论文-论《了不起的盖茨比》中美国梦的破灭

1、PAGE I从了不起的盖茨比看美国梦的破灭摘要：弗朗西斯司各特菲茨杰拉尔德是美国“ 爵士时代” 的代言人， 他在其代表作了不起的盖茨比中以细腻的笔触表现了二十世纪二十年代美国的风貌， 用主人公盖茨比的悲剧人生隐喻了“ 美国梦” 的虚幻及其不可企及性， 揭示了“ 美国梦”破灭的必然规律。论文从作者和小说人物分析着手，通过对了不起的盖茨比的写作背景，作者自身的经历、故事的主要内容、小说主人公盖茨比之梦的破灭等多方面的分析和解剖,深刻地揭示了“美国梦”的发展与破灭。本文第一部分简要介绍了菲茨杰拉尔德和他的小说了不起的盖茨比, 以及小说的社会和文化背景；第二部分介绍美国梦，包括它的定义，起源和内涵；第

2、三部分分析美国梦及其破灭的原因；最后一部分我总结了一下这本小说，并提出了自己的观点。关键词：了不起的盖茨比 美国梦 破灭 爵士时代PAGE IIIAnalysis of the disillusion of American dream from The Great Gatsby Abstract: Francis Scott Fitzgerald, a spokesman of the Jazz Age in the United States.In his masterpiece,The Great Gatsby”, he uses delicate brush strokes to sh

3、ow the style of American in the 1920s. Hero Gatsbys tragic life, as a metaphor for the illusory and entertainment of the American Dream, reveals the inexorable law of the disillusion of American dream.The paper begins with the analysis of the author and characters of the novel, which profoundly reve

4、als the development and disillusion of “The American Dream” by analyzing and anatomizing writing background of The Great Gatsby”, the authors own experience, the main content of the story, novel leading character Gatsbys shattered dream and other aspects.The first part of this paper briefly introduc

5、es the Fitzgerald and his novel The Great Gatsby, and the social and cultural background of the novel; the second part introduces the American dream, including its definition, origin and connotation; the third part analyzes “the American dream” and its bursting reasons; At last, I summarize this nov

6、el and present my own point of view on the issue.Key words: the great Gatsby, the American dream, disillusion, Jazz ageCONTENTS TOC o 1-3 h z u HYPERLINK l _Toc325813471 摘要I HYPERLINK l _Toc325813472 Abstract. II HYPERLINK l _Toc325813473 Chapter One Introduction PAGEREF _Toc325813473 h 1 HYPERLINK

7、l _Toc325813474 1.1 Introduction of Scott Fitzgerald and his novel The Great Gatsby1 HYPERLINK l _Toc325813476 1.1.1 Introduction of Scott Fitzgerald1 HYPERLINK l _Toc325813477 1.2.2 Introduction of the novel The Great Gatsby1 1.2 Introduction of social and cultural background of the novel 2 HYPERLI

8、NK l _Toc325813480 Chapter Two Introduction of American Dream3 HYPERLINK l _Toc325813481 2.1 The definition of American dream3 HYPERLINK l _Toc325813484 2.2 The origin of American dream4 2.2.1 The traditional American dream4 2.2.2 The American dream in 20th century4 2.3 The connotation of American d

9、ream in different historical background5 2.3.1 The American dream from 18th to 19th century5 2.3.2 The American dream after Industrialization6 2.3.3 The American dream in 21st century6 2.4 The different interpretation to American dream7 HYPERLINK l _Toc325813486 Chapter Three Analysis of the disillu

10、sion of American dream and its bursting reason. 8 HYPERLINK l _Toc325813487 3.1 The disillusion of love8 HYPERLINK l _Toc325813490 3.2 The disillusion of wealth.9 3.3 The disillusion of status9 3.4 The bursting reason of American dream10 3.4.1 From the point of view of the hero10 3.4.2 From the poin

