了不起的盖茨比答辩陈述presentation

1、In the 200-hundred American history, it has formed its own social values and ideology, which can be concluded in American Dream. As a mirror of society and history, American literature still holds the essences ofAmerican Dream, which develops throughout the whole process of American literature and i

2、deology. A representative of it is The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It explores themes of decadence, idealism, resistance to change, social upheaval, and excess, creating a portrait of the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties and has been described as a cautionarytale regarding theAmeric

3、anDream. Its vivid description and satire to materialism in the chase ofAmerican Dream make it a great work in the 19th century. The study of it, whether to the works of Jazz Age, Lost Generation and to American society and culture, is of great importance.To analyze it in this way, this paper consis

4、ts of four parts. To start with, the thesis introduces the background of this story, the life aboutFitzgerald and the basic characteristics of Consumerism and American Dream.After WWI, the United States experienced a temporary era of prosperity brought by the rapid development of the economy. The 19

5、20s witnessed Americas transition from production society to consumer society. With theeconomic and social development of U. S in the 1920s, we call this time the“jazz Age ” , a special age in American history. Under this circumstance, consumerism came into being, which is an extreme form of consume

6、r culture, embodies a kind of value ideology and lifestyle. One most important characteristic of it is that commodity, which is bestowed with special meaning, has different reference to different consumer. Consumption has been forced to be a symbol of social status, material success and family backg

7、round. It exert a harmful effect on the original American Dream, in which include freedom, the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work.The author Scott Fitzgerald, as a representative of the “LostGeneration and the spokesman of the 1920s young

8、 Americans, lived in this society.Fitzgerald ' s stories show us panoramas of luxurious banquets, prosperous parties and a lavish lifestyle. It is his suffering and experience that create this great work.In the third part, it traces the reflection of consumerism in the novel which is taken on by

9、 main characters ' preoccupation with wealth. In the very beginning, Gatsby is a na?ve man cultivated by his original AmericanDream, which remains its nature to struggle with difficulties, spiritualpursuit and hunting for wealth, social position by our own hands. But when he encounters Daisy, ev

10、erything changes. Since then, Daisy has become the center of his dream, which is not only his epic love in life but also the symbol of a kind of life he want to live. His na ?ve American Dream has begun to be corrupted by consumerism. Wealth and social position have become the symbols of his materia

11、l success to win back his lover. So we can see many embodiments of his consumerism . In this novel, Gatsby displays such strong interest in clothes, residence, and car, used as tools to manifest his refined taste and elegant style, to show off his wealth. They are the signs symbolizing wealth, socia

12、l status and identity he has so long pursued. Only in this way can one ' s wealth, social status and identity become visible. In the 1920s, a person who hasn t inherited glory or hasn ' t received a good education is usually treated by the public as a new-rich, stands at a lower position tha

13、n the established one. To eliminate the social prejudice, Gatsby feigned his family background anestablished rich for many generations. But unfortunately, his efforts to promote himself can not get admiration, and his hypocrisy fails.In the forth part, my thesis reveals the corruption of Gatsby '

14、; s na?veAmerican Dream by consumer society from three aspects, which is the root ofhis dream disillusionment. Gatsby directs his life by the dream of Daisy his youthful love. But now Daisy is a vulgar girl. Living in the consumerJazz Age, the basic motives of Daisy ' s behavior derive from mone

15、y and her selfishness, which defines that she cannot love Gatsby in the same way he loves her. Besides, Gatsby thinks that his wealth will bring him happiness and love with Daisy, just as it brought him material objects as he wishes.But Gatsby proves to be too na ?ve because his lack of knowledge th

16、at he can never be taken to be a member of their established rich society. Moreover,Gatsby fails to identity the difference between the new rich and old rich.Despite is wealth, his mannerism reveals his true identity and determines that he is never able to be one of Daisy ' s worlds, be a member

17、 of the established American aristocracy of wealth.From the perspective of consumerism in American, this thesis involves the basic concept of American Dream, Consumerism, introduces Gatsby s na?veAmerican Dream. Then it deals with every embodiment of consumerism buried under his American Dream in th

18、e novel, which digs out the truth that Gatsby dream has been corrupted by consumerism and contains many contradictions, which lays foundation of its doomed destiny. And from three aspects, we can have a panoramic view about how his American Dream is corrupted. It unveils the root of Gatsby ' s tragedy, lying in the distortion of his fond dream by consumerism. Based on following analyses, we draw the conclusion that consumerism is the final cause to the disillusionment and the distortion ofAmerican Dream in The Great Gatsby .Although the age of this no