An Analysis of the Symbols in The Great Gatsby浅析《了不起的盖茨比》中的象征.docx

An Analysis of the Symbols in The Great Gatsby浅析《了不起的盖茨比》中的象征.docx

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AnAnalysisoftheSymbolsinTheGreatGatsby浅析《了不起的盖茨比》中的象征

AnAnalysisoftheSymbolsinTheGreatGatsby

浅析《了不起的盖茨比》中的象征

Acknowledgments

Iwanttoexpressmyappreciationtothepeoplewhosupportedmyeffortsinwritingthispaperduringthepastfewmonths.

Iamgreatlyindebtedtoexpressmygratitudetothosewhohavehelpedmeandgivenvaluablesuggestiontome.HeartythanksshouldalsobegiventomydeartutorMs.Baiwhohasprovidedpreciousinstructionandvaluableadvice.Hercommentsandcorrectionsarethechieffactorsinmysuccess.Withouther,itwouldbeimpossibleformetocompleteit.

Specialthanksshouldbeextendedtomybelovedfamilyandfriendswhoconstantlyencourageandenlightenmeinfinishingmypaper.

Abstract

FrancisScottFitzgerald,afamousAmericannovelist,iswidelyregardedasoneofthetwentiethcentury’sgreatestwritersandconsideredasamemberofthe“lostgeneration”.TheGreatGatsby,amasterpieceofhisworks,iswidelyconsideredasaclassicofAmericanliterature.Atthattime,thisnovelhasanimportantinfluenceontheSociety,whichisallegoricallyreflectedthethemeofAmericandreamduringthe“Roaringtwenties”.

Withtheemploymentofmanysymbols,hesuccessfullydescribesthemainsituationofhisownage.WorldWaronehasjustendedandtheeconomyofAmericaisridinghigh.ManypeopleinTheUnitedStatesgetlostinpursuingmaterialismandenjoymentandthemoralvaluesofthosepeoplearedegraded.Thefaithinreligionandculturehadbeenreducedtothepursuitofmoneyandtheshallowdreams.Onthebasisofanalyzingthesymbolsoccurredinthisnovel,thispaperwillreflectthatsituationinAmerica.

Themainquestionsthatthethesisstudiesarethesymbolsandthepotentialmeaningstheyimplied.Thethesisanalyzesthenovelthroughtheperspectiveofsymbolsinthreelevels:

symbolicmeaningofcolors,symbolicmeaningofsettingsandsymbolicmeaningofcharacters.Colorssymbolizemanydifferentintangiblethingsofthesocietyinthisnovel;settingsarereflectedtheparticularbackgroundorthemeinthestory;eachcharacterrepresentsdifferentkindsofpeopleandreflectstheimpliedfateofthem.EachpartexplorestheeffectsofsymbolsinTheGreatGatsby.Thewayofsolvingthisquestionistocommunicatewithmyteachersandcollectinformationfromthelaboratory.Onthebasisofanalyzing,thispapergetsaconclusionthattheAmericanDreamcannotbeaccomplishedinthatsociety.

Keywords:

symbols;colors;settings;characters;Americandream

摘要

弗朗西斯斯科特菲茨杰拉德，以为著名的美国的小说家，被广泛的认为是二十世纪最伟大的作家之一，也被视为“迷惘的一代”中的一员。

《了不起的盖茨比》作为他最杰出的作品，被广泛的认为是美国文学的一个经典之作。

在那个时代，这本小说对当时社会的影响很大。

它寓言性的反映了在“咆哮的二十年代”时美国梦的主题。

它最重要的写作技巧是运用了象征的手法,象征的使用成功的描述了杰拉德那个时代的社会状态。

一战后，美国经济快速增长。

许多美国人沉溺于追求物质和地位的梦想中的同时，他们的道德，价值观也逐渐堕落。

本篇论文在对象征分析的同时，再现美国社会当时的状况。

本篇论文主要研究的问题是，象征的使用以及它所暗含的意义。

主要从三个方面分析：

颜色，背景以及人物象征。

在小说中颜色象征着社会中不同的无形事物，背景主要体现了小说的环境，每个人物都代表着不同的类型的人以及其中暗含的命运。

每一个部分都描绘了象征在小说中所起的作用。

问题的研究主要通过和老师交流以及到图书馆查资料的方式解决。

在分析的基础上，得出美国梦在那个社会是不可能实现的这样一个结论。

关键词：

象征；颜色；背景；人物；美国梦

TableofContents

1Introduction1

1.1F.ScottFitzgerald1

1.2TheGreatGatsby2

2LiteratureReview3

3SymbolsinTheGreatGatsby3

3.1SymbolsinColors4

3.1.1Green5

3.1.2White6

3.1.3Golden7

3.2TheSymbolsinSettings8

3.2.1EastEgg8

3.2.2WestEgg8

3.3TheSymbolicMeaningofCharacters10

3.3.1Gatsby10

3.3.2Daisy11

4Conclusion12

References13

AnAnalysisoftheSymbolsinTheGreatGatsby

Introduction

1.1F.ScottFitzgerald

F.ScottFitzgerald,afamousAmericannovelistwriteranddramatist,iswidelyregardedasoneofthetwentiethcentury’sgreatestwriters.“Fitzgeraldwritesthisnovelwithsharpeyesbothinpeople’slanguageandbehaviors,soheisworthyofthememberofthe‘lostgeneration.”LehanRichardsays.（Richard,2009,P45）

Fitzgeraldisknownforhisshortstoriesandnovels,whichdescribethesituationofAmericaduringthe1920s.Owningtohisnovels,FitzgeraldisregardedasthespokesmanoftheJazzAge.However,peopledonotaccepthimasaseriousandambitiousnovelistuntilheisdead.Today,lotsofpeoplebelievethatFitzgeraldplaysavitalroleinthedevelopmentofmodernAmericanfiction.

In1919,FitzgeraldstartedwritinghisfirstnovelThisSideofParadise,whichwaspublishedin1920andwidelyaccepted.Thoughthereweresomeflaws,itwaspopularandenjoyed.FlappersandPhilosophers,hisfirstcollection,glitteredwiththeimageofFitzgeraldasasymbolofanAmericanidealin1920s.ThesecondcollectionnamedTalesoftheJazzAgewasnamedaftertheJazzAge,animportantperiodofAmerican.In1922,histhirdnovelTheBeautifulAndDamnedwasfinished,whichdescribedtherecklessmerry-makinglifeofyoungpeople.

HismasterpieceTheGreatGatsbywaspublishedin1925,whichwasconsideredasthebestnovelofhis.TheGreatGatsbydrewapictureofAmericanpeoplepursuingwealth,statuteandpleasureofthejazzage.Allthesadyoungmen,histhirdcollectionofshortstories,waspublishedin1926andafterthatthefourthnovelTenderIsTheNightappearedin1934,whichreceivedbothpraisingandcriticismatthattime.HislastcollectionofshortstorieswasTapsAtReveilleandhisfinalnovelTheLastTycoon,wasunfinishedcontributingtothereasonthatitsauthordiedsuddenlyofaheartattack.

1.2TheGreatGatsby

Asapersonsaysthat“TheGreatGatsbyiswidelyconsideredasaclassicofAmericanmodernliteratureanditestablishestheplaceofFitzgerald’inliterature.”（Gu,2009,p.35）Itisnotonlyagreatstory,butarightportrayalofthepeople’sreallifeduringthecorruptioninthe1920’s.Atthattime,thisnovelhasanimportantinfluenceontheSociety.Foralongtime,TheGreatGatsbyisacceptedas“abookaboutroaringtwenties”.Themainthemesinthisstoryareconcernedaboutthecorruptionofmanypeople’sAmericandream,adecayofmoralsandvaluesofamodernsociety.

The1920swasatimeofcorruption.ManypeopleintheUnitedStatesaswellasinmanyothercountriesgotlostinpursuingmaterialismandenjoymentandthemoralvaluesofthosepeopleweredegraded.Thefaithinreligionandculturehadbeenreducedtothepursuitofmoneyandtheshallowdreams.Duringthattime,manypeople’sdreamswereruinedbythemoraldecayandlotsofpeople’sdesireformoneyandmaterialismwasshattered.People’sdesireformoneyandpowerisvividlyexpressedinthenovel.

TheGreatGatsbyenjoysitsprominentpositioninAmericanliterature.Oneofthemajorreasonsforitshighreputationistheexcellentstyleinnarrativeform.Theplotdevelopsbythedualnarrativeapproachbythenarrator,NickCaraway,whoisbothinsideandoutsideoftheaction.Thenovelisusedadramaticnarratorratherthanafirstpersonnarrator,whichdistinguishesitfromtheextremelysubjectivestyleoftheauthor’searlierworksandensurestheparticulareffectofthenovel.Byemployingthespecialskill,Nickplaysaveryimportantroleinthisstory,whichdisclosesthewholenovelandconnectsallthecharacters.

T.SEliothaseversaidthatitis“thefirststepthatAmericanfictionhastakensinceHenryJames”.ItmainlytellsusthatFitzgerald’sproseissensitiveandoriginalinitssymbols.Theemploymentofsymbolsmakesagreatcontributiontothedepthandbroadnessofthestory’stheme.Inadegree,thesymbolsrunthroughthewholenovel.Thecharacters,thesettingsandthecolorsareallfilledwithsymbolicmeaningsandallofthemaresymbols.Hence,hecandescribethemainsituationofhisownagesuccessfully.

LiteratureReview

Forsomecritics,TheGreatGatsbywasregardedasagreatachievementofFitzgerald’sliterarycareer.WhatitevokesnotonlythepursuitoftheAmericandreamandhappiness,butalsothereducingmoralvaluesfacedwithincreasingmaterialism.

Manypeoplebelievethatthisnovelisamasterpiece.Inadditiontoitsprofoundconnotation,thisnovel,nomatterfromthecontentordesignisoneofthemostexcellentworksinliterature.AsthefamousEnglishpoetandliterarycriticT.S.Eliotsaysthat“itisthefirststepthatAmericannovelshavebeentakensinceHenryJames".（Yu,2010,p.85）

Manycriticshavebeenfocusedonthesymbolsoccurredinthisnovel.Oneofthemplaysgreatimportanceonthecolorsymbols.InWang’sarticle,shesaysthat“inTheGreatGatsby,Fitzgeraldskillfullyuseshisimaginationtoshowthecharmofcolors.Colorsplayanimportantroleforcharacterization.Theyarealsohelpfultoexpressthethemeofthenovelinavividway”.（Wang,2006,p.75）Theauthorexpresseshisfeelingsorideastothereadersbyemployingmanysymbolicobjects,whichareemployedtoexpressmeaningsbeyondwhatmaybeliterallydescribed.Therearesomanysymbolsinthenovelthatmakesthestorycompleteandexcellent.

SymbolsinTheGreatGatsby

Thedefinitionofsymbolinliteraturereferstoanyobject,person,placeoractionthathasbothameaninginitselfandthatstandsforsomethinglargerthanit,suchasanidea,belieforvalue.

“Inliterature,asymbolisathingthatrefersorsuggestsmorethanitsliteralmeaning.Itgoesbeyondwhatthesignrepresentsbecauseitexpressesavastrangeoffeelingsandmeanings.”（Sylvan,2000,P25）

InTheGreatGatsby,F.ScottFitzgeraldusessymbolswildly,whichcleverlydepictsthedecayofthepeople’sAmericanDream.Thisthesisprobesintotheuseofsymbolsinthenovel.Theauthorexpresseshisfeelingsorideastothereadersbyemployingmanysymbolicobjects,whichareemployedtoexpressmeaningsbeyondwhatmaybeliterallydescribed.Therearesomanysymbolsinthenovelthatmakethestorycompleteandexcellent.

Lihaseversaidthat“Fitzgeraldissocreativeandimaginativethath