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1、-PAGE . z. . - .可修編 .單位代碼* 00907066 本科畢業(yè)論文An Analysis of American Dream in The Great Gatsby: From the Establishment to the Disillusionment淺談了不起的蓋茨比中的美國(guó)夢(mèng)由建立到破滅院系名稱 外國(guó)語(yǔ)學(xué)院專業(yè)名稱 英語(yǔ)語(yǔ)言文學(xué)年級(jí) 2009級(jí)學(xué)生* 李林源指導(dǎo)教師 ?;?013年4月20日-. z.中 文 摘 要美國(guó)著名作家菲茲杰拉德被稱為美國(guó)夢(mèng)的代言人,在他的小說中,我們難以區(qū)分是他的生活如一部小說,還是他的小說就是他的一段真實(shí)的生活的寫照,因?yàn)樗淹耆谌肫渲?/p>
2、。尤其是其代表作了不起的蓋茨比,文中主人公蓋茨比是為追求美國(guó)夢(mèng)而最終犧牲了自己的典例,他渴望以自己的信念和勇氣來(lái)獲取物質(zhì)以及愛情上的收獲,然而由于他的夢(mèng)想是一種對(duì)虛幻的渴望,而不是建立在現(xiàn)實(shí)的根底之上的追求,最終導(dǎo)致了他美國(guó)夢(mèng)的破滅,本論文通過對(duì)美國(guó)夢(mèng)和小說創(chuàng)作歷史背景的研究向我們闡述了這一夢(mèng)想破滅的各種原因,從而展現(xiàn)作品中表達(dá)的社會(huì)意義。關(guān)鍵詞:美國(guó)夢(mèng);了不起的蓋茨比;破滅;原因ABSTRACTF. Scott Fitzgeraldis the literary spokesman of the American Dream. His novels include many aspects
3、of his unique e*periences in that period. It is not easy to distinguish his novelswithhis real life, becausehis works have already involved himself physically and mentally. Especially in his masterpieceThe Great Gatsby, the hero reveals a typical e*ample of those who were eager to achieve the Americ
4、an Dream but finally sacrificedthemselves. Although Gatsby dreams of achieving material wealth and love through his courage and hard work, all kinds of e*ternal and internal factors leadto the disillusionment of his hope. Through the analysis of American Dream and the historical background of the no
5、vel, this thesis elaborates a vivid picture of the reasons leading to the disillusionment of American Dream in order to show the social significance of this work.Key words: American dream; The Great Gatsby; disillusionment;reasonTable of Contents TOC o 1-3 u INTRODUCTION PAGEREF _Toc354255600 h 1Cha
6、pter BACKGROUND INFORMATION PAGEREF _Toc354255601 h 21.1 Fitzgerald and His Literary Works PAGEREF _Toc354255602 h 21.2 Lost Generation and the Jazz Age PAGEREF _Toc354255603 h 21.3 The Main Plot of the Novel PAGEREF _Toc354255604 h 31.4 American Dream PAGEREF _Toc354255605 h 4Chapter THE ESTABLISHM
7、ENT AND THE DISILLUSIONMENT OF Gatsbys AMERICAN DREAM PAGEREF _Toc354255606 h 52.1 The Establishment of Gatsbys American Dream PAGEREF _Toc354255607 h 52.1.1 Gatsbys Dream of Wealth PAGEREF _Toc354255608 h 62.1.2 Gatsbys Dream of High Social Position PAGEREF _Toc354255609 h 62.1.3 Gatsbys Dream of L
8、ove PAGEREF _Toc354255610 h 72.2 The Disillusionment of Gatsbys American Dream PAGEREF _Toc354255611 h 7Chapter THE REASONS FOR THE DISILLUSIONMENT OF Gatsbys AMERICAN DREAM PAGEREF _Toc354255612 h 93.1 Hypocritical Interpersonal Relationship PAGEREF _Toc354255613 h 93.2 The Worship of Money PAGEREF
9、 _Toc354255614 h 103.3 Unrealistic Dream of High Social Position PAGEREF _Toc354255615 h 113.4 The Wrong Understanding of Love PAGEREF _Toc354255616 h 12CONCLUSION PAGEREF _Toc354255617 h 13Bibliography PAGEREF _Toc354255618 h 14Notes PAGEREF _Toc354255619 h 14-. z.An Analysis of American Dream in T
10、he Great Gatsby: From the Establishment to the DisillusionmentINTRODUCTIONThe thesis is a brief longitudinal study of American Dream in the novel The Great Gatsby.This thesis analyzes the establishment of Gatsbys American Dream and the reasons leading to his American Dreams disillusionment. Through
11、this thesis, we can have a dialectical view of the reasons why Gatsby can not realize his American Dream. The main body of the thesis is made up ofthreeparts. The first part is a general introduction to the great authorFitzgerald, his novel The Great Gatsby and its writing background. In order to tr
12、ace back to the reasons that result in the disillusionment of Gatsbys American Dream, the second part reviewsthe establishmentand the disillusionment of Gatsbys American Dream.The third part focuses on analyzing the reasons for his American Dreams disillusionment.In the end, the thesis es to a concl
13、usion that the disillusionment of Gatsbys American Dream is unavoidable.Chapter BACKGROUND INFORMATION1.1 Fitzgerald and His Literary WorksFitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 and St. Paul Minnesota was his hometown. While he was a student in Princeton University, the young man developed his ho
14、bby and skill in writing. When the First World War broke out, he became a soldier. In a training camp in Alabama, he met and fell in love with Zelda Sayre.This woman finallymarried Fitzgerald and became the model for most of the beautiful female characters in his novels. This Side of Paradise, the B
