英语论文.docx

英语论文.docx

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英语论文

TheAmericanDreamin“TheGreatGatsby”

I.Introduction

In1925,TheGreatGatsbywaspublishedandhailedasanartisticandmaterialsuccessforitsyoungauthor,F.ScottFitzgerald.ItisconsideredavastlymorematureandartisticallymasterfultreatmentofFitzgerald'sthemesthanhisearlierfiction.WhenIfirstknowthisbookinoneofAmericanliteratureclasses,Ibecomeinterestedinit.

Thisbookmainlytoldusasastorythatthehero-JayGatsbyfellinlovewithgirlcalledDaisyinordertogainacceptanceintothesophisticated,moneyworldofthewomenheloves,hetriedallmeanstogetmoney.Fitzgerald’sdominantthemeintheGreatGatsbyfocusesonthecorruptionoftheAmericanDreamhadtheassumptionthateachpersoncouldsucceedinhislifeifhecantryallmeanstogetmoney,andalsoifgettingenoughmoney,thenhecanlivehappily.ThisnovelexaminedtheresultsoftheJazzagegeneration’sadherencetofalsematerialvalues.Inmypaper,IillustratetheAmericanDreamwhichrevealedthroughthelifeofthemaincharacters.Throughlearningthisbook,Ifirmthecorrectconceptionofwealth,especiallyintoday’schina,thedevelopmentofmarketeconomyandmodernizationconstructionmisleadssomepeople’sattitudetowardsmoney,Ihopemypapercanmakepeopleknowfurtherthatwealthisnotthenameofhappiness.

II.AmericanDreamandTheGreatGatsby

A.TheconnotationoftheAmericanDream

TheAmericanDream,aroseintheColonialperiodanddevelopedinthenineteenthcentury,hadtheassumptionthateachpersoncouldsucceedinhislifeifhecantryallmeanstogetmoney,andalsoifgettingenoughmoney,thenhecanlivehappily.

TheGreatGatsbyisanovelaboutwhathappenedtotheAmericandreaminthe1920s.Inthisperiod,everybodyhadthedreamtochangetheirownlife,butwhatapitythatalltheirdreams,forexample,toachievefame,success,glamour,andexcitement,hadbeencrushedbythevulgarpursuitofwealthastheresult.

ThisbookisaprimaryexampleofAmericanculture.Whowishtosucceedineverythingwedo,andgetcaughtupinalifewithlittlesubstance;itbecomesplain,likethewhitedressesDaisylikestowear.Welookfaraheadwithoutseeingwhatshouldbecherished.TheGreatGatsbyhasfullydemonstratedtheeffectsofthe"AmericanDream,"anddriveshometherealitythatlifeisnotsomethingthatcanbebought,butmadethroughlastingrelationshipsandtheloveofextraordinaryhumanbeings.TheGreatGatsbymirrorsourcultureinsuchawaythatnotreadingitwouldbemisunderstandingtheverythemesthatcharacterizeusashumanbeings.BylookingateachcharacterinTheGreatGatsby,wecaneasilyfoundinthatperiodAmericanDreamwasnationwidephenomenon.

InFitzgerald’sTheGreatGatsby,allthecharacterswere,inonewayoranother,attemptingtoachieveastateofsuccessandhappinessintheirlives.Themaincharactersweredividedintotwogroups:

therichupperclassandthepoorerlowerclass,whichstruggledtoattainahigherposition.Thoughthemajorplayerssoughtonlytochangetheirlivesforthebetter,theidealismandspiritualismoftheAmericanDreamwaseventuallycrushedbeneaththeharshrealityoflife,leavingtheirliveswithoutanymeaningorpurpose.

B.TheGreatGatsby

1.TheauthoroftheGreatGatsby

AstheprotagonistJayGatsby’sstoryinsomeaspectsarebasedonthewriter’sownexperience,hereIwillgiveabriefintroductionabouttheauthor.

F.SFitzgerald—thewriteroftheGreatGatsby,playedanimportantroleintheAmericanliteratureduringthe1920sand1930s.Hewastherepresentativewriterinthe“Lostgeneration”andalsothemostsuccessfulpoetinthe“JazzAge”!

HewasborninSt.Paul,Minnesota.Hisfamilywasconsideredsociallyprominentandgenteellypoor.WiththefinancialaidofrelativeshewassenttoprepschoolandtoPrinceton.In1917,inhissenioryear,heleftPrincetontoserveinWorldWarI.InAlabama,wherehewassentformilitarytraining,hefellhopelesslyinlovewithZeldaSayre,anembodimentofhisromanticnotionsofaSouthernBelle.Dischargedfromthearmytowinsuccess,fame,andZelda.Hetookajobwithanadvertisingagencyandworkedonshortstoriesandanovelatnight.Eventuallyhisfirstnovel,ThisSideofParadise,wasacceptedforpublication.ThebookappearedinMarch1920.AweeklaterFitzgeraldandZeldaweremarried.Fromthenon,hepublishedTheBeautifulandDamned（1922）,TalesoftheJazzAge（1922）,Thevegetable（1923）,TheGreatGatsby（1925）andTenderIsNight（1934）etc.TheGreatGatsbyisoneofhisfamousnovels.Manyofthecharactersinhisnovelsarebasedonpeoplefromhislife.WithinthecharactersofNickCarrawayandJayGatsbywecanseetheduelingpartsofFitzgerald'sownpersonality.“GatsbyandFitzgeraldarealikebybothbeingself-mademenwhohaveachievedfinancialsuccess.Similarly,theybothachievedtheirfinancialsuccessfortheloveofawoman”（WuWeiren,215）.GatsbyfeltthatheneededwealthtowinthehandofDaisy,andFitzgeraldfeltthesameaboutZelda.TheloveofawomanwasthemotivatingfactorbehindvirtuallyallofGatsby'sactions,andmanyoftheyoungFitzgerald's.FitzgeraldwouldspendthemajorityofhiscareerstrugglingtoearnasmuchmoneyaspossibletomaintaintheprivilegedlifestylethatZeldadesired.

2.Theprotagonist:

JayGatsby

JayGatsby,thetitlecharacterofTheGreatGatsbyisayoungman,aroundthirtyyearsold,whorosefromanimpoverishedchildhoodinruralNorthDakotatobecomefabulouslywealthy.However,heachievedthisloftygoalbyparticipatinginorganizedcrime,includingdistributingillegalalcoholandtradinginstolensecurities.Fromhisearlyyouth,Gatsbydespisedpovertyandlongedforwealthandsophistication-hedroppedoutofSt.Olaf’scollegeafteronlytwoweeksbecausehecouldnotbearthejanitorialjobwithwhichhewaspayinghistuition.ThoughGatsbyhasalwayswantedtorich,hismainmotivationinacquiringhisfortunewashisloveforDaisyBuchanan,whomhemetasayoungmilitaryofficerinLouisvillebeforeleavingtofightinWorldWarIin1917.GatsbyimmediatelyfellinlovewithDaisy’sauraofluxury,graceandcharm,andlietoherabouthisownbackgroundinordertoconvinceherthathewasgoodenoughforher.Daisypromisedtowaitforhimwhenheleftforthewar,butmarriedTomBuchananin1919.Fromthattimeon,GatsbydedicatedhimselftowinningDaisyback,andhisacquisitionofmillionsofdollars,hispurchaseofagaudymansiononWestEgg,andhislavishweeklypartiesareallmerelymeanstotheend.

Fitzgeralddelaystheintroductionofmostofthisinformationuntilfairlylateinthenovel.Gatsby’sreputationprecedeshim—GatsbyhimselfdoesnotappearinaspeakingroleuntilchapterIII.FitzgeraldinitiallypresentsGatsbyasathealoof,enigmatichostoftheunbelievablyopulentpartiesthrowneveryweekathismansion.Heappearssurroundedbyspectacularluxury,courtedbypowerfulmenandbeautifulwomen.HeisthesubjectofawhirlwindofgossipthroughoutNewYorkandisalreadyakindoflegendarycelebritybeforeheiseverintroducetothereader.FitzgeraldpropelsthenovelforwardthroughtheearlychaptersbyshroudingGatsby’sbackgroundandthesourceofhiswealthinmystery.Asaresult,thereader’sfirst,distantimpressionofGatsbystrikequiteadifferentnotefromthatofthelovesick,naïveyoungmanwhoemergesduringthelaterpartofthenovel.“FitzgeraldusesthistechniqueofdelayedcharacterrevelationtoemphasizethetheatricalqualityofGatsby’sapproachtolife,whichisanimportantpartofhispersonality"（ChangYaoxin,53）.Thistalentself-inventioniswhatgivesGatsbyhisqualityof“greatness”:

indeed,thetitle“TheGreatGatsby”isreminiscentofbillingsforsuchvaudevillemagiciansas“TheGreatHoudini”and“TheGreatBlackstone,”suggestingthatthepersonofJayGatsbyisamasterfulillusion.

III.AmericanDreamofTomandDaisy,MyrtleWilson,JayGatsby

Bydescribingthelifeofcharacters:

TomandDaisy,MyrtleWilson,JayGatsbythroughtheeyesofnarratorNickCarraway,FitzgeraldrevealedthattheAmericanDreamhadbeentransformedintoaschemeofmaterialisticpower.

“Peopleinthe1920s,whethertheyfeltthetimetobeliberatingorfrightening,veryoftenfoundthemselvesfloodedwithasensethattheirswasadecadeinwhichallwaschanging,allwasnew”（LutzCatherine,6）.

A.TomandDaisy’sAmericanDream

TomandDaisyBuchanan,therichsocialitecouple,seemedtohaveeverythingtheycouldpossiblydesire;however,thoughtheirliveswerefullofmaterialpossessions,theywereunsatisfiedandsoughttochangetheircircumstances.TomBuchanan:

Anex-footballstarfromthesamecollegeNickCarrawayattended,Tomwasdescribedas"anationfigureinaway,oneofthosemenwhoreachsuchanacutelimitedexcellenceattwenty-onethateverythingafterwardssavoursofanti-climax"（F.Scott.Fitzgerald,32）.Nowthirty,Tomhadbecomeenormouslywealthy,yetremainedphysicallypowerfulwithhis"cruelbody"and"arroganteyes"（F.Scott.Fitzgerald,32）.Tom,thearrogantex-footballplayer,driftedon“foreverseekingalittlewistfullyforthedramaticturbulenceofsomeirrecoverablefootballgame”（Fitzgerald,34）andread“deepbookswithlongwordsinthem”（Fitzgerald,34）inordertohavesomethingtotalkabout.ThoughheappearedhappilymarriedtoDaisy,TomhadanaffairwithMyrtleWilsonandkeptanapartmentwithherinNewYork.Tom’sbasicnatureofunrestpreventedhimfrombeingsatisfiedwiththelifehelead,andsohecreatedanotherlifeforhimselfwithMyrtle.Hedidthingsthathewantedtodo,hedidnotconcernhimselfwiththeconsequencesofhis