On the Ruin of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby
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Acknowledgements
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all the teachers who have taught me and offered me invaluable advice during my four-year study at University.
In particular I would like to thank my supervisors, Ms.Yang. She has been available at all times with a helpful advice and a helping hand throughout my whole writing process of the thesis. She has provide me with instructive guidance in modifying the topic, in preparing the material pertinent to the topic and in writing the thesis, and has paid great patience in reading and revising the entire manuscript. Without her generous help, I could not even complete the thesis, let alone present it with the present form.
Finally I would also like to thank my parents and all my friends, who have given me innumerous encouragement and critical support in my study these years.
Abstract
F. 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 only 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, Fitzgerald?s Great Gatsby is listed among the most notable twentieth-century American novels.
This t hesis analyzes the roots of the disillusionment of Gatsby?s dream from the social, historical and authorial perspectives. By exploring the origins and essential nature of Gatsby?s dream, the naivety and innocence in his personality and the cruelty of the Jazz Age society epitomized by the ruthless and immoral Buchanans, the paper draws the conclusion that a combination of these elements defines Gatsby?s 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; 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，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
Contents
Introduction (1)
I. Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby (1)
1.1Fitzgerald's Life and His Works (1)
1.2Social and Historical Context of The Great Gatsby (2)
II. The Disillusion of the American Dream (3)
2.1 The So-called American Dream：A Historical Retrospect............................ ..3 2.1.1 Origin of the American Dream. (3)
2.1.2 Development of the American Dream (4)
2.1.3 Corruption of the American Dream (4)
2.2 The Disillusionment of Gatsby's Dream (6)
2.2.1 Origins of Gatsby?s Dream (6)
2.2.2 Essence of Gatsby?s Dream (7)
2.2.2.1 Elements of Gatsby?s Dream (7)
2.2.2.2 A Dream with Its Elements in Conflict (8)
III. Cruelty of the Society (9)
3.1 The Conflicts between the New Rich and the Established Rich (9)
3.1.1 The Economic Difference (9)
3.1.2 The Social Conflict (10)
3.2 Cruelty of the Society Epitomized by the Immoral Buchanans (11)
Conclusion (13)
References (15)
Introduction
I. Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby
1.1 Fitzgerald’s Life and His Works
F. Scott. Fitzgerald was the most representative novelist of the 1920's. He was not only an active, leading participant in the typically frivolous, 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. Fitzgerald 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 rejected 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 released 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 returned to Zelda and married her. Zelda caused Fitzgerald's 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 they 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 psychological problems caused by his wife's 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 writing came into full recognition.
1.2 Social and Historical Context of The Great Gatsby
The decade of 1920?s 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 involved 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 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 against 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 people?s attitudes towards sex and moral. The pursuit for material fulfillment and sensual e njoyment became the dominance of young people?s 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 Dream
2.1 The So-called American Dream：A Historical Retrospect
This 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 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, 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 qualities 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 American 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 appreciating 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 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 and wishes for a democratic, liberal society, where man?s 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 happiness if he works hard toward a goal.
Secondly, carrying forward the Puritan tradition, the American Dream goes on to healthily grow up in America?s capitalist democratic soil. And it successfully pushes the advancement of the nation and becomes a reality in many fortunate self-made men?s cases in the early age of America. Among these people, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison and Abraham Lincoln are the most famous representatives. They all come from poor origins and win the unanimous reverence of the nation. Their successful legendary careers proclaim to the world that every one can achieve success in America if he has confidence, aspiration, determination, and virtues, regardless of his origin.
Consequently, with its worthwhile role in the progress of the nation and individuals, the American Dream gradually becomes an unwavering belief in the mind of the whole nation.
2.1.3 Corruption of the American Dream
There is no denying the fact that the American Dream has played a positive role
in the advancement of the nation and individuals in the early years of American history. However, when it came to the twentieth century, some changes happened to the American Dream and make it corrupt and corruptive at the same time.
First, the economic boom after the First World War offers the soil for materialism and hedonism. Both of the two concepts draw people?s attention away fr om the early Puritans? emphasis on spiritual and material improvement into merely desperate pursuit of material success. Because of the war, America has risen up as the wealthiest country in the world with no obvious rival. People just overspend their money and enjoy physical pleasure. The whole Americans go into a mad whirl of the unlimited materialism and the immediate hedonism.