11、t of view of the whole society and age11 HYPERLINK l _Toc325813491 Chapter Four Conclusion13 HYPERLINK l _Toc325813492 References14 HYPERLINK l _Toc325813493 Acknowledgements15PAGE 14Chapter One Introduction1.1 Introduction of Scott Fitzgerald and his novel The Great Gatsby1.1.1 Introduction of Scot

12、t FitzgeraldFitzgerald was born in1896 into a St .Paul middle class family .His father was gentlemanly but unsuccessful in business .Scott had an expensive education first in private schools ,and then at Princeton ,where he became part of the intellectual set ,the Triangle Club ,which included ,amon

13、g others ,Edmund Wilson. He began to write for the shows of the club, became editor of a university magazine, and was developing a reputation .He felt that he was heading for the upper class life in which he would play a leading part as a writer. Then he had to leave Princeton ,probably partly becau

14、se of his academic record that had suffered from his illness and from too heavy an extra-curriculum schedule and also because the First World War that was going on offered him a good excuse to stay away for a while . A years absence from the university wounded his pride and ambition so that it irone

15、d itself into his consciousness as one of the major disappointments he suffered in his short, unhappy life .He returned to Princeton only to stay for another year in which he managed to finish the draft of his first novel, the Side of Paradise. Then in 1922, Fitzgerald finished his second novel, The

16、 Beautiful and the Damned. The Beautiful and the Damned is interesting especially as a sort of first attempt as writing is not as great .Meanwhile, the Fitzgerald were living, on the proceeds of Scotts books and stories, the life of the people who go to Gatsbys crazy parties. In 1925, he wrote his m

17、asterpiece, The Great Gatsby in Pairs. The Fitzgerald had gone there from York and met Hemingway and Gertrude Stein, among others. (Referring to 美国文学史，第三版，南开大学出版社)1.1.2 Introduction of the novel The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is one of the most representative works of Fitzgerald. At the end of 20

18、th Century, the United States academic authority selected the one hundred best novels in hundreds of years of history of English Literature, The Great Gatsby enjoyed popular confidence, topping the second, and were proudly among the contemporary and classic ranks. The novel is use of impressionistic

19、 description, its style is of both warm and cool, and it has played an indispensable role in the history of literature of the world for the status of Fitzgerald. This novel is narrated by Nick, a young bachelor who returns to the Midwest before setting to the New York City. Daisy, the heroine, is Ni

20、cks second cousin and Nick knows of her husband, Tom. With the development of the novel, Nick knows that his next-door neighbor is the wealthy Gatsby，who always hosting lavish parties of hundreds of peoples, Jordan Baker takes interests in Nick, and he reveals that In 1917 Gatsby as Army Lieutenant

21、stationed near Daisys hometown and then had fallen in love with Daisy. But Gatsby had no money to marry Daisy, so Daisy was married to the wealthy Tom, after that Gatsby is aiming to be a millionaire. With few years of smuggling, Gatsby accumulates a great amount of wealth. He would like Nick to arr

22、ange a meeting with Daisy, and Nick agrees to invite Gatsby and Daisy to his house, so they begin a love affair again. But actually, Daisy only treats this relationship as an exciting game. Daisy invites Gatsby and Nick to her mansion and Tom finds that Gatsby loves Daisy. Tom knows Daisys nature ve

23、ry well. And by taking away Daisys financial security, Tom thinks that Daisy is now beyond his reach. Because of the situation between them, Daisy runs out of the hotel and Gatsby follows her into his car. Daisy insists on driving because it will calm her moods. But in the later Daisy knocks down an

24、d kills Myrtle, Toms mistress. Gatsby absolve Daisy from her guilty to protect her. After that Tom talks into Myrtles husband to shoot Gatsby dead. So the magic bubble of love and dreams broke up. Despite Nicks efforts, only Gatsbys father, a woman and Nick attend his funeral. Discussing with Tom an

25、d Daisy, Nick returns to his hometown, reflecting on Gatsbys dreams and cyclical nature of the past. 1.2 Introduction of social and cultural background of the novelIts a special era in the history of the United States when the World War I (1918) ended; the Great Depression (1929) was not yet to come

