《美國文學(xué)選讀》第二版課后習(xí)題答案

..Unit14F·ScottFitzgeraldTheAmericanModernism<1914-1945>PartOne:Introduction:II.Modernism?Modernismisa??culturalmovementthatgenerallyincludestheprogressiveartandarchitecture,design,literature,music,dance,paintingandothervisualartswhichemergedinthebeginningofthe20thcentury,particularlyintheyearsfollowingWorldWarI.Itwasamovementofartistsanddesignerswhorebelledagainstlate??19thcenturyacademicandhistoricaltradition,andembracedtheneweconomic,socialandpoliticalaspectsoftheemergingmodernworld.Theavant-gardemovementsthatfollowedincludingImpressionism,??Post-Impressionism,Cubism,Futurism,??Expressionism,??Constructivism,DeStijl,and??AbstractExpressionismaregenerallydefinedasModernist.Modernisminliteratureisnoteasilysummarized,butthekeyelementsareexperimentation,anti-realism,individualismandastressonthecerebral<大腦的ratherthanemotiveaspects.TheworkofModernistwritersischaracterizedbyshowingthedisenchantment〔覺醒,dislocation〔混亂,andalienation〔疏遠(yuǎn)ofmenintheworld,andbytheemphasison??experimentationandformalismandobjectivismwhichare,inmostcases,areactiontothecataclysm<大變動(dòng)knownastheModernAge.AmongAmericanwriters,thebest-knownModernistsareT.S.Eliot,EzraPound,F.ScottFitzgerald,ErnestHemingway,WilliamFaulknerandsoon.TheLostGeneration:TheLostGenerationisatermusedtodescribeagroupofAmericanintellectuals,poets,artistsandwritersfledtoFranceinthepostWWIyearstorejectthevaluesofAmericanmaterialismandtoseekthebohemian<Apersonwithartisticorliteraryinterestswhodisregardsconventionalstandardsofbehavior>lifestyleinParis.Fullofyouthfulidealism,theseindividualssoughtthemeaningoflife,drankexcessively,hadloveaffairsandcreatedsomeofthefinestAmericanliteraturetodate.TheLostGenerationAmericanpoetGertrudeSteinactuallycoinedtheexpression"lostgeneration."SpeakingtoErnestHemingway,shesaid,"youareallalostgeneration."ThemainrepresentativesofLostGenerationincludeF.ScottFitzgerald,ErnestHemingwayandJohnDosPassos<多斯?柏索斯>.F.ScottFitzgerald<1890-1940>I.BriefIntroduction:1.??Heisbestknownforhisnovelsandshortstorieswhichchronicle<編年史theexcessesofAmerica's'JazzAge'duringthe1920s.2.??Bornintoafairlywell-to-dofamilyinStPaul,Minnesota〔明尼蘇達(dá)州in1896,Fitzgeraldattended,butnevergraduatedfromPrincetonUniversity.HemingledwiththebrilliantclassesfromtheEasternSeaboard.3.??In1917hewasdraftedintothearmy,hespentmuchofhistimewritingandre-writinghisfirstnovelThisSideofParadise,whichonitspublicationin1920becameaninstantsuccess.InthesameyearhemarriedthebeautifulZeldaSayreandtogethertheyembarkedonarichlifeofendlessparties.4.??DividingtheirtimebetweenAmericaandfashionableresortsinEurope,theFitzgeraldsbecameasfamousfortheirlifestyleasforthenovelshewrote.Fitzgeraldoncesaid'SometimesIdon'tknowwhetherZeldaandIarerealorwhetherwearecharactersinoneofmynovels'.5.????HefollowedhisfirstsuccesswithTheBeautifulandtheDamned<1922>,andTheGreatGatsby<1925>whichFitzgeraldconsideredhismasterpiece.ItwasalsoatthistimethatFitzgeraldwrotemanyofhisshortstorieswhichhelpedtopayforhisextravagantlifestyle.Thebubbleburstinthe1930swhenZeldabecameincreasinglytroubledbymentalillness.TenderistheNight<1934>,thestoryofDickDiverandhisschizophrenicwifeNicole,goessomewaytoshowthepainthatFitzgeraldfelt.ThebookwasnotwellreceivedinAmericaandheturnedtoscript-writinginHollywoodforthefinalthreeyearsofhislife.ItwasatthistimehewrotetheautobiographicalessayscollectedposthumouslyinTheCrack-Upandhisunfinishednovel,TheLastTycoon.Hediedin1940.II.Hismasterpiece:TheGreatGatsby1.Thestorysummary:Theentirestorytakesplaceinonesummerin1922.ThenoveldescribesthelifeanddeathofJayGatsby,asseenthroughtheeyesofanarratorwhodoesnotsharethesamepointofviewasthefashionablepeoplearoundhim.ThenarratorlearnsthatGatsbybecamerichbybreakingthelaw.Gatsbypretendstobeawell-educatedwarhero,whichheisnot,yetthenarratorportrayshimasbeingfarmorenoblethantherich,cruel,stupidpeopleamongwhomheandGatsbylive.Gatsby’scharacterispurifiedbyadeep,unselfishloveforDaisy,abeautiful,sillywomanwho,earlier,marriedarichhusbandinsteadofGatsbyandmovedintohighsociety.Gatsbyhasneverlosthisloveforherand,inanerawhendivorcehasbecomeeasy,hetriestowinherbackbybecomingrichhimself.Hedoesnotsucceed,andintheendheiskilled??byaccidentbecauseofhisdeterminationtoshieldDaisyfromdisgrace.NoneofGatsby’supperclassfriendscometohisfuneral.ThenarratorissodisgustedthatheleavesNewYorkandreturnstohisoriginalhome.WhatisFitzgerald’sattitudetowardTomandDaisy?Hecriticizedthemasselfish,hypocriticalpersons.FromTheGreatGatsby,talkaboutF.ScottFitzgerald’sachievement.Fitzgerald’sgreatnessliesinthefactthathefoundintuitivelyinhispersonalexperiencetheembodimentofthatofthenationandcreatedamythoutofAmericanlife.ThestoryofTheGreatGatsbyisagoodillustration……3.??Gatsby’slifefollowsaclearpattern:Thereis,atfirst,adream;thendisenchantment,andfinallyasenseoffailureanddespair.Inthis,Gatsby’spersonalexperienceapproximatesthewholeoftheAmericanexperienceuptothefirstfewdecadesofthiscentury.4.??Nowthevirginforestshavevanishedandmadewayforamoderncivilization,theonlyfittingsymbolofwhichisthe"valleyofashes,"thelivinghell.5.Heremodernmenliveinsterility〔貧瘠andmeaninglessnessandfutility<無益asbestillustratedbyGatsby’sessentiallypointlessparties.Thecrowdshardlyknowtheirhost;manycomeandgowithoutinvitation.Themusic,thelaughter,andthefacessignifythepurposelessnessandlonelinessofthepartygoersbeneaththeirmasksofrelaxationandjoviality.<快活6.TheshallownessofDaisywhosevoiceis"fullofmoney",therestlesswickednessofTom,therepresentativeoftheegocentric,carelessrich,andGatsbywhois,ontheonehand,charminglyinnocentenoughtobelievethatthepastcanberecoveredandresurrected〔復(fù)興,tragicallyconvincedofthepowerofmoney.BackgroundoftheNovelF.ScottFitzgeraldwroteandsetTheGreatGatsbyintheUnitedStatesinthe1920s.AfterWorldWarI,theAmericaneconomywasthriving,thestockmarketwasgrowingquickly,andthedecadewasknownastheRoaringTwenties興旺的二十年代.Itwasalsoaperiodofgreatsocialupheaval.InNovember1920,womenhadbeengrantedtherighttovote,alcoholhadbeenprohibitedbyaconstitutionalamendment,andapredominantlyAfrican-Americanformofmusic,Jazz,wasbecomingmainstream.Fitzgeraldhaddubbedthiserathe"JazzAge".NickCarrawayNickCarraway<Narrator>—a29-year-old<thirtybytheendofthebook>bondsalesmanfromtheMidwest,aveteran,aYalegraduate,andresidentofLongIsland.NeighborofGatsby.Nickisthehardestcharactertounderstandinthebookbecauseheisthenarratorandwillthereforeonlygiveusanimpressionofhimselfthathewouldliketogive.Hetellsthereaderthat"IamoneofthefewhonestpeoplethatIhaveeverknown",butweseehimlieonseveraloccasions.SoitisallbutimpossibletogetanaccuratepictureofNick.Bytheendofthebookheisveryjaded<厭倦的,though.WhenheandJordanbreakuphesays"I'mthirty.I'mfiveyearstoooldtolietomyselfandcallithonor"."