浅析《了不起的盖茨比》与美国梦.docx

浅析《了不起的盖茨比》与美国梦.docx

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浅析《了不起的盖茨比》与美国梦

AnAnalysisofTheGreatGatsbyandtheAmericanDream

浅析《了不起的盖茨比》与美国梦

摘要

弗·斯各特·菲茨杰拉德，作为爵士时代美国梦的代言人,被公认为是美国文学史上最重要的小说家之一。

他以自己敏锐独特的视角,讲述着那个时代所发生的一切。

其代表作《了不起的盖茨比》,更是很好地向人们展示了二十年代美国社会的浮华与喧嚣,以及深藏其后的衰败和空虚,探究了当时的美国人对于以财富和享乐为特征的虚幻美国梦的狂热追求。

文中主人公盖茨比不惜一切代价追求自己所谓的“美国梦”，而这一切就像是美丽的泡沫，转眼间都化成了泡影。

无情的现实最终打破了虚幻的美好。

本文通过对其写作背景、文中人物、社会现实等方面的分析, 阐述美国梦破灭的根源及社会意义，从而揭示美国梦破灭的必然性及美国梦破灭的社会意义，使读者从中吸取经验教训，为构建伟大的“中国梦”引起深刻的哲思。

关键词：

了不起的盖茨比；美国梦；破灭

Abstract

F.ScottFitzgerald,asthespokesmanfortheJazzAgeoftheAmericanDream,hasbeenrecognizedasoneofthemostimportantnovelistsinthehistoryofAmericanliterature.Hetellsusaboutwhathappenedinthaterafromhisuniqueperspective.HismasterpieceshowsthevanityandnoisyofAmericansocietyinthetwentiesandthesubsequentdeclineanddeepemptiness.AmericansatthattimeareeagertopursuethevisionalAmericanDreamcharacterizedbywealthandenjoyment.Inthispaper,theprotagonistGatsbycoulddoeverythingtopursuehisso-called“AmericanDream”.Andallthisislikeabeautifulbubblesuddenlycrumbled.Mercilessrealityeventuallybroketheunreal.Basedontheanalysisofthewritingbackground,charactersinthenovelandthesocialreality,thisthesisdiscussesthecausingfactorsandthesocialsignificanceofthedisillusionmentofAmericanDreaminordertorevealtheinevitabilityofthedisillusionmentofAmericanDream,sothatthereadersdrawlessonsfromitforbuildingthegreatChineseDream.

KeyWords:

TheGreatGatsby;AmericanDream;disillusionment

Contents

1.Introduction

F.ScottFitzgeraldisanoutstandingwriterinAmericanliteraryworldintwentiethcenturytwenty,andheisregardedasarepresentativefigureoftheLostGenerationwriters.HisworkTheGreatGatsbyvividlyreproducedthesociallifeoftheJazzAgeanditalsoreflectedthesocialpeople’stragicfatetodisclosethehiddenspiritualcrisisunderthesurfaceofthevanityandnoisy,revealingthedisillusionmentoftheAmericanDream.

Americanshaveadreamofmakingagreatsuccessandaself-realizationintheirlivesandthisiscalledtheAmericanDreamwhichisdeeplyingrainedinthenationalconsciousnessfromgenerationtogenerationfromthebeginningofAmericancivilization.FitzgeraldrevealsthattheAmericanDreamisshatteredinevitablyinthemodernAmericansocietyafterWorldWarIthroughhisworkTheGreatGatsby.

DisillusionmentofAmericanDreamnotonlyhasitsprofoundsocialandhistoricalreasons,andisalsocloselyrelatedwiththecharacterofGatsby’sselfdestructivefactors.

Throughtheanalysis,itcanbeseenthatthedreamofGatsbywhoisaninnocentmanhasitshistoricaloriginandessenceandthatthemoraldeclinesinAmericansocietyrepresentedbyTomandDaisywhoareindifferentandmerciless.ThesefundamentallydeterminethedisillusionmentofAmericanDream.ItiseasilyforindividualstounderstandtheessenceoftheAmericanDreamdistortedthroughanalyzingthecausesandsocialsignificanceofburstingontheAmericanDream.SoitissignificantforChinesenewgenerationtodrawexperienceandlessonsfromitsothattheycouldmakeapositivecontributiontobuildingtheChineseDream.

1.1WritingBackground

Thedecadeof1920’sofAmericahadasharplydefineduniquenessthanmostrecognizedperiods.WorldWarIhadleftallEuropeanbelligerentsweakandnumbedspiritually.America,however,nothavingbeeninvolvedinthewarforlong,remainedjustasforcefulasbefore.Itallprofitedfromthewar,changedfromadebtornationintoacreditorandbecametheworld’seconomicpoweroftheUnitedStates.Aneconomicboommarkedthefirstfewpost-waryears.AmajorityofAmericansthoughtthattheywereinoneofthemostbrillianterainhumanhistory.Somaterialismspreadrapidlyalloverthecountry,andpeoplebecamemoregreedyandselfabsorption.TheAmericanDreamturnedtobeadreamofmoney,andwealthbecamethesymbolofsuccess.Howeverthegapbetweenthewealthandthepoorwasstillpainfullyobviousinsociety.Therichwereinluxurybutthepoorwereindespairandhungerstrugglinginpain.Thiskindofsocialsituationcausedalotofdistortedvaluesandoutlookonlife,theideologicalandmoraldecline.

TheAmericaneconomywasprosperous;muchvariationappearedinspiritsandvaluesinthe1920s,whichhasinfluenceonyoungman.Theywentformaterialandtheywerehedonism;therefore,theyboughtluxurythings,tookpartinextravagantpartiesandlookeddownuponotherswhoarepoor.Thepursuitformaterialfulfillmentandsensualenjoymentbecamethedominanceofyoungpeople’slife.