Secondly, the faith crisis after the War causes grave moral decadence of the general society, which corrupts the moral basis of the American Dream.
The faith crisis directly results from the tremendous impact that the First World War has imposed on people?s thought and feelings, in particular on the youth.
At first, the young people are inspired to jion into the war enthusiastically with the hope of making the world more safe for democracy. But when they return from the war, they are disappointed to find that “the Great War” has brought the world nothing but grief and death. Then the faith crisis arises. It unavoidably invites emotions of despair and insecurity among the young generation.
Nick?s account of one of Gatsby?s lavish parties in Chapter III shows a way of getting close to an accurate picture of the time: Gatsby?s vulgar ostentation of his incredible wealth, the wild jazz music, the careless crazy youth, the new daring dances and the chaos abounding at and after the party. With the effect of the strong wine and the Jazz music, both of which seem to give way to freedom, the young people are seen to go crazy for fun.
As Fi tzgerald pointes out through Nick?s voice in The Great Gatsby, the majority of the 1920s are “careless people” (Fitzgerald 1992: 158). They feel no
shame at being “a bad driver” (Fitzgerald 1992: 157).
Following the above analysis, we can see that it is the impact of the First World War and the economic doom following it that have changed Americans? idea of life, which subsequently shakes the fundamental of the American Dream.
2.2 The Disillusionment of Gatsby's Dream
As many critics said, Gatsby is a steady and romantic hero who directs his life by a dream to which he was faithful to the end, for no one and nothing in America can match the vitality of Gatsby?s dream. Meanwhile his destruction is strongly coupled with the disillusionment of his dream, thus an analysis of it is necessary. 2.2.1 Origins of Gatsby’s Dream
In the last chapter of the novel, Gatsby?s father proudly showed Gatsby?s schedule and general resolves written in 1906 on the last fly-leaf of the “ragged” copy book called Hopalong Cassidy(Fitzgerald 1992: 110) to Nick. It tells how deeply young Gatsby has absorbed the ideas of Benjamin Franklin through his autobiography into his ambition to be successful, believing that a man can be what he want to be by hard working.
Horatio Alger (1834-1899), writer of the book Hopalon Cassidy, is another person who had large influence on young James in forming his early belief. Alger has probably been the most widely read of all American writers. “His novels tend to follow the same pattern: a boy works his way up from poverty to respectability through hard work, thrift and good luck.” (Matterson 1990: 65) To Alger, everything is determined by the efforts and the character of the individuals. Gatsby actually starts by struggling for advancement in the Alger method.
The parallel between Gatsby's experience and the American history is explicit on the last page of the novel：
Most of the big shore places were closed now and there were hardly any light except the shadowy,moving glow of a ferryboat across the sound.
美国梦与中国梦有何区别？ 来源：郎仁斌的日志 美国梦是希望之梦、成功之梦、平等之梦、幸福之梦。 据有关学者的归纳：“ 所谓的美国梦(American Dream)，是一种相信只要在美国经过努力不懈的奋斗便能获致更好生活的理想，亦即人们必须透过自己的工作勤奋、勇气、创意、和决心迈向繁荣，而非依赖于特定的社会阶级和他人的援助。通常这代表了人们在经济上的成功或是企业家的精神。许多欧洲移民都是抱持著美国梦的理想前往美国的。尽管有些人批评美国梦过度强调了物质财富在衡量胜利和快乐上扮演的角色，但许多美国人的确认为，这种获致成功的机会在世界上其他国家是找不到也并不存在的。因为与其他大多数国家不同的是，在美国拥有的经济自由相当多，政府扮演的角色相当有限，这使得美国的社会流动性极大，任何人都有可能透过自己的努力迈向巅峰。” “依据历史学家的说法，美国快速的经济发展和工业扩张并非只是因为美国的自然资源丰富，更是因为所有人都有机会藉由自己的奋斗获取财富。美国梦成