要是我年輕五歲,也許我還可以欺騙自己,說這樣做光明正大。"GatsbyJayGatsby<originallyJames"Jimmy"Gatz>—ayoung,mysteriousmillionairelaterrevealedtobeself-made,originallyfromNorthDakota,withshadybusinessconnectionsandanostalgic<懷舊的loveforDaisyFayBuchanan,whomhehadmetwhenhewasayoungofficerinWorldWarI.TounderstandGatsbyonehastolookatnotonlyhistruelife,butthelifethathetriedtocreateforhimself.Thetruthisthathecamefrompoorbeginningsandcreatedafantasyworldwherehewasrichandpowerful.EveninhisyouthGatsbywasnotcontentwithwhathehad.Hewantedmoney,sohemanagedtogetit.HewantedDaisy,andsheslippedthroughhisfingers.Soevenwhenhiswealthandstatureareattheirgreatest,hewillnotbecontent.HemusthaveDaisy.Butmorethanthatthereisadrivetopossessherbecausethatiswhathewantedforallofthoseyears.Shewaspartofhisimageforthefutureandhehadtohaveher.AndalthoughGatsbyseemsverykind,heisnotafraidtobeunscrupuloustogetwhathewants.Whenhewantedmoney,hewasmorethanwillingtobecomeabootlegger〔釀私酒者.Hisdriveiswhatmakeshimwhoheis,goodandbad.Anditisthisdrivethatendsupruininghislife.DaisyNick'ssecondcousin,onceremoved;andthewifeofTomBuchanan.DaisyisbelievedtohavebeeninspiredbyFitzgerald'sownyouthfulromancewithChicagoheiressGinevraKing.GatsbyhadcourtedbutlostDaisyduetotheirdifferentsocialstanding,themainreasonFitzgeraldbelievedhehadlostGinevra.Daisyisatrappedwoman.She'strappedinamarriagethatsheisunhappyinandtrappedinaworldwhereshehasnochancetobefreeorindependent.Sheisatthemercyof〔受……支配herhusband,amanwhotakesherforgranted.Daisyisalsoterriblyclever,deliveringsomeofthefunnierlinesofthebook.WhenareaderlooksatthefoolishnessandshallownessofDaisytheymustrealizethatDaisymaybedoingoutofnecessity.Asshesaidwhenshedeliveredherdaughter,"-that'sthebestthingagirlcanbeinthisworld,abeautifullittlefool".Daisyissmartenoughtounderstandthelimitsimposedonherandhasbecomejadedandindulgentbecauseofthem.ThewordcarelessalsodescribesDaisywell.ManyofthethingsthatDaisydoes,theaccidentwithMyrtleinparticular,showawomanwhoisjustcareless.Shehasbecomeverymuchwrappedupin〔酷愛herself.Partofthisisduetothefactthatshehadbeenspoiledallherlife.Shewasbornintomoneyandhadanendlessassortmentofmenwhowouldcontinuetospoilher.Soshehaslearnedtothinkonlyofherselfwithoutregardforthepeoplethatitmayhurt.TomThomas"Tom"Buchanan—anarrogant"oldmoney"millionairewholivesonEastEgg,andthehusbandofDaisy.BuchananhadparallelstoWilliamMitchell,theChicagoanwhomarriedGinevraKing.BuchananandMitchellwerebothChicagoanswithaninterestinpolo<馬球.LikeGinevra'sfather,whomFitzgeraldresented,BuchananattendedYale.BeingbornintoafamilythatiswealthyhasmadeTomaspoiledman.Hehasn'treallyworkedhisentirelifeandinsteadspendshisdaysinindulgenceandease.HehasashamelessaffairwithMyrtlebecauseitsatisfieshisneeds.Heflaunts<炫耀theirrelationshipinpublicbecausehedoesnotconcernhimselfwiththeconsequencesofhisactions,he'sneverhadto.ThisisalsowhyheandDaisyescapeintheendofthebook.Therewasasituationtheywouldhavetofaceandtheydidn'twantto.Sotheyrantotheirmoneyandfledthesituation,leavingittobedealtwithbyothers.Tomwillspendhiswholelifedoingthingslikethatbecausethatiswhoheis:Acarelessmanwhowon'tbebotheredbythesufferinghecauses.JordanJordanBaker—SheisDaisy'slong-timefriend,aprofessionalgolfplayer.FitzgeraldtoldMaxwellPerkinsthathercharacterwasbasedonthegolferEdithCummings,afriendofGinevraKing.JordanfacesthesameproblemsthatTomandDaisydo.Shehasbeenbornwithmoneyandhaslivedinaculturefullofmoneyandhasbeenspoiledbyit.SheissurroundedbypeopleliketheBuchananswhoperpetuateherindulgentbehavior.ThiscanbeobservedinthescenewheresheandNickaredrivinginthecityandcallsheracarelessdriver.Shesaysshedoesn'tworrybecausetheotherpeopleontheroadaren'tascarelessasherandthatshemakessureshesurroundsherselfwithpeoplewhowon't"crash"intoher.ItcanbeseenthatJordanhasnoconceptofaccountabilityandthathasbeenfurtheredbythepeoplewhoallowhertogounaccountable.ChapterNineNickmakesplansforthefuneral.Gatsby'sFuneral,threepeopleshowup.Nickreturnstothewest.NickmeetswithTomBuchananNickgetsalastviewofGatsby'shouse.Chapter9NickcallsDaisy'shousetospeaktoherbutsheandTomhaveleftwithoutanywaytobereached.HealsotriestogetincontactwithMeyerWolfsheimbutcannot.WolfsheimsendsaletterlatersayingthathecannotcomestoGatsby'sfuneral.ShortlyafterGatsbydies.AfewdayslaterHenryGatz,Gatsby'sfather,comestothehouse.HehadheardaboutGatsby'sdeathinthepaperandcameatonce.ThedayofthefuneralNickgoesintothecitytoseeWolfsheim.NickhastoforcehimselfintoWolfsheim'soffice,butMeyerrefusestocometothefuneralsayingthathecan'tgetmixedupinanotherman'sdeath.WhenNickreturnstothehouseheandMr.GatztalkaboutwhatGatsbywaslikewhenhewasyounger.GatzshowsNickaschedulethatGatsbywroteoutwhenhewasyoungerthatshowsaverydriven,determinedyoungGatsby.TheministerarrivesatthehouseandseemsreadytostartthefuneralbutNickaskshimtowaitformorepeopletoshowup,butnoonedoes.Whenthesmallgroupgoestothecemeteryanothermanshowsupfortheservice.HewasamanwhocametoGatsby'spartythatsummerandthoughtheshouldbethereoutofrespect.AfewdayslaterNickgoestoseeJordanandformallyendthingsbetweenthem.Shetellshimthatsheisengagedtoanothermanandalthoughnotsurprised,Nickpretendstobe.AnotherafternoonNickseesTomonthestreetinthecity.NickisobviouslydisgustedwithTomandaskshimwhathesaidtoWilson.NickhasfiguredoutthatTomwastheonewhotoldWilsonthatitwasGatsbythatwashavinganaffairwithhiswifeandwhoranherdown.TomdeniesitbutNickiscertain.Nickgoesbacktohishomeonelasttimeanddecidesthathedoesn'twanttoliveintheEastanymore.Hebelievesthathe,andalloftheothers,werenotfittoliveoutintheEastandthatiswhytheyfailedthere.ExplanationThepoorattendanceatGatsby'sfuneralexemplifiestheultimatefailureofGatsbytoeverachievewhathewanted.Thewomanhelovedwasnotpresent,shewasoffwithherhusband.NoneofthepeoplewhofrequentedthepartiesoverthesummershowedupandWolfsheim,oneofthefewpeoplewhocouldbecalledaclosefriendtoGatsby,refusedtoattend.Thiscanallbetiedintothefinalquoteabouttryingtograspforthatgreenlight.ThemoreGatsbytriedtoobtain,thelessheendedupwith.Likethegreenlight,itreceded<后退beforehimnomatterhowbadlyhewantedallofit.AndTomandDaisy'ssuddendisappearanceshowsthetrulycarelessnatureofthesetwo.AsNicksays,"Theywerecarelesspeople,TomandDaisy-theysmashedupthingsarecreaturesandthenrecededbackintotheirmoney...".