FitzgeralddescribedthatthesocialandmoralvaluesweretotallydepravedinAmericain1920s,expressingthatpeoplewereextremelycynical,greedandblindtopursuepleasure,whichwasdeeplypresentedinTheGreatGatsby.ThisisanotherfactorresultinginthedisillusionmentofAmericanDream.

1.2TheMainContent

TheGreatGatsbyiswrittenaboutalovestorybetweentheyoungGatsbyandDaisywhocomesfromtheupperclasssociety.ItnarratesthatGatsbyfallsinlovewithDaisy.ThefinaldreamofGatsbyisgettingDaisy’slove.ButGatsbyisapoormananddoesnothaveahighstatusinsociety.

Duringthewar,pooryoungsoldierGatsbyfallsinlovewiththebeautifulgirlDaisy.Butsheisgreedy,sosheresolutelyrefuseshisofferofmarriage.WhenGatsbybecomesveterans,heknowsDaisyhasmarriedtoarichman.ButhermarriedlifeisnothappybecauseTomhasamistress.AtthispointGatsbyisstillfullofaffectionforher.InordertoregainDaisy’slove,Gatsbymakesmoneystrenuouslythroughsmugglingandotherillegalbusiness.Justafewyears,hebecomesamillionaire.ThenGatsbyspeciallypurchasesmansionnearDaisy’shome.Hespendsmuchmoneyinhisdailylifeandinvitespeoplenearbytocometohisextravagantpartiesandbanquetstoenjoythemselves.Bythisway,Gatsbyisnotpleasingtheupperclass,justfordrawingattentionofDaisy.

WhenGatsbymakesafortuneinothermeans,hefirmlybelievesthathecangiveDaisyeverythingshewants.HehasconfidencethathecantakebackDaisy’sloveandheknowswhatDaisywants.Shetakesmuchnoticeofhimindeedandshereallyhasthethoughttobelovedwithhimagain.Shecomesbacktohim,datingwithhimagain.SoGatsbyandDaisygobacktotheirolddays.WhenDaisy’shusbandTomdiscoversthesecret,hefeelsveryangryandalsohatesGatsby.WhileDaisyalsofaceswithdifficultchoicesbetweenGatsbyandTom.Daisyhasdrunk,andsheisnotawake.Shehappenstodrivethecarhittingdownhishusband’slover.Inordertoprotecthisbelovedwoman，Gatsbybearstheliabilityfortheaccident.ButheneverthoughtthatDaisyhasdeterminedtoabandonhimatthistime.TomputstheblameonGatsby,sothemistress’shusbandkillsGatsby.

AtthefuneralofGatsby,hisformerfriendsandguestsdon’tshowup.Daisydoesn’tattenditeither,evendoesnotsendabouquetofflowerstohim.Shedoesn’tfeelverysadaboutGatsby’sdeathandjustleaveshimbehindandgoestoanothercitywithherhusbandtospendholiday.

ThroughGatsby’stragiclovestory,theauthorcriticizespeoplewhocomefromtheupperclasssocietylikeDaisyandTomandisdeeplysympathetictoGatsby.GatsbycangiveupeverythingjusttogetDaisy’slove.Onthesurface,Gatsby’sloveforDaisyispureandaffectionate,whileDaisyisgettingclosetomoneyandstatusindepthlook.Withthedeepeningoftheplot,thedisillusionmentofAmericanDreamofyounggenerationsisdeliveredbythedisillusionmentofGatsby’sdreamofpursuinghislove.

2.TheAmericanDreaminTheGreatGatsby

2.1TheDefinitionoftheAmericanDream

TheAmericanDreamisaspecialproductoftheAmericancivilizations.TheformationofitbeginsatthestartingpointoftheAmericancivilizationwhenthefirstEuropeanPuritansettlerscametothenewworldintheearlyseventeenthcentury.Therefore,therearethreeessentialqualitiesintheAmericanDreamasfollows.

Firstly,theAmericanDreamadoptsapositiveattitudetowardsmaterialsuccessandconsidersitasallvitalexpressionofself-fulfillment.WhenitcomestothethemeoftheAmericanDream,materialsuccessiswhatonemostlikelyfirsttalkabout.

ThatexplainsthereasonwhymaterialsuccessiswhatonemostlikelyfirstthinksofwhenitcomestothetopicoftheAmericanDream.

Secondly,theAmericanDreamisalsoknowntosupporttheideathatthepersonwhohashighmoralstandardswillhaveachancetoachievematerialsuccess.Accordingly,spiritualdevelopmentisnecessaryformaterialsuccessinthelogicoftheAmericanDream.

Finally,theAmericanDreamalsoincludesremarkablefeatureofoptimism.WecanseethisqualityfromGatsby;heneverloseshisfaithandattainshislifegoalwithhisability.HeisconfidentthathecanprovideabetterlifeforDaisy.

TheAmericanDreamisthedreamwhichlifeshouldbericherandbetterforeveryoneaccordingtotheirabilitiesorachievements.Itencouragesindividualstoworkthroughefforts,courage,creativityanddeterminationtomovetowardsprosperity,ratherthandependonanyotherforces.Inonetime,itdidhelpsomeindividualstofightforsuccess.Therearetwosidesofacoin.Ithasdifferentmeaningsindifferentages.Astimewentby,theAmericanDreamwenttotheoppositeside.Sofromthispointofview,theessayaimstodiscussthedisillusionmentoftheso-calledAmericanDreamandthethemeofTheGreatGatsby.ItissignificanttounderstandhowtheAmericanDreamgetsenrichedanddevelopedwiththeadvancementofthenation.

Firstly,theAmericanDreamisanideal.Itexpresseshumanwishesforademocratic,liber