15、eautiful and Damned, Tender is the Night and The Great Gatsbywere his four well-known novels. The last oneThe Great Gatsby, which established Fitzgeralds significant position in American modern literature,is often viewed as a mirror of Americansociety in the 1920s. In 1925, Fitzgerald published his
16、most famous novel The Great Gatsby.The novel reflected the selfishness and bossy of Americanvested interest groups represented by Tom and pointed out that Gatsbys tragedy is caused by his fantasy of life and his lack of prehension of the uppertendoms essence.1.2Lost Generation and the Jazz AgeFranci
17、s Scott Key Fitzgerald was one of the greatest writers in the twentieth century, and his works reflected the Jazz Age. He is regarded as a member of the Lost Generation in the 1920s.Lost Generationis a term used to refer to the generation appeared after World War I. The term was popularized by Ernes
18、t Hemingway who used it for his novelThe Sun Also Rises. Lost Generation were characterized by being pessimistic about the society and losing confidence for the future. Influenced by the First World War, they could not tolerate and accept the cruel reality.They lived a hopeless and degenerate life.T
19、he Jazz Age refers to the period starting from the end of World War I to the beginning of the Great Depression during which jazz became popular.In this period, the traditional puritan moral standards collapsed and hedonism was very popular. Fitzgerald once said that this is an age full of miracles,
20、arts, lu*ury and irony. And due to this, Fitzgerald was titled as the representative of the Jazz Age.1.3 The Main Plot of the NovelThe Great Gatsby is a very profound and moving novel, and the main plot of the story is as following. A young man named Nick Caraway es to New York City in the spring of
21、 1922. He is involved in the life of his new neighbor Jay Gatsby who lives at Long Island. Gatsby is a very rich man andregularly holds parties visited by hundreds of people. Gatsby tells Nick that Daisy is his lover before the First World War. Although at that timehe is very poor,Gatsby still loves
22、 her. Gatsby tries to persuade Daisy to break up withher present husband Tom. On the contrary, Tom reveals that Gatsby earns money by bootlegging. Daisy gets so impetuous that she drives Gatsbys carand accidentally kills Myrtle Wilson who is Toms mistress.Tom intentionally tells Myrtles husband Wils
23、on that Gatsby hits Myrtle when driving his car. Gatsby keeps silent to protect Daisy. At last, Wilson kills Gatsby and then mits suicide. Nick prepares a funeral for Gatsby. Although he wants to make a decent funeral, nobody wants to attend the funeral e*cept Gatsbys father and one former guest. Ni
24、ck goes back to his Midwest hometown, reflecting on Gatsbys dream and the cynical nature of the past. 1.4 American DreamIn order to escape from the political persecution and seek freedom on a new continent, some Englanders started their voyage to the North America. In 1620, 35 Puritans and 67 Non-Pu
25、ritans drifted to North America in a famous ship called May Flower. Before they landed, 41 travelers signed a treatyMayflower pact. It was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony and the oldest historical document recordingthose people immigrating towards the North America. The pact not only
26、 regulated equality and justice but also implied the struggling spirit of the Puritans. Even though American Dream has different definitions in different times, yet under political persecution these Anglo-Sa*ons hoped to create new life with political equality. This is the beginning of American Drea
27、m. Different people have different understandings of American Dream and the ways to achieve their American Dream are also various. The definition of American Dream can be introduced in broad sense and narrow sense respectively. For the former one, American Dream means the equality, freedom and democ
28、racy on the land of the United States. The latter one means that everyone in America who works hard and never gives upcan achieve his or her dream and live a better life in this piece of land. That is to say, people should make effortsto realize their dreams rather than depend on the help from other
29、s. James Truslow Adams was the first person who put forward the term American Dreamin his book The Epic of America written in 1931. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor ca
30、rs and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. James Truslow, The
31、 Epic of America, Page 2728 This ideology is based on the principle that one should be responsible for oneself, and hold every opportunity to gain success by courage and hard work.Chapter THE ESTABLISHMENTAND THE DISILLUSIONMENT OF GatsbysAMERICANDREAM2.1 The Establishment of Gatsbys American DreamA
32、s for the American Dream, it is a belief that a better life could be achieved through hard work and strives. There are several factors lying in the American Dream: equal chances for each person; success is obtained by efforts, not the social background and e*traction; everyone is equal; and everyone
33、 has his own rights to pursue success.葛靚, Doom of American Dream in Great Gatsby.文學(xué)界(理論版)2012. Page 1213There is no doubt that everyone livingon that land actually has an American Dream and is eager to achieve it. Everyone can work their way up from the rags to riches just like Abraham Lincoln, the
34、16th President of the US.In other words, American culture focuses on values of individuals, opportunity, pursuing of democracy and freedom, the promotion of deportation and petition and the need of realism and practicality. 趙紅石, Characters Lives in The Great Gatsby. 科技信息2010. Page 1921After the Indu
35、strial Revolution, American Dream can be realized by mercial activities. Most of individual possessions in the United States were brought by those successful businessmen and these merchants used some capital to build up corporations. pared with agriculture, Americans preferred business, because enga
36、ging in business was a quicker way to make individuals gain wealth.And Gatsby is one of those Americans that pursue American Dream by engaging in the field of business. Obtaining wealth, social position and love are his three goals.GatsbysDream of WealthBeingwealthy is the most basic element in Gats
37、bys American Dream.Gatsbys dream of wealth reflects the gold rush in the new continent America. Born with a humble family background, Gatsby is a young person who has ambitions and dreams. In order to realize his personal ideals, he changes his original name Gatz into Gatsby that has the meaningthe
38、son of god and Gatsbys ambition can be seen here clearly. Gatsby is a practical,active and perseverant person. We can see from his schedule that he is an ambitiousyouth who does things in a planned and orderly way. His plan to realize his dream is arranged very well and he takes getting rich dream a
39、s the first step. He believes that if there is a material base, he can live a wealthy life of high social status.Therefore, in order to make the dream of wealth e true, Gatsby is willing to suffer and bear pains. He even runs risks to mit smuggling. In the end, he can hold grand banquets in his blue
40、 garden, the guests generallylaughing and chatting.GatsbysDream of HighSocial PositionWith enough money and wealth, the ne*t dream of Gatsby is to bee a member of the upper class in the society.And the method he uses is constantly holding a large banquet to show off his wealth and to get acquainted
41、with characters belonging to the upper social class at the same time. Gatsbyhopes that the society can accept him, and therefore feel at ease when enjoyingeverything that the upper classes enjoy. This kind of idea can also be considered as a microcosm of American Dream, because from the beginning of
42、 the establishment of the American society,equal opportunity and peoples subjective initiative were advocated.However,the upper classes still look down upon those who have ahumble background such as Gatsby. A lot of new upstarts like these people are only smuggling guys. It is easy for us to see tha
43、t Gatsby, through every struggle,can not be accepted by the societyeither from his appearance orfrom his inner world.GatsbysDream of LoveGatsbys first two dreams are the basis of the third one. The realization of his dreams of wealth and high social position is only to make preparation for winning b
44、ack his love that is once lost because of poor economic conditions and low position.Gatsby regards Daisy as the embodiment of beauty, kindness and truth that he pursues. In this case,getting married with Daisy and living together with her forever is an important goal in his life and also one of the
45、motive forces of his struggle. However, his pursuit is doomed to be in vain, because Daisy is just superficially beautiful but empty inside. She is a shallow and selfishgirlof the bourgeoisie.All day long, the ultimate goal of her life is to seek money and enjoy pleasure.Gatsby can sacrifice his own
