毕业论文-《了不起的盖茨比》和美国梦TheGreatGatsbyandtheAmericanDream.doc

本科学生毕业论文 题 目 The Great Gatsby and the American Dream 了不起的盖茨比和美国梦 系 外 语 专 业 英 语 学生姓名 指导教师 职称 助教 论文字数 4824 完成日期 2014 年 3 月 23 日Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to all those who helped me during the writing of this thesis. Firstly, a special acknowledgement should be shown to Lecturer Fang Qiang, who from whose lectures I benefited greatly. His has taught me for a whole year in the study of the cause of The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries An Introduction. Through the studying of this cause, I got a basic comprehend about the culture backgrounds of the west countries, and, definitely, it made a great contribution to the further study of the American literature. Secondly, I would like to thank Lecturer Song Yun, who taught me the cause of Selected Reading of British &American Literature. From this cause I got a relative deeper understanding of the American poetries and novels, whats more, it directly does me good in the writing of this thesis. Last but not least, I am particularly indebted to my Supervisor Wu Xinjia. From the beginning to the end of writing this thesis, she has shown great patience in checking and approving my thesis, giving me professional suggestions. Last of all, I want to re-express my feeling of gratitude to all the person who have given me a hand in completing this thesis, including my teachers, tutor and classmates. Thanks! II The Great Gatsby and the American Dream Abstract Francis Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most prominent American novelists of the 20th century and his masterpiece The Great Gatsby is listed among the most famous 20th-century American novels considering of its literature merits. The novel mainly tells a tragic story of Jay Gatsby, a man who originally was humble and poor,but finally became extremely wealthy through illegal business means. He has devoted all his life into realizing his dream, to pursue his first love Daisy Buchanan, a woman ,who is full of charm but shallow, selfish and aspire money. Truth is that under the general corruptive social circumstance of Jazzy Age, the only answer to Gatsbys dream was impossibility and distinction. The novel portrayed a vivid picture of the 1920s America, such a roaring time that the economy was unprecedented flourishing on the one hand and the spiritual aspect was a astonishing desolation on the other. The humanities corruption and destruction, due to their uncontrolled pursuit of material success and complete ignorance of spiritual improvement, caused a confused state of that age. This thesis tries to combing The Great Gatsby and the American Dream to reprove that Jay Gatsbys tragedy is ascribed to the harsh reality of American society during the Jazz Age and re-emphasis the inevitability of the disillusionment of American Dream. From the literature world back to the modern greedy society, The Great Gatsby still has a strong practical significance, to give people a warning that money are not equal to happiness , to call back the traditional American moral value.Key words: American Dream; Fitzgerald; Jazz Age 了不起的盖茨比和美国梦 摘 要 弗朗斯斯科特菲茨杰拉德是二十世纪美国杰出的小说家，他的杰作了不起的盖茨比极具文学价值，被列为二十世纪美国最著名的小说之一。小说主要讲述了一个关于杰盖茨比的悲剧故事。出身卑微而贫穷但最终因非法经营而大发横财的盖茨比，倾其一生去实现他的梦想追求他的初恋情人黛西布坎南，一个外相迷人但肤浅自私的镀金女人。事实上在爵士时代普遍堕落腐败的社会情况下，对于盖茨比梦想的唯一答案是不可能和幻灭。该小说形象地刻画了二十世纪的美国，一个一方面经济达到了空前的繁荣而另一方面精神领域却是极度荒芜的喧嚣时代。因对物质成功的极度追求和对精神进步的完全无视导致人性的堕落和毁坏，造成了那时整个时代的迷茫。该论文将了不起的盖茨比与美国梦相联系，通过对小说人物的剖析和对美国梦的深度研究，重证杰盖茨比的悲剧是爵士时代美国社会的严酷无情所致,更加强调美国梦幻灭的必然性。从文学世界回到贪婪的现代社会，了不起的盖茨比仍然具有强大的现实意义，警告世人金钱不等于幸福，重唤传统美国道德观念。关键词：菲茨杰拉德；美国梦；幻灭 ContentsAcknowledgements . .IAbstract .II摘 要.IIIChapter 1 Introduction .1 1.1 Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby. .1 1.2 The Meaning of this Topic.2Chapter 2 The Development of American Dream.32.1 The origin. .3 2.2 The development.3 2.3 The disillusionment.4Chapter 3 The connection of The Great Gatsby and the American dream.5 3.1 Jay Gatsby and his American Dream.5 3.2 Myrtle Wilson and her American Dream.7Chapter4 Conclusion.9Works Cited .10V The Great Gatsby and the American Dream Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby, an excellent American novel, which was first published on 1925. The writer of The Great Gatsby is F.S Fitzgerald, born in St.Paul, Minnesota. He has played an important role in the American literature during the 1920s and 1930s. He was regarded as the representative writer in the “Lost generation” and also the most successful poet in the “Jazz Age”. About the novel,“For half a century , it has held a high place among twentieth-century novels. Its numerous re-printings around the world and its successive presentations on film have made Gatsby as identifiable an American figure as Huck Finn. It has revived the twenties, set current fashions, and provided dialogue for three generations of devoted readers. In these respects alone, the question of its literary merits set aside, it qualifies as a great American novel”(Bruccoli 57)The main plot of the novel is that: A young man named Nick Caraway, who came to New York City in spring of 1922. He became involved in the life of his neighbor at Long Island, Jay Gatsby, a very wealthy man, who held lavish parties every Saturday and attracted hundreds of guests. Gatsby revealed to Nick, that he fell in love with Nicks cousin Daisy before the war. But at that time he was poor. Later, Daisy married Tom