为了吸引世界各地人民移民美国的主要原因—无论过去或现在。在今天，每年有超过一百万的人成为美国公民，是世界上最受欢迎的移民地点。” 美国梦的核心是：“ 美国提供了人人都能成功的机会;成功取决于自己的才能和努力，而不是家世和背景;人人都拥有平等的权利;人人都有信仰的自由。” 美国梦的代表人物有：爱迪生、洛克菲勒、福特、比尔盖茨、拉里·佩奇和谢尔盖·布林、杨致远、赵小兰、朱棣文、施瓦辛格、林肯、罗斯福、里根、肯尼迪、克林顿、奥巴马…数不胜数。 而中国人并不存在一个明确的中国梦，例如现在，大家的梦想就是“我爸是李刚”和“中五百万”大奖。这些梦想都是只要结果，不要过程;只要收获，不要付出的梦想。 如果要找出一个中国人都希望达到的目标的话，就是“升官发财”。追求权力和财富，是我们这个民族的核心价值观。从孔子的“学而优则仕”，到当今的“一切向钱看”，无不始终贯穿着权力和金钱占有欲，而丝
Pursuit for dreams —after reading The Great Gatsby I have heard of the famous novel The Great Gatsby for many years. However, until recently have I got the time and mood to read it. As soon as I finish reading, I find my previous unwarranted assumption of it totally wrong. This is a story about Gatsby and his pursuit for the ‘American dreams'. During the World War One, the poor soldier Gatsby fell in love with an upper class girl named Daisy. But due to the wide gap between them, Daisy decided to marry Tom, a man of her class, instead of Gatsby. Broken-hearted Gatsby then held the conviction that money was of the greatest importance. He strongly believed in the ‘American dreams', which as we all know, advocates that one can achieve whatever he or she likes through continuous efforts. He strived for five years to become a millionaire and bought a villa near Daisy's to attract her. He was too addicted to his fantasy to realize that Daisy was no longer the lovely girl she used to be. Eventually, he was killed because of her crime. After reading it, something reverberates in my heart. I
菲茨杰拉德的《了不起的盖茨比》，摘录书中比较经典的句子： Chapter 1 1. 每当你觉得想要批评什么人的时候，你切要记着，这个世界上的人并非都具备你禀有的条件。 Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, just rember that all the people in this world haven ' thad the advantages that you 've had. 2. 人们的善恶感一生下来就有差异。 A sense of the fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth. 3. 人们的品行有的好像建筑在坚硬的岩石上，有的好像建筑在泥沼里，不过超过一定的限度，我就不在乎它建在什么之上了。 Conduct may be founded on the hard rock or the wet marshes, but after a certain point I don ' tcare what it ' s founded on. Chapter 2 这时，天色已经暗了下来，我们这排高高地俯瞰着城市的灯火通明的窗户，一定让街头偶尔抬头眺望的人感到了，人类的秘密也有其一份在这里吧，我也是这样的一个过路人，举头望着诧异着。我既在事内又在事外，几杯永无枯竭的五彩纷呈的生活所吸引，同时又被其排斥着。 Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of humansecrecytothecasualwatcherinthedarkeningstreets,andIwashimtoo,lookingupan dwondering.Iwaswithinandwithout,simultaneouslyenchantedandrepelledbytheinexh austible variety of life. Chapter 3 1. 他理解体谅地笑了——这笑比理解和体谅有更多的含义。这是那种不多见的使你忐忑不安的情绪能很快地平静下来的笑，这种笑容人的一生中顶多能碰 上四五次。它先是再一刹那间面对——或者说似乎在面对——整个外部世界，然后他就全副心神地倾注到你的身上，对你充满一种不可抵御的偏爱之情。它对你的理解恰是
The Great Gatsby F.Scott.Fitzgerald . Character List Daisy Buchanan - Nick’s cousin, and the woman Gatsby loves. As a young woman in Louisville before the war, Daisy was courted by a number of officers, including Gatsby. She fell in love with Gatsby and promised to wait for him. However, Daisy harbors a deep need to be loved, and when a wealthy, powerful young man named Tom Buchanan asked her to marry him, Daisy decided not to wait for Gatsby after all. Now a beautiful socialite, Daisy lives with Tom across from Gatsby in the fashionable East Egg district of Long Island. She is sardonic and somewhat cynical, and behaves superficially to mask her pain at her husband’s constant infidelity. Daisy Buchanan (In-Depth Analysis) Tom Buchanan - Daisy’s immensely wealthy husband, once a member of Nick’s social club at Yale. Powerfully built and hailing from a socially solid old family, Tom is an arrogant, hypocritical bully. His social attitudes are laced with racism and sexism, and he never even considers trying to live up to the moral standard he demands from those around him. He has no moral qualms about his own extramarital affair with Myrtle, but when he begins to suspect Daisy and Gatsby of having an affair, he becomes outraged and forces a confrontation. Jordan Baker - Daisy’s friend, a woman with whom Nick becomes romantically involved during the course of the novel. A competitive golfer, Jordan represents one of the “new women” of the 