英語專業(yè)畢業(yè)論文-論《了不起的蓋茨比》中美國夢(mèng)的破滅

1、<p>　　論《了不起的蓋茨比》中美國夢(mèng)的破滅</p><p>　?。ㄓ⒄Z語言文學(xué)專業(yè)）</p><p>　　學(xué)生 吳桂賢 指導(dǎo)教師 楊苒苒</p><p>　　《了不起的蓋茨比》是美國著名作家菲茨杰拉德的代表作品，該書確立了他在文學(xué)史上的重要地位。小說講述的故事發(fā)生在一戰(zhàn)后的美國。作者采用第一人稱講述

2、了主人公蓋茨比一生追求夢(mèng)想，最后夢(mèng)想在殘酷的現(xiàn)實(shí)中破滅的過程。</p><p>　　在一次偶然機(jī)會(huì)中中，尼克（即小說敘述者）結(jié)識(shí)了靠非法販賣私酒而發(fā)橫財(cái)?shù)拇蟾晃躺w茨比。蓋茨比起初是個(gè)窮中尉，在入伍前與尼克表妹黛西熱戀，然而黛西嫁給了富家子弟湯姆。富裕后的蓋茨比對(duì)黛西仍然魂?duì)繅?mèng)縈，為了引起黛西的注意在其對(duì)面買下豪宅，并想盡一切辦法與之見面。但冰冷的現(xiàn)實(shí)已經(jīng)讓人們的性格冷漠，精神空虛。在金錢和物質(zhì)的強(qiáng)大壓力之下，愛情

3、之火被澆滅，而生前風(fēng)光無限的蓋茨比落下被槍殺，沒有人前來參加葬禮的悲劇下場(chǎng)。本論文試圖從以下三個(gè)方面來探討蓋茨比的悲劇命運(yùn)即“美國夢(mèng)”的最終破滅。一、20世紀(jì)20年代美國的社會(huì)文化背景解讀；二、主要人物性格特征分析；三、美國夢(mèng)破滅的必然性。</p><p>　　關(guān)鍵詞：了不起的蓋茨比；美國夢(mèng)；破滅；社會(huì)文化；人物性格</p><p><b>　　ABSTRACT</b>

4、;</p><p>　　The Great Gatsby was written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald who is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. It is set on Long island in New York City from spring t

5、o autumn in 1922.</p><p>　　The novel takes place following the World War One. It tell us a doomed tragedy of Gatsby—a man who chased after his “American dream” in his lifetime. Eventually his dream broke dow

6、n under the stress of the cruel world, and also the man got into despair towards love and his dream.</p><p>　　At first Gatsby was a poor lieutenant. He became a rich man by smuggling alcohol and the narrator

7、 got to know Gatsby by accident. Gatsby fell in love with a girl names Daisy, but she married a millionaire Tom. Gatsby, in order to attract Daisy, he bought a villa face to face with Daisy’s. And he spared no efforts to

8、 date with Daisy. However, because of the cruelness of the world and the cold heart of people, he failed in chasing his love. Finally he was shot dead and almost no one attended his f</p><p>　　This thesis at

9、tempts to analyze the factors causing the breakdown of The American dream in the Great Gatsby from three aspects: the American cultural background, main figures’ characters and inevitability of the breakdown of American

10、Dream.</p><p>　　Key Words: The Great Gatsby; American Dream; Breakdown; Cultural Background; Main Figures’ Characters</p><p><b>　　Contents</b></p><p>　　Introduction……………

11、…………………………………………1</p><p>　　Part One The American Cultural Background……...………2</p><p>　　Brief Introduction of Fitzgerald’s life…………………..........…2</p><p>　　The American Cultural Back

12、ground……………….……………3</p><p>　　A Look into the American Dream………………………………3</p><p>　　Part Two Personality of Main Characters ……...……………5</p><p>　　Gatsby’s Persistence and Naivety………………

13、.............……5</p><p>　　The Couple’s Selfishness and Snobbishness……………............7</p><p>　　A Materialist-Daisy………………...................................................7</p><p>　