Buchanan, a rich but boring man of good social position. Gatsby lost Daisy because he had no money, but now he has the economic power. He persuaded Nick to bring him and Daisy together again. Gatsby tried to convince Daisy to leave Tom, who, in turn, revealed that Gatsby has made his money by illegal means. So the two men asked Daisy whom she loved. Daisy began to sob helplessly: “ I did love him once-but I loved you too.” Astonished and flurried, Daisy rushed out droving Gatsbys car, but unexpectedly, Daisy hit and killed Toms mistress, Myrtle Wilson, unaware of her identity at that moment. Gatsby confined it was he who knocked down the victim in order to protect Daisy. However, after Tom knew the truth which was told by Daisy, for the sake of maintaining his benefits, Tom told Myrtles husband Wilson it was Gatsby who killed his wife. Wilson murdered Gatsby and then committed suicide. Nick tried to inform Tom and Daisy, but only to be told the couple had left the city. Ultimately, it was Nick who left to arrange Gatsbys funeral, only Gatsbys father and one former guest attended. Nick returned to the his Midwest home, reflecting on Gatsbys dreams and the sad and cyclical stories of the past. 1.2 The Meaning of this Topic The great success of The Great Gatsby has brought a great amount of praising and study of other novelists and critics. For more than a half century. Different scholars have adopted different means to explore the deep meanings, such as the analyses of female characters in The Great Gatsby, the analysis of the Great Gatsby from Lukcss Realistic Views, the Literary Symbolism in The Great Gatsby, the Musical Study of The Great Gatsby and some also took a prospect of color science to analysis the major roles. According to the previous studies we know that The Great Gatsby is generally a critique of the American dream. The American culture at that age was misinterpreted by people and its characteristic was a strong emphasis on the goal of monetary success but a weak emphasis on the importance of the legal means for the pursuit of success. So, here, the reason why I choose this topic to study is that as a young English language learner in a new twenty-one century, I believe through the study of this great novel, we generation can not only learn a lot about the western culture but also a plenty of lessons about money, dream, success, love, thus to set a right mind to achieve our value of self-existence. This thesis will be completed by a means of combining the traditional historical approaches and the approach of the study of the main characteristics, tries to re- explore the reason why the dreams were collapsed, what was the real American dream and the great lesson the novel has left to the current society and people. Chapter 2 The Development of American Dream 2.1 The Origin What is “the American Dream”? The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work. And in the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams, “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. Historically the Dream originated in the 17th century. At that time there are obvious religious divergences, due to this, some Puritans suffered serious persecution, thus, they thought that England was too corrupted and hopeless and decided to separate themselves from England. In 1620, 35Puritans and 67 non- Puritans took the ship Mayflower for North American. Before they reached their destination, one of the Pilgrim Fathers drew up an agreement which was called the Mayflower Compact and was signed by 41 of the passengers. They formed their own religious community and set up a civil government. Puritans also initiated the tradition of freedom, individualism and democracy in the American Dream. Their immigration to America was essentially motivated by the pursuit of religious freedom. Officially, it was seen as the initial essence about the concept of the American Dream. 2.2 The Development In the 18th century, the American Revolution officially proclaimed the birth of a new nation of Americans. On July 4, 1776, America won her independence, and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, assisted by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, drafted Declaration of Independence. It solemnly declared: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they were endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights; that among these, are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Generally, it was regarded as the root of the idea which was related to the American Dream. In the 19th century, the westward movement helped to shape the American values. The pioneering spirit has been continuously sharpened and become a distinctive character of the nation. Besides, the golden-motivated migration to America has helped the growth of American beliefs such as individualism, self-reliance and equality of opportunity. Till then, the American Dream gave people great satisfaction both materially and spiritually. 