1920s—cynical, boyish, and self-centered. Jordan is beautiful, but also dishonest: she cheated in order to win her first golf tournament and continually bends the truth. Myrtle Wilson - Tom’s lover, whose lifeless husband George owns a run-down garage in the valley of ashes. Myrtle herself possesses a fierce vitality and desperately looks for a way to improve her situation. Unfortunately for her, she chooses Tom, who treats her as a mere object of his desire. Analysis of Major Characters Daisy Buchanan Partially based on Fitzgerald’s wife, Zelda, Daisy is a beautiful young woman from Louisville, Kentucky. She is Nick’s cousin and the object of Gatsby’s love. As a young debutante in Louisville, Daisy was extremely popular among the military officers stationed near her home, including Jay Gatsby. Gatsby lied about his background to Daisy, claiming to be from a wealthy family in order to convince her that he was worthy of her. Eventually, Gatsby won Daisy’s heart, and they made love before Gatsby left to fight in the war. Daisy promised to wait for Gatsby, but in 1919 she chose instead to marry Tom Buchanan, a young man from a solid, aristocratic family who could promise her a wealthy lifestyle and who had the support of her parents. After 1919, Gatsby dedicated himself to winning Daisy back, making her the single goal of all of his dreams and the main motivation behind his acquisition of immense wealth through criminal activity. To Gatsby, Daisy represents the paragon of perfection—she has the aura of charm, wealth, sophistication, grace, and aristocracy that he longed for as a child in North Dakota and that first attracted him to her. In reality, however, Daisy falls far short of Gatsby’s ideals. She is beautiful and charming, but also fickle, shallow, bored, and sardonic. Nick characterizes her as a careless person who smashes things up and then retreats behind her money. Daisy proves her real nature when she chooses Tom over Gatsby in Chapter VII, then allows Gatsby to take the blame for killing Myrtle Wilson even though she herself was driving
中国梦与美国梦的差别 读到一篇解释中国梦与美国梦不同的文章，其中提到，二者的不同是“是价值观上的差别”，“要中华民族复兴，中国梦就必然奉行集体价值，以集体主义为哲学基础，追求的是集体的整体利益；相反，美国梦奉行个人价值，以个人主义为哲学基础，追求的是个人的物质利益。也就是说，中国梦有着家国情怀的特征，而美国梦则更多个人奋斗的色彩。”这种看法似乎正在成为理解眼下“中国梦”的基调。 德国神学家，被称为德国教会良知的反纳粹宗教人士潘霍华（Dietrich Bonhoeffer 1906-1945）说过，“人们在比较自己与从别人那里学到的东西时，特别容易高估自己的成就。”美国梦真的只是追求个人的物质利益吗？真的就没有与共同体有关的“情怀”？ “美国梦”最早由历史学家亚当斯（James Truslow Adams）在《美国史诗》(The Epic of America，1931)中提出，成为一个流行的说法。他写道，“上个世纪，那个将千百万人从别的国家吸引到我们国家来的美国梦，并不仅仅是由于物质的丰富（尽管这也非常重要），而是要远远超过这个。这是一个让每个人都能充分得到发展的梦，这个梦要摧毁的是那些在老旧世界中竖起的壁垒，……要颠覆的是那些只是为某些阶级自私利益服务的社会秩序。”美国是一个移民的国家，千千万万人从“老旧世界”到美国这个“新世界”来追寻他们在自己“祖国”不能实现的希望。每个国家都有可能的梦想机会，但只有美国才是给外来者提供梦想机会的国家，在这个意义上说，美国梦是很难在其他国家复制的。 美国吸引许多别的国家人们来寻梦和圆梦，首先是因为它拥有许多人向往的民主制度和自由、平等价值观。例如，德意志1848年革命在军事镇压下失败，数千名中产阶级的自由主义者被迫逃走，大多去了美国。对这个没有贵族特权等级，没有专制政府权力的国家，其中一位如此写道，“德国移民来到一个新的国家，那里没有专制权力，没有建立在垄断、苛捐杂税上的特权秩序，没有对信仰和良心的钳制。每个人都可以自由地到处旅行、定居。不需要身份证，没有警察来干涉他的私事或监视他的行踪。……任何人只要尽职和能干，就能得到荣誉。穷人和富人都是平等的，学者一点也不比最贫寒的工匠身份高。随便干哪一行都不用觉得丢人。……拥有财富和房产的人，一点也不比最穷的公民拥有更多的政治权利。没有贵族，没有特权阶级，没有军队在肉体和精神上镇压人民，没有大批不干事的官僚吮吸人民的血汗。更重要的是，没有君主和腐败的法庭，……在这样的国家里，一个人只要有才能，精力旺盛，坚韧不拔，就能得到远远超过在君主制国家里的机会”。 并非每一个到美国来寻梦和圆梦的人都能成功地如愿以偿，但美国梦却一直还是一种有力的召唤力量，为什么是这样呢？亚当斯解释说，那是因为美国梦代表的是一种关于社会秩序的公正理想，“一直就有这样一个美国梦：在这片土地上，每个人的生活都可以变得更好，更富足，每个人都能以他的努力和成就找到自己的机会。欧洲的上层阶级很难恰当地理解这个梦，而我们当中也有很多人厌倦了或不再信任这个梦。这不只是一个关于汽车、房子或高工资的梦，而且是一个关于社会秩序的梦。在这个社会秩序里，每个男人和女人都凭借自己的内在能力得到最大的尊重，不论出身是贫贱还是富贵，可以一样受到他人的承认。”
OUTLINE Abstract Key Words I. Introduction II. Background 2.1 Life Experience 2.2 Social Reality III. Use of Symbolism 3.1 The Symbolism of Name 3.1.1 Daisy 3.1.2 Gatsby 3.1.3 Tom 3.2 The Symbolism l of Setting 3.2.1 East Egg and West Egg 3.2.2 The Valley of Ashes 3.3.3The Eyes of Dr.T,J,Eckleburg 3.3 The Symbolism of Color 3.3.1 Green-Hope, Dream, Envy 3.3.2 Blue-Quiet Melancholy, Fantasy 3.3.3 Yellow (Golden) - Fame, Fortune,Fall 3.3.4 White-Purity, Indifference, Empty 3.3.5 Grey-Desolation Ruins Desperation Ⅳ. Conclusion Bibliography 中文标题、摘要、关键词
