On the Ruin of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby 了不起的盖茨比美国梦的破灭.docx

1、On the Ruin of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby 了不起的盖茨比美国梦的破灭On the Ruin of the American Dream in the Great GatsbyAbstractF. Scott. Fitzgerald (1896-1940), as the most famous chronicler and laureate of the Jazz Age, is one of the most representative American novelist of the 1920s. He was not o

2、nly a leading participant in the typically frivolous, carefree, moneymaking life of the decade but also a detached observer of it. Owing to its extraordinary literary merits, Fitzgeralds Great Gatsby is listed among the most notable twentieth-century American novels. This thesis analyzes the roots o

3、f the disillusionment of Gatsbys dream from the social, historical and authorial perspectives. By exploring the origins and essential nature of Gatsbys dream, the naivety and innocence in his personality and the cruelty of the Jazz Age society epitomized by the ruthless and immoral Buchanans, the pa

4、per draws the conclusion that a combination of these elements defines Gatsbys failure and destruction in the end. Theme discussion in this paper is basically done through history and character analysis, which aims for better understanding of the connotation of the novel. Key words: Scott. Fitzgerald

5、; The Great Gatsby; American dream; disillusionment内容摘要弗朗西斯司科特菲兹杰拉德往往被推崇为“爵士时代”的编年史家和桂冠诗人，是二十世纪美国最重要的作家之一。他不仅亲身经历了美国历史上“最会纵乐、最讲究炫丽”的时代的生活，而且以敏锐的目光，审视着那个时代所发生的一切。代表作了不起的盖茨比一问世便以其蕴涵的重大社会意义和表现的精湛艺术成就引起巨大轰动，被认为是二十世纪美国文学中最优秀的作品之一。本论文从人物分析着手, 从社会、历史、以及作者自身的经历和世界观等多方面探讨导致主人公盖茨比梦毁人亡的根源所在。美国梦幻灭不仅有其深刻的社会历史原因，

6、且与盖茨比性格中的自我毁灭因素息息相关。通过分析我们可以看出盖茨比之梦的历史渊源和实质，盖茨比性格中的天直单纯和不谙世故以及以汤姆、黛西为代表的美国社会的冷酷无情和道德沦丧。这些从根本上决定了美国梦的幻灭。本文主要通过人物分析来分析作品的主题，并将二者有机地统一起来，意在较全面深刻地解读作品的内涵。关键词：司科特菲茨杰拉德；了不起的盖茨比；美国梦；幻灭ContentsIntroduction .1I. Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby.11.1 Fitzgeralds Life and His Works.11.2 Social and Historical Co

7、ntext of The Great Gatsby.2II. The Disillusion of the American Dream.32.1 The So-called American Dream：A Historical Retrospect. .32.1.1 Origin of the American Dream.32.1.2 Development of the American Dream.42.1.3 Corruption of the American Dream.42.2 The Disillusionment of Gatsbys Dream.62.2.1 Origi

8、ns of Gatsbys Dream.62.2.2 Essence of Gatsbys Dream.72.2.2.1 Elements of Gatsbys Dream .72.2.2.2 A Dream with Its Elements in Conflict.8III. Cruelty of the Society.93.1 The Conflicts between the New Rich and the Established Rich.93.1.1 The Economic Difference.93.1.2 The Social Conflict.103.2 Cruelty

9、 of the Society Epitomized by the Immoral Buchanans.11Conclusion.13References .15IntroductionI. Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby1.1 Fitzgeralds Life and His Works F. Scott. Fitzgerald was the most representative novelist of the 1920s. He was not only an active, leading participant in the typically fr

10、ivolous, moneymaking life of the decade, but also a detached, profound observer of it at the same time. His own life was a mirror of the times. He led a priceless life and achieved much during the “Roaring Twenties”, drinking hard whisky, driving fast cars, and taking much delight in it. F. Scott. F

11、itzgerald was born on September 24, 1896, in St. Paul-in the Middle West of America. His father was a poor but well-bred descendent of the family. During a Christmas vacation spent in St. Paul, Fitzgerald fall in love with Ginevra king who is a wealthy Chicago debutante. But later Ginevra king rejec

12、ted him because her father thought that he was not rich. In 1917, Fitzgerald met Zelda Sayre and fell in love with her soon. However, although Zelda willing to become engaged to Fitzgerald, did not finally agree to marry him until he could show his ability to support her. So the moment the army rele

13、ased him in 1919, He became a novelist for the sole purpose of earning enough money to marry Zelda!(Elizabeth 1982: 62) In 1919, he published his first novel This Side of Paradise, which was an immediate success. Suddenly, Fitzgerald got rich and famous at the age of twenty-three, and then he return

14、ed to Zelda and married her. Zelda caused Fitzgeralds greatest happiness and deepest sorrow throughout his life. For four years, the stylish young couple plunged into the wealthy society of their generation. They recklessly pursued their pleasures from America to Europe, spending more money than the

15、y earned. During this period, Fitzgerald wrote The Beautiful and Damned (1922) and Tales of the Jazz Age (1922). In 1925, he wrote his best novel The Great Gatsby. However, everything changed after the first breakdown in 1930. Fitzgerald sank into alcoholism and was troubled by financial and psychol

16、ogical problems caused by his wifes luxury and jealousy of his writing. Tender Is the Night (1934) was completed around that time. He spent the rest of his life writing stories and screenplay and died in 1940, at the age of 44. It was not until ten years after his death that the great genius of his

17、writing came into full recognition. 1.2 Social and Historical Context of The Great GatsbyThe decade of 1920s of America had a sharply defined uniqueness than most recognized periods. World War I had left all European belligerents weak and numbed spiritually. America, however, not having been involve

18、d in the War for long, remained just as forceful as before. An economic boom marked the first few post-war years, and materialism spread rapidly all over the country, and people became more greedy and self absorption. The American dream turned to be a dream of money, and wealth became the symbol of

19、success. However the gap between the wealthy and the poor was still painfully obvious in society. Prosperous in economy as it was，a lot changes in spiritual and social values were taking place in the 1920s, which deeply affected the younger generation. The attitude of the time was also a backlash ag

20、ainst the experience of the war. Young people turned their backs to the values of their parents. Girls enjoyed the freedom in their relationships with boys, which would be impossible before. A revolution took place in peoples attitudes towards sex and moral. The pursuit for material fulfillment and

21、sensual enjoyment became the dominance of young peoples life. The American Twenties is also a period when city crimes were on the rise. A lot of groups as well as individuals took the chance to make large profits over the Prohibition.II. The Disillusion of the American Dream2.1 The So-called America

22、n Dream：A Historical RetrospectThis chapter intends to explore the reason why the American Dream, as Fitzgerald attempts to state in his The Great Gatsby, brings about failure and corruption in the 1920s instead of success as it does in the early years of American history by means of looking back to

23、 some historical phenomena relevant to the changing progress of the American Dream from the colonial period to the 1920s, that is, from its origin to its development and finally to its corruption. 2.1.1 Origin of the American Dream The American Dream,as a special product of the American civilization

24、, begins to take shape at the starting point of the American civilization when the first European Puritan settlers came to the new world in the early seventeenth century. Therefore, some of the American Puritan religious and moral concepts have gone into the making of the following three essential q

25、ualities of the American Dream.First, the American Dream adopts a positive attitude towards material success and considers it as all important expression of self-fulfillment. That explains the reason why material success is what one most likely first thinks of when it comes to the topic of the Ameri

26、can Dream. Secondly, the American Dream is also known to support the idea that the chance to achieve material success will falls onto the person who has high moral standards. Accordingly, spiritual development is necessary for material success in the logic of the American Dream. This idea of appreci

27、ating spiritual development equally stems from American Puritan religious belief. Finally, Optimism is another remarkable characteristic of the American Dream. We can see this quality from Gatsby; he never loses his faith and confidence in his ability to attain his life goal from the moment when he

28、kisses Daisy first time five years ago until the last days of his life.2.1.2 Development of the American Dream This part intends to make an study of how the American Dream gets enriched and developed with the advancement of the nation.First, the American Dream is an ideal that expresses human hopes

29、and wishes for a democratic, liberal society, where mans basic demand for survival, self-fulfillment and social recognition can be ensured. It is supposed that in such a society, no man is despised due to his origin and every one shall equally have the opportunity to achieve his due success and happ

30、iness if he works hard toward a goal. Secondly, carrying forward the Puritan tradition, the American Dream goes on to healthily grow up in Americas capitalist democratic soil. And it successfully pushes the advancement of the nation and becomes a reality in many fortunate self-made mens cases in the early age of America. Among these people, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison and Abraham Lincoln are the most famous representatives. They all co