14、　A Man from the Upper Class-Tom………..…………………….…..8</p><p>　　Part Three Disillusion of the American Dream…….………….10</p><p>　　Analyzing Tragedies of Two Classes…...…………………...10</p><p>

15、　　The Influence of the American Dream on Gatsby…….…….…11</p><p>　　Conclusion………………………………………………………...13</p><p>　　Notes………………………………………………………………14</p><p>　　Bibliography…………………………………………

16、…………....16</p><p>　　Acknowledgements…………………………….…………………18</p><p>　　Introduction</p><p>　　As far as everybody knows, Scott Fitzgerald① is an outstanding writer of the Jazz Age. And a

17、lso his novel the Great Gatsby which was a masterpiece in his prime time is widely accepted all over the world and it is popular all the time. So, numerous scholars and experts, no matter domestic or abroad, have studied

18、 it for many years and produced many works like on The Indications in the Great Gatsby by Chinese scholars Qin Ze and Gao Fen②. Some other people focused on the narration structure of the </p><p>　　However,

19、a plenty of meaningful problems remain unresolved for no work focus on the American dream systematically. No one has deconstructed the origin and the essence of the American dream. If the tragic ending is a combination o

20、f the cruel society and the influence of the main characters’ personalities, the question is “How did the cruel society and their personalities influence Gatsby’s destiny?” </p><p>　　I read the English and C

21、hinese versions of the Great Gatsby several times. Then I did collect related materials from professors’ thesis and on the internet. In this thesis, I attempt to do some research and analyze the problems given above bas

22、ed on the plot of the novel and on the social reality then.</p><p>　　Part One The American Cultural Background </p><p>　　1.1 Brief Introduction of Fitzgerald’s life</p><p>　　Francis

23、 Scott Fitzgerald a member of the “Lost Generation”③ and an American author of novels and short stories stands among the greatest American writers of the 20th century. He was not a rich student but a boy of unusual intel

24、ligence and drive with a keen early interest in literature. His mother once ensured that her son had all the advantages of an upper-middle-class upbringing. So he achieved a lot in literature like novels and short storie

25、s. His most important work is the Great Gatsby, to so</p><p>　　Now I see, the life of Fitzgerald and people in his days has been reflected in the novel completely. The lifestyle Gatsby and the writer himself

26、 shared much in common. That is to say, the author put the reality into good use to accomplish his literature.</p><p>　　1.2 The American Cultural Background</p><p>　　The 1920s in the United Stat

27、es has been called the Roaring Twenties ⑤ or the “Lost Generation” or “Jazz Age”⑥. The Roaring Twenties was described as a period of material success and spiritual frustration by some critics who observed the greedy and

28、money worship of people of this time. The average American in the 1920s became more enamored of wealth and everyday luxuries.</p><p>　　It was an era of great economic growth and prosperity driven by governme

29、nt growth policies, a boom in construction, and the rapid growth of consumer goods such as automobiles. The economy of the U.S. had successfully transformed from a wartime economy to a peacetime economy. The United State

30、s augmented its standing as the richest country in the world, its industry aligned to mass production and its society acculturated into consumerism. To this end, there were a plenty of challenges and potentia</p>

31、<p>　　There was something worthy of being mentioned about people’s notion of this era. Realizing so many opportunities in the post-war time and the government’s stimulating policies, people are yearning greedily for

32、 material success. In consequence they ignored the development of spiritual life. They were bold to conduct illicit deals like smuggling liquor. Gatsby, as a liquor smuggler, succeeded with a fast pace then he rose to th

33、e upper class, bought a villa faced with Daisy’s building.</p><p>　　As his success came fast, the failure also closed to him immediately when he was shot dead. Under the excessive growth of the nation’s econ

34、omy, his dream was like foams in the deep sea that were attractive but filled with illusion. So at a certain moment the dream was bound to break down like the foams. Once the dream broke down, the illusion would disappea