26、. During pre-war of the world war, the United States profiteered. In the post-war, it won a precious opportunity of developing economy. Due to the cruelty of the war, many people had doubtable attitude towards the traditional values, such as honor, democracy, freedom and lost faith, thus indulging i

27、n pleasure. In addition, traditional Puritan ethics disintegrated, and hedonism began to flourish. The economy of the U.S experienced a rapid development of the postwar and dramatic change that the crash of New York stock market brought, so the economy of U.S has experienced recession for10 years. A

28、ffluent and easy life in the post-war made people dizzy in the bustle. While at this time, American intellectuals had fled, and spent his lonely youth in pain and confusion.Whats more, it was a changeable and rebellious era when the younger generation finally chose to break with tradition. In Fitzge

29、ralds words, That is a miraculous era and an era full of mockery. Fitzgerald called this era the Jazz Age. At that time, with the introduction of radio and the end of the war, jazz and dance emerged. Jazz became an entirely new cultural movement in places, such as the United States, England and Fran

30、ce. Cities, such as HYPERLINK /wiki/New_York_City o New York City New York and HYPERLINK /wiki/Chicago o Chicago Chicago, were cultural centers of jazz. In urban areas, African American jazz was played on the radio more often than in the suburbs. The youth of 1920s, influenced by jazz, rebelled agai

31、nst the traditional culture of previous generations. Chapter Two Introduction of American Dream2.1 The definition of American DreamThe term, American dream was first used by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of American which was written in 1931. The American Dream is a dream that had land wh

32、ere every one could live a better and richer and fuller life. Whats more, everyone had opportunity to match ability with achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us have grown wearily and mistrusted it. It is not merely a dream of m

33、otor cars or high wages, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain the fullest stature and be recognized by others for who they are, regardless of the condition or position of birth. The so-called American Dream is a kind of belief that as long as people we

34、nt through a hard struggle in the United States, they will be able to achieve a better ideal life. That is, people must work diligently, courageously, creatively, and have determination to success, rather than rely on a particular social class and the assistance of others. This usually showed the ec

35、onomic success of people or entrepreneurs spirit. Many European immigrants which having the ideal of American dream moved towards the United States. Despite some criticized the American dream excessively emphasized on the role of material wealth played in the measure of victory and happiness. But ma

36、ny Americans really believed that such an opportunity to get success cannot be found in the world. As different from the most other countries, the United States had considerable economic freedom; the role of government is limited, making the U.S. has a great social mobility. Any person may go toward

37、s the top through their own efforts. From Independence of the United States to the end of the 19th century, large areas of land were uninhabited and unoccupied by people. Anyone could occupy, invest and reclaim to lands. By the time of the Industrial Revolution, the huge natural resources of United

38、States and advanced industrial technology made rapid social mobility possible, and this trend is still increasing day by day. According to the historians, they think that the reason why the economy of the United States rapidly develops and industry expand is not just because the United States has ri

39、ch natural resources, but also because everyone has the opportunity to get wealth through their own struggle .2.2 The origin of American Dream2.2.1 The traditional American DreamThe term “American Dream” is first used by American writer and historian James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of Ameri

40、ca written in 1931.He defined American Dream as dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, everyone has an opportunity according to their ability or achievement(James Truslow Adams, 1980) . One important feature of the definition is that everyone agrees with t

41、he equality of opportunity in succeeding, regardless of social class and circumstance of birth. The archetype of American Dream is Benjamin Franklin who is one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Without noble birth and top education, Franklin learned almost everything and succeeded in man

42、y aspects, including literature, science, philosophy and politics. Benjamin Franklin pioneered the spirit of self-help in America (Jim Powell, 1997). In the Declaration of Independence, there is a sentence which has been called one of the most famous sentences in the English language goes like this:

43、 We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the right of the pursuit of Happiness. This sentence also represents a concept that everyone is born equal and ha