湯姆和黛西,他們是粗心大意的人——他們?cè)宜榱藮|西,毀滅了人,然后就退縮到自己的金錢或者麻木不仁或者不管什么使他們留在一起的東西之中,讓別人去收拾他們的爛攤子……Theprivilegedlifethetwohadledmadethemincapableofacceptingresponsibilityfortheiractions.ThisiswhyDaisyiswillingtoleaveGatsbyinordertoescapepunishment.Nomatterhowtrueherwordsoflovetohimwere,shewaswillingtosacrificethemtorunawayfromresponsibility.AnotherlookattheimportanceofthewordcarelessiswhenNickgoestoseeJordan.Shebringsupthetimehecalledheracarelessdriver.ShesaysthatNickwascarelessalsoandthatitwascarelessofhertotrusthim,thathewasfalseandaliar.ThisisalsointerestingbecauseofhowhonestNickclaimstobe."IamoneofthefewhonestpeoplethatIhaveeverknown",AnalysisofChapter9ThefinallineofTheGreatGatsbyisoneofthemostfamousinAmericanliterature,andservesasasortofepitaph〔墓志銘forbothGatsbyandthenovelasawhole.Sowebeaton,boatsagainstthecurrent,bornebackceaselesslyintothepast.于是我們奮力向前劃,逆流向上的小舟,不停地倒退,進(jìn)入過去Here,NickrevealsGatsby'slifelongquesttotranscendhispastasultimatelyfutile.Incomparingthisbackward-drivingforcetothecurrentofariver,Fitzgeraldpresentsitasbothinexorable〔無情的and,insomesense,naturallydetermined.Itistheinescapablelotofhumanitytomovebackward.Nick,inreflectingonAmericaasawhole,linksitsfatetoGatsby's.America,accordingtoFitzgerald,wasfoundedontheidealsofprogressandequality.TheAmericaenvisionedbyitsfounderswasalandmadeformenlikeGatsby:itwasintendedasaplacewherevisionarydreamerscouldthrive.Instead,peoplelikeTomandDaisyBuchananhaverecreatedtheexcessesoftheEuropeanaristocracyintheNewWorld.Gatsby,forallhiswealthandgreatness,couldnotbecomeapartoftheirworld;hisnobleattempttoengineerhisowndestinywasdestroyed.Fitzgerald'sAmericaisnotaplacewhereanythingispossible:justasAmericahasfailedtotranscenditsEuropeanorigins,Gatsby,too,cannotovercomethecircumstancesofhisupbringing.ThoughNickworshipsGatsby'scourageandcapacityforself-reinvention,hecannotapproveofeitherhisdishonestyorhiscriminaldealings.Gatsby,bothwhileheisaliveandafterhisdeath,posesachallengetoNick'scustomarywaysofthinkingabouttheworld.Nickfirmlybelievesthatthepastdetermineswhoweare:hesuggeststhathe,andallthenovel'scharacters,arefundamentallyWesterners,andthusunsuitedtolifeintheEast.TheWest,thoughitwasonceemblematicoftheAmericandesireforprogress,ispresentedinthenovel‘sfinalpagesastheseatoftraditionalmorality,anidyllicheartland,incontrasttothegreedanddepravity〔墮落oftheEast.ItisimportanttonotethattheBuchananslivedinEastEgg,andGatsbyinWestEgg;therefore,ingazingatthegreenlightonDaisy'sdock,GatsbywaslookingEast.Thegreenlight,likethegreenlandofAmericaitself,wasonceasymbolofhope;now,theoriginalidealsoftheAmericandreamhavedeterioratedintothepursuitofwealth.IncommittinghisextraordinarycapacityfordreamingtohisloveforDaisy,Gatsby,too,devotedhimselftonothingmorethanmaterialgain.InFitzgerald‘sgrimversionoftheRoaringTwenties,Gatsby’sruinbothmirrorsandprefigures〔預(yù)示theruinofAmericaitself.SymbolismTheGreenLight〔00：03：10,00：18：20,00:31:48It'smostobviousinterpretationisthatthelightissymbolicofGatsby'slongingforDaisy,butthatistoosimplistic.Daisyispartofit,butthegreenlightmeansmuchmore.Gatsbyhasspenthiswholelifelongingforsomethingbetter.Money,success,acceptance,andDaisy.Andnomatterhowmuchhehas,heneverfeelscomplete.Evenwhenhehashislargehousefullofinterestingpeopleandalloftheirattention,hestilllongsforDaisy.SothegreenlightstandsforallofGatsby‘slongingsandwants.AndwhenNicktalksaboutthegreenlightattheendofthebookhesays"Iteluded〔躲避usthen,butthat'snomatter-tomorrowwewillrunfaster,stretchourarmsoutfarther".它從前逃脫了我們的追求,不過那沒關(guān)系——明天我們跑得更快一點(diǎn),把胳臂伸得更遠(yuǎn)一點(diǎn)……Heconnectsthegreenlighttoallpeople.Everyonehassomethingthattheylongandsearchforthatisjustoffinthedistance.Thatisthegreenlight.TheeyesofT.J.Eckleburg〔00：09：00,01：10：16Theseeyesarefromabillboard<廣告板thatlooksoverWilson'sgarage.TheeyesarealwaysmentionedwheneverNickisthere.Theylookoverthesituation,objectively,butofferakindofjudgmentonthecharactersandtheiractions.TheyareplacednearWilson'sbecausethatiswheresomeofthemostselfishactstakeplace:Myrtle'sdeath,Tom'saffair.Allofthesecrimesgounpunished.Sotheyeyeslookonandremindthecharactersoftheguiltthattheyforgettohaveforwhattheyhavedone.EastandWestEggOneofthemostimportantthemesinthenovelisclassandsocialstanding.TomandDaisyliveontheEastwhichisfarmorerefinedandwellbred.NickandGatsbyareontheWestwhichisforpeoplewhodon'thaveanyrealstanding,eveniftheyhavemoney.ThegreenlightshinesfromtheEastEggenticing〔引誘Gatsbytowardswhathehasalwayswanted.AndDaisy,thewomanthatGatsbyhasalwayswantedbutnevergets,livesonEastEgg.Thebarrierthatthewatercreatesbetweentheseworldsinsymbolicofthebarrierthatkeepsthesepeopleapartfromoneanotherandfrommuchofwhattheywant.MajorThemesDecayDecayisawordthatconstantlycomesupinTheGreatGatsby,whichisappropriateinanovelwhichcentersaroundthedeathoftheAmericanDream.Decayismostevidentintheso-called"valleyofashes."FitzgeralddescribesabarrenwastelandwhichprobablyhaslittletodowiththeNewYorklandscapeandinsteadservestocommentonthedownfallofAmericansociety.ItseemsthattheAmericandreamhasbeenperverted<不正當(dāng)?shù)?GatsbylivesinWestEggandDaisyinEastEgg;therefore,GatsbylooksEastwithyearning,ratherthanWest,thetraditionaldirectionofAmericanfrontierambitions.Fitzgerald'simplicationseemstobethatsocietyhasalreadydecayedenough.ViolenceViolenceisakeythemeinTheGreatGatsby,andismostembodiedbythecharacterofTom.Heuseshisimmensephysicalstrengthtointimidate〔脅迫thosearoundhim.WhenMyrtletaunts〔嘲弄himwithhiswife'sname,hestrikesheracrosstheface.TheothersourceofviolenceinthenovelbesidesTomarecars.AnewcommodityatthetimethatTheGreatGatsbywaspublished,Fitzgeraldusescarstosymbolizethedangersofmodernityandthedangersofwealth.Theclimaxofthenovel,theaccidentthatkillsMyrtle,isforeshadowedbytheconversationbetweenNickandJordanabouthowbaddrivingcancauseexplosiveviolence.Theendofthenovel,ofcourse,consistsofviolenceagainstGatsby.ThechoiceofhandgunasaweaponsuggestsGatsby'sshadypast,butitissymbolicthatitishisloveaffair,nothisbusinesslife,thatkillsGatsbyintheend.ClassClassisanunusualthemeforanAmericannovel.ItismorecommontofindreferencestoitinEuropean,especiallyBritishnovels.However,thesocietiesofEastandWestEggaredeeplydividedbythedifference.GatsbyisawareoftheexistenceofaclassstructureinAmerica,Gatsbytriesdesperatelytofakestatus,evenbuyingBritishshirtsandclaimingtohaveattendedOxfordinanattempttojustifyhispositioninsociety.Ultimately,however,itisaclassgulfthatseperatesGatsbyandDaisy,andcements〔鞏固thelatterinherrelationshiptoherhusbad,whoisfromthesameclassassheis.WorldWarIBecauseTheGreatGatsbyissetintheRoaringTwenties,thetopicoftheGreatWarisunavoidable.ThewarwascrucialtoGatsby'sdevelopment,providingabriefperiodofsocialmobilitywhichquicklyclosedafterthewar.GatsbyonlycameintocontactwithaclassyyoungladylikeDaisyasaresultofthefactthathewasasoldierandthatnoonecouldvouchfor〔擔(dān)保whetherhewasupper-classornot.Thewarprovidedhimwithfurtheropportunitiestoseetheworld,andmakesomemoneyintheserviceofamillionaire.Gatsby'sopportunitiesclosedupaftertheendofthewar,however,whenhefounduponreturningtoAmericathatthesocialstructuretherewaseverybitasrigidasitwasinEurope.Unabletoconvinceanyonethatheistrulyupper-class<althoughhisparticipationinthewargavehimsomeleeway<借口aboutlying>,GatsbyfindshimselfunabletobreakintoEastEggsociety.TheDeclineoftheAmericanDreaminthe1920sOnthesurface,TheGreatGatsbyisastoryofthelovebetweenamanandawoman.TheGreatGatsbyisahighlysymbolicmeditationon1920sAmericaasawhole,inparticularthedisintegration<瓦解oftheAmericandreaminaneraofunprecedentedprosperityandmaterialexcess.Fitzgeraldportraysthe1920sasaneraofdecayedsocialandmoralvalues,greed,andemptypursuitofpleasure.Thedecadent〔頹廢partiesandwildjazzmusicinTheGreatGatsbyresultedinthecorruptionoftheAmericandream,astheunrestraineddesireformoneyandpleasuresurpassedmorenoblegoals.WhenWorldWarIendedin1918,thegenerationofyoungAmericanswhohadfoughtthewarbecamedisillusioned,asthebrutalcarnage〔大屠殺thattheyhadjustfacedmadethesocialmoralityofearly-twentieth-centuryAmericaseemlikestuffy,empty,hypocrisy.Apersonfromanysocialbackgroundcould,potentially,makeafortune,buttheAmericanaristocracy—familieswitholdwealth—scornedthenewlyrichindustrialistsandspeculators〔投機(jī)者.Americandreamwasoriginallyaboutdiscovery,individualism,andthepursuitofhappiness.Inthe1920sdepictedinthenovel,however,easymoneyandrelaxedsocialvalueshavecorruptedthisdream.Gatsby‘sdreamoflovingDaisyisruinedbythedifferenceintheirrespectivesocialstatuses,hisresortingtocrimetomakeenoughmoneytoimpressher.GatsbyinstillsDaisywithakindofidealizedperfectionthatsheneitherdeservesnorpossesses.Gatsby'sdreamisruinedbytheunworthinessofitsobject,justastheAmericandreaminthe1920sisruinedbytheunworthinessofitsobject—moneyandpleasure.Gatsbylongstore-createavanishedpast—histimeinLouisvillewithDaisy—butisincapableofdoingso.Whenhisdreamcrumbles,allthatisleftforGatsbytodoisdie;allNickcandoismovebacktoMinnesota,whereAmericanvalueshavenotdecayed.TheHollownessoftheUpperClassInthenovel,WestEgganditsresidentsrepresentthenewlyrich,whileEastEgganditsresidents,especiallyDaisyandTom,representtheoldaristocracy.Fitzgeraldportraysthenewlyrichasbeingvulgar,gaudy〔華而不實(shí),ostentatious〔賣弄的,andlackinginsocialgracesandtaste.Gatsby,forexample,livesinamonstrouslyornate〔華麗的mansion,wearsapinksuit,drivesaRolls-Royce.Incontrast,theoldaristocracypossessesgrace,taste,subtlety,andelegance,epitomized<概括、縮影bytheBuchanans'tastefulhomeandthewhitedressesofDaisyandJordanBaker.Whattheoldaristocracypossessesintaste,however,itseemstolackinheart,astheEastEggersprovethemselvescareless,inconsideratebullieswhoaresousedtomoney'sabilitytoeasetheirmindsthattheyneverworryabouthurtingothers.TheBuchanansexemplifythiswhen,attheendofthenovel,theysimplymovetoanewhousefarawayratherthancondescend<屈尊toattendGatsby'sfuneral.Gatsby,ontheotherhand,whosewealthderivesfromcriminalactivity,hasasincereandloyalheart,remainingoutsideDaisy'swindowu