35、r forever.</p><p>　　1.3 A Look into the American Dream</p><p>　　The American Dream⑦is a significant part in the American culture since the birth of the nation. It even represents the national sp

36、irits. The American dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of a possibility of prosperity and success. It derived from the colonial time and developed in the 19th century. Here

37、 is the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams ⑧in 1931, ‘life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity </p><p>　　So any people no matter poor or rich, regardles

38、s of the places of their birth, by hard working and intelligence will accomplish the goals, will make a difference. Once you have capability, you can realize your dream and someday nobody can become somebody. I have to s

39、ay, Obama, as the first black American president in the nation’s political history, is the best case to exemplify that everyone can make miracles in America. We all know, he is a mixed blood of a Kenyan and an American.

40、He achieved h</p><p>　　注意打印前檢查下各個(gè)單獨(dú)起頁的部分是否在那頁的頂上。</p><p>　　Part Two: Personality of Main Characters</p><p>　　2.1 Gatsby’s Persistence and Naivety</p><p>　　From my persp

41、ective, disillusion of Gatsby’s dream, to some extent, is ascribed to the personalities or nature of the main characters in this novel. So first of all, I would like to analyze Gatsby’s personality from the following two

42、 major aspects: his persistence and his naivety.</p><p>　　Honestly speaking, I have to say, Gatsby had his own ideal when he was a boy, and was endowed with great potential but he was undoubtedly a man of id

43、ealism. There are some details in chapter nine of the novel. Gatsby’s father showed a book to Nick. On the last fly-leaf was printed the word SCHEDULE which recorded one day from morning to the evening in his life. And t

44、here was his GENERAL RESOLVES. So obviously he was intent to change his destiny radically. As his father said, his son was bound to</p><p>　　Now I would like to analyze his persistence in details. </p>

45、<p>　　One afternoon he borrowed a boat to inform Cody a wind might catch him and break him up in half an hour. At that time he changed his name to Gatsby and it’s the turning point of his life. For over a year he

46、had been beating his way along the south shore of Lake Superior as a clam-digger and a salmon-fisher or in any other capacity that brought him food and bed. He was employed in a vague personal capacity-while he remained

47、Cody he was in turn steward, mate, skipper, secretary, and even jailor. T</p><p>　　The author Fitzgerald had told us this was one persistent story. It’s self-evident that if someone wants to make a change, h

48、e must be ready for any hardship and enduring pains for a long time. </p><p>　　In the end, I would like to focus on Gatsby’s love to Daisy. I pondered much to choose a proper way to depict his attitude towar

49、ds love. Now I use the word lovesick. The original cause of his tragedy was his love to Daisy. He met many girls but he wasn’t interested in them in the least until he met Daisy, pure as her name. He realized her unique

50、temperament among her peers and he had a crush on her. Because of his lowliness, Daisy didn’t marry him. However, he tried everything to win her love ag</p><p>　　Gatsby’s dream itself was an illusion. Keen l

51、ove to such a materialist inevitably caused his tragic destiny. So it wouldn’t come true no matter what he did. The reason is his idealism and naivety. He wasn’t aware that under the pressure of the cruel society love di

52、dn’t mean as much as it ever did. In chapter 8 Gatsby was overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and preserves, of the freshness of many clothes, and of Daisy, gleaming like silver, safe and

53、proud above the</p><p>　　2.2 The Couple’s Snobbishness and Selfishness </p><p>　　2.2.1 A Materialist⑩-Daisy</p><p>　　Now let’s move on to talk about personality of the couple in thi

54、s book-Daisy. In this section I would analyze them from two aspects: selfishness and snobbishness.</p><p>　　Daisy and Tom was a couple. The scholars Gao fen and Qin ze have done research on the symbols of th

55、e Great Gatsby. In their thesis they said daisy is a kind of white flower representing pureness and freshness. Coincidently Daisy also loved white things like white car and the first impression she gave to Gatsby was pur

56、e and unique. Seen from her appearance, she was attractive and she always smiled with shining eyes. It seems that she has all the advantages that attracted young men around her. The</p><p>　　From this detail

57、 I see the author-Fitzgerald used ‘bright’ to describe her eyes and her mouth, and her voice was full of “the sound of coins”. The sound of her voice indicates that there was enough money so she felt bright and excited.

58、There is a conversation between Daisy and Nick: </p><p>　　“Do they miss me?” She cried ecstatically “The whole town is desolate. All the cars have the left rear wheel painted black as a mourning wreath, and

59、there’s a persistent wail all night along the north shore.” “How gorgeous! Let’s go back, Tom. Tomorrow!” (2007: 13) </p><p>　　We see from Daisy’s exciting words that, the more men missed her, the more Daisy

60、 enjoyed. She considered her natural beauty as a tool to attract young men. </p><p>　　Was the nature of Daisy consistent with what she looked like in people’s eyes? This is the key issue I want to point out.

61、 Actually her life was really dull and filled with artificial matters. She got married with Tom and they had a daughter. Life went on when they traveled along Europe and settled down in East Egg. She lived a rich life bu

62、t was boring for she was engaged with parties and meaningless talks and she almost had no friends. What’s more, she was artificial in many aspects. Firstly, sh</p><p>　　After the death of Gatsby, she escaped

63、 far away in case of being involved in the series of troubles. So she was a lady of snobbishness from head to toe. We can see falling in love with a woman of such natures is doomed to be a tragedy.</p><p>　　

64、2.2.2 A Man from the Upper Class-Tom</p><p>　　When we talk about Gatsby’s tragedy, it’s inevitable to discuss Daisy’s husband-Tom. </p><p>　　Here is a paragraph showing Tom’s feature in chapter

65、1: </p><p>　　“He was a sturdy straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and supercilious manners. Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of al

66、ways leaning aggressively forward.” (2007: 11)</p><p>　　We can judge easily from Tom's appearance and behaviors both his noble birth and the nature of inborn arrogance and aggressiveness.</p><

67、p>　　Due to his freedom of money, it is hard to be modest and humble. But that was not enough for the rich man. Fitzgerald considered him as a representative of a group of young born and grown up in upper class. There

68、were two typical examples. The first one, he loved Daisy so they got married. But he had love affairs with Mrs. Wilson. Once he answered the phone from the woman at home. Daisy, Nick and Baker felt embarrassed. Tom prete

69、nded to be clear as if nothing had happened. On the one hand, he wa</p><p>　　It was Tom who caused Gatsby’s tragedy from two aspects. Firstly he won Daisy for his decent background so that Gatsby left and at

70、tempted to become a rich like him. It was the indirect reason. Secondly, he framed a case against Gatsby because he said deliberately that Gatsby was the murder of Mrs. Wilson.</p><p>　　注意打印前檢查下各個(gè)單獨(dú)起頁的部分是否在那

71、頁的頂上。</p><p>　　Part Three Disillusion of the American Dream</p><p>　　3.1 Analyzing Tragedies of Two Classes</p><p>　　Because the main characters in the novel lived in two opposite p

72、arts of Long Island -West Egg and East Egg.（這幾個(gè)編號(hào)不正常哈） I divide them into two groups. The first group: the West including Gatsby, Nick. The second group: the East including Daisy and Tom. The two groups had different st

73、ories.</p><p>　　Let’s go to the West first. This was a story of persistence, struggle without a happy ending. After the death of Gatsby, most of those reports were a nightmare—grotesque, circumstantial, eage

74、r and untrue. Police and newspapers were not interested in the truth of the crime. The reactions of his friends were completely disappointing. The scene of the funeral was like the winter. Only did Nick and Gatsby’s fath

75、er attend his funeral while his partner and friends didn’t arrive. To a friend of him, a </p><p>　　The East story was about a couple-Tom and Daisy. They settled down in the East Egg. Thus they were symbols o

76、f the East. Tom was a millionaire and Daisy loved money, so they got married. However, unexpectedly they caused each other’s tragedy at last. Daisy loved Gatsby again exactly his attractive lifestyle after Gatsby’s retur

77、n. Tom loved Mrs. Wilson. Daisy cracked Mrs. Wilson down and the woman died immediately. So that Tom lost his mistress. In return, Tom killed Gatsby indirectly by misleadin</p><p>　　3.2 The Influence of the

78、American Dream on Gatsby</p><p>　　Let’s talk about the influence of the American dream on Gatsby. He was a poor lieutenant having no notable family background but unluckily he fell in love with Daisy. This i

79、s the source of his tragic destiny as Daisy was a real materialist. He couldn’t hold his lover so long because Daisy got married with the rich Tom. After hearing of the sad news, he was desperate. But also he realized he

80、 was a poor guy so he had no capability of taking good care of his girlfriend. As the old saying goes, the </p><p>　　As mentioned in the previous section, the 1920s in the United States has been described by

81、 some critics as a period of material success and spiritual frustration. So we can judge that many Americans succeeded in hunting for wealth. Under the roaring twenties, the economy in the United States is soaring to sky

82、. Therefore, a large number of potential deals are provided in this rich nation. Although lacking of money, Gatsby was inspired by the social situation and others’ success.</p><p>　　注意打印前檢查下各個(gè)單獨(dú)起頁的部分是否在那頁的頂上

83、。</p><p>　　Conclusion</p><p>　　Almost all the scholars agreed that the reason of the breakdown of Gatsby’s American dream was the circumstances-the capitalistic nation. Based on my analysis, the

84、 tragic ending was a combination of the society and their personalities.</p><p>　　Fitzgerald wrote the story as a semi-autobiography. He connected the novel and the society with words and put his experience

85、into it. In the 1920s, the group of young people got confused so they were called the Lost Generation.</p><p>　　The roaring society stimulated them to hunt for fortune but in the end they got lost in the soc

86、iety. No matter rich or poor, they were lost on the way to struggle for their dreams. In the beginning all the people were confident in the possibility of the achievement of their dreams in love and wealth. But all the r

87、esults have turned into be tragedies. The hope in their heart was ruined both by the cruel society and the shortcomings of their personalities. Hence young people of the Lost Generation</p><p>　　注意打印前檢查下各個(gè)單獨(dú)

88、起頁的部分是否在那頁的頂上。</p><p><b>　　Notes</b></p><p>　　F. Scott Fitzgerald: he was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a ter

89、m he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the “Lost Generation”of the 1920s.</p><p>　　Qin Ze and Gao Fen: tw

90、o Chinese scholars, the authors of the paper The Indications in the Great Gatsby.</p><p>　　The “Lost Generation”: usually it refers to American literary notables who wrote novels and short stories expressing

91、 their resentment towards the materialism and individualism that permeated the era of 1920s in America; also it refers to a group of young people who came out of World War I disillusioned and cynical about the world.<

92、/p><p>　　Perdue: In A Moveable Feast, which was published after Hemingway and Stein were both dead and after a literary feud that lasted much of their life, Hemingway reveals that the phrase was actually origin

93、ated by the garage owner who serviced Stein's car. When a young mechanic failed to repair the car in a way satisfactory to Stein, the garage owner shouted at the boy: "You are all a "génération Pe

94、rdue." Stein, in telling Hemingway the story, added, "That is what you are. That's what you all are...a</p><p>　　The Roaring Twenties: The Roaring Twenties characterizes the distinctive cultura

95、l edge of the 1920s, principally in American cities, for a period of sustained economic prosperity. The phrase emphasizes the period's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism. "Normalcy" returned to politi

96、cs in the wake of World War I. The social and cultural features known as the Roaring Twenties began in leading metropolitan centers, especially Chicago, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Paris and London, and th</p

97、><p>　　Jazz Age: a term used to refer to the generation, actually a cohort, which came of age during World War I. It was popularized by the well-known American writer Ernest Hemingway. This generation included

98、distinguished artists such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and T. S. Elliot.</p><p>　　The American Dream: The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibi

99、lity of prosperity and success. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or ac