On the Function of the Symbolism in Expressing Theme of The Great Gatsby Author：xierongfeng Number：××× Tutor：liuguoying Abstract: F. Scott Fitzgerald, American novelist and short story writer, is widely consider the literary spokesman of the “jazz age”-the decade of the 1920s .In 1925, Fitzgerald published his masterpiece, The Great Gatsby .In this book, he employs all kinds of names, settings and colors as symbols to reflect the characteristics of the age and to deepen the theme of the work. The author of the paper mainly analyzes the function of the symbolism in manifesting the theme- disillusion of American dream-of the work from there aspects of the symbols-name, setting and color. Key Words: Symbolism; American dream; The Great Gatsby Ⅰ.Introduction F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in a not rich family, so he wanted to earn lots of money to become rich to enjoy high quality life. To satisfy his wife’s limitless requirements, he lived a very hard life. The tempo of his life slackened as his life was shredded by Zelda’s insanity and his own self-destructive alcoholism. Through years of emotional and physical collapse he struggled to repair his life by writing for Hollywood-producing at the same time a series of stories that exposed his humiliation there. He became one of the greatest writers in American literature and wrote many works in his lifetime to manifest the life reality of that time. He was a spokesman for the so-called Jazz Age, setting a personal as well as literary example for a generation whose first commandment was: Do what you will. He fell from favor as a writer when the indulgent decade of his triumph went down under the impact of a worldwide Depression in the 1930s. The Great Gatsby is regarded as his masterpiece. First published on April 10, 1925, the story is set in Long Island's North Shore and New York City during the summer of 1922. The novel tells of Gatsby ,an idealist , who tries to recapture his lost love but in vain and is finally destroyed by the influence of the wealthy people around him .The
American Dream and Chinese Dream America is one of the most powerful countries in the world. Its economy is developing rapidly. All the people are seeking to freedom, equality and happiness. On the land, people have American Dream, for this dream，they are working hard and Struggling. What’s more, American Dream inspires millions of people from home and abroad to America, for achieving the American Dream. As is known to us, American Dream is the idea that life should be better, richer and fuller, with opportunity for each one. First of all, history about American Dream .America Dream began in the discovery of North America, it was due to opening of the sea lanes and discovery of the new continent, so there were great number of settlers and immigrants poured into the United States of America, they offered premise condition to American culture. It was formed on the" Declaration of independence" and" the United States Constitution" formulation and everybody had equal rights became the mainstream ideology. It was developed in the rise of capitalism. What’s more, Westward Movement promoted American Dream to zenith and it became the United States National Spirit. In addition, people about American Dream. We will never forget Andrew Carnegie, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr and Obama and so on. They are very great, because they made great contributions to American Dream. However, what is the American Dream today? It is including space exploration, economic globalization and three leading ways to instant wealth.