2.3 The Disillusionment In order to achieve all those high ideals, Americans have worked very hard to make social progress and have become a prosperous nation with great economic power. But since the first two decades of the 20th century, things began go to the opposite. With the development of industry and the formation of capitalist monopoly, the traditional，mannered society and the pure moral values had all gone with wind and capitalism dominated the mind of the majorities who are desperately eager for instant fortune , social reputation and success. In a capitalist society like America, the flourishing of capitalism was bounded to meet more and more problems which will be tricky to work out. The excessively ,blindly pursuit of wealth, regardless of social justice, was destroying the formation of a democratic society; political scandals and the growing spiritual poverty have accelerated the disillusionment of the American Dream. The surface of that current American society was a daily raising in material, but the fact is that the people were daily sinking into the abyss of spiritual poverty just as Richard Nixon said in his Inaugural Address “We find ourselves rich in goods, but ragged in spirit.” Besides, great changes have took place during the 20th century. The two world wars inflicted a mortal blow upon people and sent the American youth into the pessimism and despair of the Roaring Twenties. The slaughter and the war left people spiritually numbed. It was an age that people found “all gods dead, all wars fought, all faith in men shaken”. The history and the reality of the United States have proved that the American Dream is, to some extent, a kind of illusion.Chapter 3 The connection of The Great Gatsby and the American dream 3.1 Jay Gatsby and his American Dream The protagonist of The Great Gatsby is Jay Gatsby, a young man in his thirties. He was born in rural North Dakota, humble and obscure. From his early youth, Gatsby hated poverty and desired for wealth. After only two weeks studying in St.Olafs college, Gatsby dropped out of it because he can not pay the tuition. However, decades later he achieved this lofty goal by participating in organized crime, including delivering illegal alcohol and trading in the stolen securities. But seeking money was not his primary and only goal, the real reason which drove him so desperately eager for money was his love for Daisy Buchanan, whom he met as a young military officer in Louisville before leaving to fight in World War I in 1917. Gatsby immediately fell in love with Daisys aura of luxury, grace and charm, just like what Gatsby had expressed: “That was it. Id never understood it before. It was full of money-that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals song of it.High in a while palace the kings daughter, the golden girl.”(Scribners 144) and he lied to her about his real background so as to convince her that he was perfect enough for her. Daisy also lost her heart to Gatsby and promised to wait for him until he came back from the war. But Daisy did not keep her words, she married Tom Buchanan in 1919, a man who born as the upper class, the noble and was extremely rich. From that time on, Gatsby set up his mind to winning Daisy back. His acquisition of millions of dollars, his purchase of a gaudy mansion on West Egg, and his weekly lavish parties were all merely the measures to attract Daisy, hoping become a kind of person whom Daisy would like and have the same status which the senior society like Daisy have owned. With the regular, lavish parties held, hundreds of kinds of social celebrities visit, of course, including Gatsby s lover-Daisy. For Gatsby, there were no any other excitement compare to the reunion of Daisy and him. Gatsby was mad with joy, he showed Daisy his mansion, his clothes and other fancy things which Daisy would never have ever seen, they two enjoyed the fun time only belong to themselves. Gatsby tried to re-obtain Daisy through negotiating with Tom, and Daisy promised again. Thus, when they really sat at one room to talk, Gatsby at first ask Tom to give back him Daisy composedly and confidently, because he thought Daisy did not love Tom and they love each other, Daisy should support him to achieve their dream. It seemed that Gatsbys dream was going to come true, however, when Gatsby asked Daisy to break up with Tom, Daisy was at a loss after knowing what Tom shouted that Gatsbys money were gotten through illegal means. She cried and hesitated that she loved Gatsby but also fond of Tom. Then, the turn point of the whole novel appeared. Daisys hesitation gave Tom the chance to beat Gatsby, Gatsby stop arguing with Tom to persuade Daisy patiently and gently, also nervously. But things just became worse and worse. At last Tom and Daisy escaped after the accident of knocking down Myrtle to death, retreating back into their money or their vast carelessness, letting others people clean up the mess they had made. Toms mistress, Myrtle Wilson, died without getting Toms care. For her, may be the most unexpected cost of her betraying her husband is that her dream would vanish so quickly and so meaninglessly, even her life. Jay Gatsby, the hero of this novel, died for his love, ended his life so undeserved that he was regarded as the murderer of Myrtle. But what on earth caused this outcome? Why his dream would be collapsed? So, here, we should link Gatsbys lost dream to the American Dream. One reason of the distinction of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby was the way Gatsby got his money. From above we know that Gatsby made his fortune through the illegal sale of alcohol which was prohibited in the United States in the 1920s. Gatsby acquired large amount of money but he had never felt guilty. Why Gatsby can make fortune by the means of breaking law and still take it for granted? Just a