寻找工作的悲剧故事，反映了美国当时的历史现状，同时也揭示了美国梦难以实现的虚幻成分。

本文通过《人鼠之间》这部作品对大萧条时期的美国梦做以分析。

文中介绍了斯坦贝克的生活背景及当时的历史背景，向人们展示不一样的美国梦。

文章介绍了美国梦的形成与发展，并结合《人鼠之间》人物及情节的解析，让人们对大萧条时期的对美国梦有所认识，从而使人们更好更深刻的认识真实的美国梦。

关键词：

大萧条现实美国梦

ABSTRACT

OfMiceAndManwasoneoftherepresentativeworkofJohnSteinbeckandclassifiedasoneof"theAmericanLibraryAssociationTop100ChallengedBooks"byTheAmericanassociationofthelibraryofcongress.InOfMiceAndMan,thedescriptionofthetragicfateofthecharactersrevealthehardprocessoftheunderlyingpeople’spursuitoftheAmericandream.Atfirst,onewasfullofbrighthopeinpursuitofAmericandream,andintheendone'sdreamturnintosmokeandashes.ThetragicisaboutthestoryofGeorgeMiltonandLonnieSmall,twofarmworkers,wholookingforajobinCaliforniaduringtheGreatDepression,thatshowingthesituationofAmericanhistoryatthattimeandalsopresentingthefantasycompositionintheprocessofrealizingtheAmericandream.

Inthispaper,wehaveananalysisofAmericandreamduringtheGreatDepressionviatheinterpretationofOfMiceAndMan.ThispapersgiveanintroductionofthebackgroundofJohnSteinbeckandthehistoricalbackgroundatthattime,whichshowpeopleadifferentAmericandream.CombinedwiththemaincharacteristicsandthestoryinOfMiceAndMan,thispaperintroducethebornanddevelopmentofAmericanDream.AndinthiswaywecouldhaveafurtherandmorereasonableunderstandingofAmericandream.

Keywords:

GreatDepression;Reality;Americandream

TABLEOFCONTENTS

CHAPTERⅠ

Introduction

1.1Americandream

WhatisAmericandream?

Theterm“Americandream”isusedinmanyways.Nowadays,Americandreamhavedevelopedintoaspritinpeoplemind.Butitessentiallyisanideathatsuggeststhatmanypeoplehaveanequalaccesstosuccess,fulfillment,belief,freedomaswellasrightthroughhandworkanddiligent.ThedefinitionofAmericanDreaminWikipediaistopursueanbetterlifeifonecaninsisttheAmericanDreamthroughhardworkandstrongwillandhasthepotentialtoleadahappy,successfullife.

JamesTruslowAdams,inhisbookTheEpicofAmerica,whichwaswrittenin1931,saidthattheAmericandreamisthat:

Thedreamofowningalandinwhichlifeshouldbebetterandricherandfullerforeveryone,withopportunityforeachaccordingtoabilityorachievement.ItisadifficultdreamfortheEuropeanupperclassestointerpretadequately,andtoomanyofusourselveshavegrownwearyandmistrustfulofit.Itisnotadreamofmotorcarsandhighwagesmerely,butadreamofsocialorderinwhicheachmanandeachwomanshallbeabletoattaintothefulleststatureofwhichtheyareinnatelycapable,andberecognizedbyothersforwhattheyare,regardlessofthefortuitouscircumstancesofbirthorposition.

Whenitcomestocommonpeople,peoplefromdifferentcountrieshavedifferentviews.SomepeopleholdthattheAmericanDreamhasbecomethepursuitofmaterialprosperity.YetotherslooktowardanewAmericanDreamwithlessfocusonfinancialgainandmoreemphasisonlivingasimple,fulfillinglife.While otherssaythattheAmericanDreamisbeyondthegraspoftheworkingpoorwhomustworktwojobstomeettheendneedsofthefamily.Thisconcepthasbeensubjecttocriticism,becausesomepeoplebelievethatthestructureofsocietyintheUSpreventssuchanidealisticgoalforeveryone.Criticsoftenpointtoexamplesofinequalityrootedinrace,class,ethnicityandreligionthatsuggestthattheAmericandreamisnotaccessibleforeveryone.

1.2.DevelopmentofAmericandream

WhenthetermAmericandreamcometous,Ibelieveaquestionmayoccurtous,thatishowdoesthisdreamcomeoutandhowitformed.

TheAmericandreamwasfirstmentionedwhentheearlyPuritanshadsteppedonthenewcontinent.Itsfeaturesatthosetimeswereadventureonanopencontinent,explorationindifferentareas,andestablishanewhomewithdemocracyandfreedom.