44、s inalienable rights in pursuing freedom and happiness. Influenced by Dr Franklin, more and more Americans believe that in the country of equality, one can obtain both physical and spiritual wealth through ones efforts. On the other hand, the American Dream may come from the ideals of the first grou

45、p of immigrates. When settlers come to a land full of vitality and freedom, they have dreams to turn the land into their paradise. At that time, American Dream was equal to the ownership of farm, thus lead to the Westward Movement.2.2.2 The American Dream in 20th century In 1920s, the American socie

46、ty enjoyed economic prosperity after the World War I. Such as automobiles, moving pictures and radio, these new inventions and discoveries were made significant changes to lifestyle and culture. Unprecedented industrial growth and accelerated consumer demand made the era known as “the Roaring Twenti

47、es”. The American Dream at that time has gradually changed into money-making. The Roaring Twenties is an age of explosion of social wealth and billionaire, but also is an age of spiritual poverty. Young generations suffered from the trauma of body and spirit; because of war they lose confidence to f

48、uture. The urban society is full of depravity and corruption, consumerism and materialism become the major theme of the American Dream. People like Gatsby used all means to make money despite of moral and legal standards. From all that mentioned above, the definition of the American Dream has change

49、d over the development of history. But it still acts as a core value in America and influences people from generation to generation.2.3 The connotation of American Dream in different historical background 300 years ago, when England emigrants to Maryland cross the Atlantic by the May flower and when

50、 they were looking for a piece of pure land in which the Puritans can lived, American Dream has begun to quietly sprout. The United States gave everyone of the world an equal opportunity. You can realize their dream as long as you work hard enough.300 years later, it has become powerful county. Howe

51、ver, American Dream did not die, but it has more connotation with the changes of history.What is the American Dream? “Many historians and sociologists have different perspectives, and different Americans have different interpretation.But generally speaking, the American dream includes several elemen

52、ts: the United States offered the chances of success for everyone. Success depends on their talents and efforts, rather than family and the background. Everyone has equal rights. Everyone has freedom of briefThese elements are inextricably linked with the history and must also be combined with the b

53、ackground. said Lang Mailer.2.3.1 The American Dream from 18th to 19th century American dream in 18th-19th century is the original dream of land and gold. From 18th to 19th century, the nobility had not quit the stage of history. Social hierarchy was stern, and the distribution of wealth was inequit

54、able, religious discrimination was serious in Europe. Montesquieu, Descartes and so many pioneers of the enlightenment movement began to praise American magical land, which sparked the American dream of the vulnerable groups. Immigrants which came to the United States in 18th century were vulnerable

55、 groups from Europe. The most typical people are the Puritan of England and bankrupt small farmers of Germany. When they came to America which was still a colony, their requirements for political equality were particularly strong, and they also spontaneously carried out democracy. Thus, the equal ri

56、ghts has become a connotation of the American dream. Mailer explained, Everyone can succeed. Due to the vast land and small population in the early American, immigrants can get a large area of fertile land. At that time, the United States is based on agricultural economy, it is self-evident that the

57、 land means wealth, and means success. As the western American found many gold mine in the end of the 18th century and early 19th century, and some lucky started became rich overnight because mining the gold, the legend of the wave of gold rush promoted the tide of immigration westward, but also cas

58、ted a deep golden color for the American dream. However, there is a bloody history behind of American dream. The large tracts of land of European immigrants were stateless place and they got through killing millions of Indians; Most of cultivators of productive farmland were slaves which looting fro

59、m Africa; the labors which mining gold in the westward were the drudgery of Chinese .It can be said that the early American Dream is European immigrants dream. Mailer pointed out that many of the contemporary American history scholars are facing and reflecting this period of history, which is unjust

60、 side of the American dream.2.3.2 The American Dream after Industrialization During the Civil War, the United States began the industrialization. European immigrants mostly accessed to New York, Chicago, Detroit and other emerging industrial city. Then, the American Dream has a new connotation. Duri