46、 lifein order to protect her, butDaisy refuses to pay any cost for Gatsby. This is the fundamental difference between the two characters. It is also doomed that Gatsbys dream of love cannot be realized. 2.2 The Disillusionment of Gatsbys American DreamIn this novel the protagonist Gatsby is single-m
47、inded in love, ambitious and strong-willed in career, and persistent in the pursue of dreams. The establishment of his dreams is a good beginning, but during the process of achieving the dreams he gradually takes the wrong way. He is a typical victim of the Jazz Age. All of his three dreams fail to
48、be realized. First of all, all of his wealth that he gains through hardships is gone with the loss of his life. The original values of American Dream such as hard work, thrift and moderation are weaker and weaker, and they are replaced by money worship. The real world is an empty shell, and everyone
49、 is fond of the immediate pleasure.Gatsby cannot escape from the fashion of lu*ury. He spends all his money on meaningless things and gets nothing valuable. In other words, he loses his dream of wealth. Secondly, he dies without the acceptance by the upper class. He does not get his ideal social pos
50、ition and his death has little influence on others. Gatsby is a very idealistic person.This kind of people often seem naive or run counter to the reality, because they arenot aware of their own condition correctly and the psychology of upper class clearly. He does not know the real attitude of other
51、s towards himself. People are always living in certain social groups. When ones behavior is not consistent with the social mainstream, he or she will be sacrificed. Gatsby belongs to thistype.He just pretends to be a person with high social position through such superficial methods as squandering mo
52、ney and making contact with decent people. However, he is no more than a speculatorin essence. His behavior and his essence do not match.Thirdly, his dream of love is disillusioned before he has any chance to get Daisys sympathy.All the time, Daisy, the perfect girl in the mind of Gatsby, is his unr
53、ealisticdream.Deeply attracting Gatsby, she seems pure, beautiful and innocent. Gatsbys love for Daisyis selfless, and he always wants to protect his beloved person.Even though his own life is threatened, he is willing to sacrifice for her in the end. On the contrary, Daisys love is selfish, because
54、 it is based on material benefits and her own interests. Daisy and Gatsbys values of love arenot balanced.Although after Gatsby bees wealthy, with Nicks help, he could be able to meet his lover, his dream to stay with her together for a lifetime fails to be realized. When he tells Nick that of cours
55、e the past can be repeated (Fitzgerald.F.S, 2009: 133) or that Toms love for Daisy was just personal (Fitzgerald.F.S, 2009:182), he may be just finding some e*cuses for his inability to recapture his former lover Daisy.His dreams are distant and unreal, and no one can touch it. The disillusionment o
56、f Gatsbys dreams is closely associated with the society he lives in, his characteristics, and his lover Daisys personality. ChapterTHE REASONS FOR THE DISILLUSIONMENTOFGatsbysAMERICAN DREAMThe Great Gatsby is a well-known novel in the history of American literature. Many scholars both home and abroa
57、d have analyzed and mented on this work from different perspectives. And the reasons leading to the disillusionment of Gatsbys dream has always been a hot topic to discuss. Different people have different ideas. In general, those reasons can be divided into e*ternal reasons and internal ones, which
58、depend on each other. Both the two kinds of reasons play an important role in Gatsbys tragedy.Gatsbys struggle for the realization of his dreams can not avoid the influence of social environment, and his personality is also one of the important reasons leading his dream to fail.3.1 Hypocritical Inte
59、rpersonal RelationshipThis is the most important e*ternal reason leading to the final disillusionment of Gatsbys American Dream.In the 1920s, most people wanted to enter the upper classes and pursue material enjoyment. They were very cynical to seek superficial enjoyment and greedy for material weal
60、th. During that period, treasure and collapsed moral standards made the pursuit of freedom and happiness gradually impossible. The society was so cruel that a person like Gatsby could not break up the bondage.There was little sympathy in the relationship among people. And there was no doubt that peo
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