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What Makes The Great Gatsby Great？ Recently, I have read a classical novel, The Great Gatsby, Francis Key Fitzgerald is the author, who is one of the most outstanding writers in 20th century. I think all the plots in the novel are similar to the something happens in the today’s society. The story is told by Nick(Daisy’s cousin),who witnesses a lot the ugly aspects of the society and human characters. Here is the story goes: Tom and Daisy married for a time and live in East Egg. In their opposite, living a very great wealthy man, called Gatsby. He hold parties day and night and get famous for this. Actually, Daisy and Gatsby fell in love a few years ago. At that time, Gatsby was very poor and dispatched into Europe because of war. Then, they broke up and Daisy married Tom, the second-generation rich. Latter, Gatsby comes back with social position and big fortunate, and he continues loving Daisy. At a car accident, Daisy kills the Tom’s mistress. To protect Daisy, Gatsby takes all the responsibility of the accident. Finally, Wilson (the husband of mistress) shoots Gatsby under the instigation of Tom. And Tom and Daisy set foot on Europe’s travelling. I think everyone feels pity for the Gatsby, for his infatuation to Daisy and for his foolish love, like the following two descriptions.①“--Was Daisy driving? ---Yes, he said after a moment, but of course I’ll say I was.”(p154) ②“the chauffeur –he was one of Wolfshiem’s
如何理解“美国梦”，“中国梦”？两者有何异同？举例说明。 梦想在前，路在脚下 11月8日的晚上，在图书馆报告厅里，我第一次聆听了关于“中国梦”的解读。当时，83岁的荣开明教授满怀激情和心寄希望地给湖经的莘莘学子阐述了“中国梦”的内涵和基本内容。荣开明老师从自己的人生经历出发给我们做了一次政治报告，这个类似政治思想课的讲座却道出了不一样的心声，传递出了不一样的正能量。 而在2012年11月29日，新一届中央领导在参观国家博物馆时，国家主席习近平发表讲话——每个人都有理想和追求，都有自己的梦想。而我认为中国梦是实现中华民族伟大复兴，就是中华民族近代以来最伟大的梦想。这个梦想，凝聚了几代中国人的夙愿，体现了中华民族和中国人民的整体利益，是每一个中华儿女的共同期盼。的确，从1840年的鸦片战争到改革开放后的今天，历经了170多年的沧桑岁月的中国所发生翻天覆地的变化无疑在彰显着“中国梦”的伟大力量。而实现中华民族伟大复兴的道路也在一直延伸。此时的我们，整个中国都在为实现国家富强、民族振兴、人民幸福而努力奋斗。只因心中有梦，有着中国梦和自己的梦。 11月11日，当再次观看“中国合伙人”，看到“新梦想”在时代的发展中革故鼎新，因势利导，带着自己的梦想走向全世界时，我深刻地体会到了梦想带给人的精神动力。这部电影其实就是中国现行的一个缩影，而合伙人就是广大的中华人民，新“梦想”是人民需要奋斗的目标，在这个目标的指引下，中华人民一直着自强不息、勤劳勇敢的精神在打拼、在奋斗。在这个奋斗的过程中，人们继承着“以和为贵”、“和而不同”的思想理念共同努力着，即便有困难，也是通过团队和集体的力量去共同寻找出路。 而在不久前，菲茨杰拉德的《了不起的盖茨比》以电影的形式呈现在我眼前时，我第一次了解到了“美国梦”。矗立在纽约港入口处自由女神雕像向我们阐述了最为明显的“美国梦”——平等、自由、民主。这是每一个美国人心之向往的东西，他们坚信只要在美国经过努力不懈的奋斗便能获得更好生活的理想，亦即人们必须通过自己的勤奋工作、勇气、创意、和决心迈向繁荣，而非依赖于特定的社会阶级和他人的援助。