Andinthemiddleofthe17thcentury,withhopesandwishesmoreandmorepeopleimmigratedtothisnewland.MostoftheimmigrantswerethelowerstatuspeopleinEuropecountries,theyhadacommondreamthatwastogetoutofthepressingbyhighstatuspeopleandtoseekforfreedom,moneyandequalityaswellasanewlife.Andduetothesparedoftheseidealsmoreandmorepeoplewouldtrytheirbesttomaketheirdreamcometrue.

WithestablishmentofanewcountrycompleteoftheConstitution,earlyAmericanpeoplehadrealizedtheirfirstdream.AftertheestablishmentofAmerican,moreandmorepeoplefromallaroundtheworldcametothenewcountry,withenthusiasmandnewhope.Atthattimes,theelementsofAmericandreamwasthepursueofbetterlifeandmoremoney.

Afterthat,theformationofcapitalismhelpedpeopleachievetheirgoals.However,competitionbetweenpeoplebecamemoreandmoreviolent.Atthecostoflosingtheirmorality,peoplegettheirmoneyandbenefits.Atthattime,manypeoplearguesthatAmericancapitalismexpandedthedisilludetheAmericandream.ThisleadstothechangeofAmericandream.

Afterthecivilwar,theWestwardMovementtookplaceinthisnewcountry.TheWestwardMovementwasverysuccessful.Atthattimes,withthesuccessofWestwardmovementtheAmericandreamchangedagain,whichcontainedadventure,self-accomplishmentandbetterlife.

Afterthesecondworldwarended,thecoldwarbetweenAmericaandSovietUnionwasstillon.Alsointhisperiod,Americandreamchangedagain.Andafterthecoldwar,Americagraduallybecamethemostpowerfulcountryinthewholeworld.

Nowadays,withthedevelopmentofAmericandream,itturnedtoglobalizationandpowerfulmilitary.AndAmericandreamturnedtoestablishAmericanorderintheworld,whichmeansallthecountriesliveundertheinfluenceofAmerica.Anditseemsthistrendisstillonitsway.

CHAPTERⅡ

BackgroundofOfMiceAndMan

2.1Historybackground

ForpeopleintheUnitedStates,the1930swastheageoftheGreatDepression.Bankpanicsdestroyedfaithintheeconomicsystem,aswellasjoblessnesslimitedfaithinthefuture.TheworstdroughtinmodernAmericanhistorystrucktheGreatPlainsin1934.WindstormsthatstrippedthetopsoilfrommillionsofacresturnedthewholeareaintoavastDustBowlanddestroyedcropsandlivestockinunprecedentedamounts.Asaresult,morethan2.5millionpeoplefledthePlainsstates,manyboundforCalifornia,wherethepromiseofsunshineandabetterlifeoftencollidedwiththerealityofscarce,poorlypaidworkasmigrantfarmlaborers.

DuringtheGreatdepression,agriculturewasaffectedgreatly,sincetherehadbeenamassivestockmarketcrash,priceswerealreadydroppingdownfast.Farmersdidn'thavemoneytosupporttheiranimalsorcrops.Somepeopleeventrytokeeptheirpotboilingbysellingtheirgoods.Inadditiontothis,somesmallfarmswerecloseddown.ButtherewerealsosomemoreadvancedfarmsmangledtosupportthemandmadeitthroughtheDepression.

TheGreatDepressionchangedthelivesofpeoplewholivedandfarmedontheGreatPlainsandinturn,changedAmerica.Thegovernmentprogramsthathelpedthemtolivethroughthe1930schangedthefutureofagricultureforever.YorkCountyfarmfamiliesdidn'thaveheat,lightorindoorbathroomslikepeoplewholivedintown.Manyfarmfamiliesraisedmostoftheirownfood–eggsandchickens,milkandbeeffromtheirowncows,andvegetablesfromtheirgardens.

PeoplewhogrewupduringtheDepressionsaid,"Noonehadanymoney.Wewereallinthesameboat."Neighborshelpedeachotherthroughhardtimes,sickness,andaccidents.

2.2Introductionoftheauthor

JohnErnstSteinbeck,Jr.wasbornonFebruary27,1902,inSalinas,Californiawherehecreatemuchofhisfinestfiction.Inadditiontothis,heistheforemostnovelistoftheAmericanDepressionofthe1930s.

John'sfatherisJohnErnstSteinbeckwhoservedasMontereyCountytreasurer.OliveHamilton,hismother,isaschoolteacher.UndertheinfluenceofhismotherhegraduallySteinbeckhaveagreatpassioninbothreadingandwriting.Inhisearlylife,Steinbecklivedinasmallruraltown,wherehassomeoftheworld'smostfertileland,andheeasyjustafrontiersettlementatthattime.Inhissparetimehealsolikesexploringhissurroundings,heoftenspendshistimeinwalkingacros