《了不起的盖茨比》让我了解到了美国梦过度强调了物质财富在衡量胜利和快乐上所扮演的角色，拥有物质财富和权利地位是美国人仰慕的对象。但是盖茨比最终的悲惨遭遇却有告诉了我：看似仰慕他的人有着“同而不和”的思想理念，关注的不是他个人的能力，而是他所拥有的财富。虽然他们共享派对，但是无不羡慕着盖茨比的金钱和地位，而当盖茨比失去了这一切时，没有一个人会在意他曾经的辉煌。 所以从这两部电影中，我们很容易看出来“中国梦”和“美国梦”的区别。而这些都是由历史、文化、经济、地理等因素决定的。“中国梦”是国家的富强，一个国家的富强是人民安居乐业的前提和保障；而美国梦事个人的财富，建国以来美国从未受到他国的侵略征服，所以，美国人民可以不顾国之忧，专心去地追逐自己的梦想。“中国梦”是民族的振兴，中国是一个多民族的国家，只有民族之间患难与共，休戚相关，中华民族才能在振兴的这条道路上走得更远、更宽；而“美国梦”是个人的成功，大量的移民和黑白人种对立的局面让我们了解到民族的依存感难以在此生根发芽。”中国梦“是和谐幸福的群体，”家和万事兴“告诉了我，任何一个大家幸福了，那么自己才有可能快乐和幸福；而"美国梦"强调的是个人主义，个人的幸福和快乐是至高无上的追求。
，摘录书中比较经典的句子：菲茨杰拉德的《了不起的盖茨比》Chapter 1 每当你觉得想要批评什么人的时候，你切要记着，这个世界上的人并非都具备你禀有的1. 条件。Whenever you feel like criticizing any one, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had. 人们的善恶感一生下来就有差异。2.A sense of the fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth. 不过超过一定的限度，有的好像建筑在泥沼里，3.人们的品行有的好像建筑在坚硬的岩石上，我就不在乎它建在什么之上了。Conduct may be founded on the hard rock or the wet marshes, but after a certain point I don't care what it's founded on.Chapter 2 一定让街头偶尔我们这排高高地俯瞰着城市的灯火通明的窗户，这时，天色已经暗了下来，举头望我也是这样的一个过路人，抬头眺望的人感到了，人类的秘密也有其一份在这里吧，同时又被其排斥着诧异着。我既在事内又在事外，几杯永无枯竭的五彩纷呈的生活所吸引，着。Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human and looking up and I was him too, streets, secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening the by enchanted without, simultaneously and repelled wondering. I was within and inexhaustible variety of life. Chapter 3 他理解体谅地笑了——这笑比理解和体谅有更多的含义。这是那种不多见的使你忐忑不1. 先是再一刹安的情绪能很快地平静下来的笑，这种笑容人的一生中顶多能碰上四五次。它那间面对——或者说似乎在面对——整个外部世界，然后他就全副心神地倾注到你的身上，人理解的那么多，它对你的对你充满一种不可抵御的偏爱之情。它对你的理解恰是你想被它叫你确信它对你的印象恰是你所希望造信任恰像你平时愿意对自己所信任到的那种程度，成的那么多。smiles rare those understandingly. It was one of much He smiled understandingly—more than with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, which you may come across four or five times in life. It the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on —faced—or seemed to faceyou with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey. 每个人都认为他自己至少具有一种主要的美德，我的美德是：我是我所结识过的少有的几2. 个诚实人中间的一个。Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people I have ever known. Chapter 4 世界上只有被追求者和追求者，忙碌者和疲惫者。 There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired. Chapter 5 他怀着一种创造性的情感将自己全身心地投入到它的中间，不断地为它增添内容，用飘浮到他路上的每一根漂亮羽毛去装扮它。有谁知道在一个人的波诡云谲的心里，能蓄下多少火一1 / 3 样的激情和新鲜的念头。 He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way. No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart.