攀枝花学院本科毕业论文 Introduction
Introduction
The First World War influenced the American Dream which was handed down from the older generations, and people were suspicious about the traditional notions and started breaking out them. At that time, nihilism①and hedonism② were formed, and the pursuit of material-luxury made people feel alien and cool. Youthful generation who lived in that period looked forward to a kind of luxuriant life; therefore, they bought cost things, took part in extravagant parties, and looked down upon others who were poor and so on.
The Great Gatsby is a love story written by F. Fitzgerald about the life which the youth lead at that time, and it mainly describes Gatsby's quixotic passion for Daisy Buchanan, which is the symbol of his American Dream. In the novel, the character Gatsby is overwhelmed by only one thing that he does not possess, that is to be loved. Gatsby’s love for Daisy is real and strong, and he can do everything to win Daisy. The Great Gatsby is a realistic demonstration of the ruin of the American Dream, because Gatsby’s American Dream is to have more money than Tom——Daisy’s husband who is so rich that he can do everything he likes and he can also offer Daisy a better life, and finally wins Daisy’s love. The reason that Gatsby can not make his American Dream come true is not because that he doesn’t do his best, but the American Dream he pursues is the love of Daisy, who was born in a rich family and always lives a luxuriant life from the time she was born. However, Gatsby comes from an unfortunate farm family in North Dakota, and it is not easy for him to live a higher standard life, not mention to afford the extravagant life of Daisy.
When Gatsby becomes a millionaire and he has the financial ability to give Daisy a better life, Daisy takes much notice of him indeed and she really has the thought to be in love with him again. Unfortunately, Gatsby’s American Dream is broken quickly when he is dead and Daisy, does not feel any sadness but only happiness, leaves for another city with his husband. There is something separates them from each other, and it is wealth and social status. If Gatsby has much money in the very beginning, they may have been together and lives happily ever after. According to the break of Gatsby’s American Dream, there is a truth in reality that love and money have a close relationship. .
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I. Introduction to Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) is best known for his novels and short stories which chronicle the excesses of America's Jazz Age during the 1920s, and he was born in St. Paul, whose family was considered socially prominent and genteelly poor. Fitzgerald was both a victim and a keen onlooker, of the extravagant gaudy of the Jazz Age. His fictional world was the best embodiment of the spirit of the American society in which he showed a particular interest in the upper class, since they felt excused from seeking the common good. To plug into their personal adventures, they not only engaged themselves in casual sex and heavy drinking, but also spent money extravagantly and enjoyed themselves to their hearts’ content. However, beneathing their masks of relaxation and joviality there was only sterility, meaninglessness and futility and amid the grandeur and extravagance, a deniable junta position of appearance with reality, of the pretence of gaiety with the tension underneath, is easily recognizable in Fitzgerald’s novels and stories. (吴建国, 2002,6: 17）
First published in 1925, The Great Gatsby met with excellent reviews, with T.S.Eliot being among the first to comment on the book, calling it the first step that American fiction has taken since Henry James’. F. Scott Fitzgerald died believing himself a failure. The obituaries were condescending, and he seemed destined for literary obscurity. The first phase of the Fitzgerald resurrection--\does not properly describe the process--occurred between 1945 and 1950. By 1960, he had achieved a secure place among America's enduring writers: The Great Gatsby, a work that seriously examines the theme of aspiration in an American setting, defines the classic American novel.
Almost every one of American writers has touched on the theme of American dream, but as far as the breadth and depth, no one is equal to F. S. Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby is the model of American dream in the history of American literature.
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II. Analysis of Gatsby’s American Dream
In different social and historical backgrounds, the concepts of American Dream are different, and for different people, they have different understandings of American Dream and the ways to pursue their American Dream are also various. As for Gatsby, the symbol of his final American Dream is to win the love of Daisy. However, owing to the fact that Gatsby is subject to their different social status and life styles, his American Dream is doomed to be a failure.
A. American Dream in Different Social and Historical Backgrounds
The American Dream arose in the colonial period and developed in the nineteenth century, based on the assumption of each person, no matter what his origin was, could succeed in changing their social positions and making their dreams come true through their own efforts, and getting new, free and better life. This is what often called \（Zhao Hongwei,2003,6:2）American dream is a popular belief that hard work will bring forth America's bounty in the form of material well-being, a counter culture that rejects traditional thinking while promoting their own causes, information explosion, reverse discrimination----in the workplace because so many employers are hiring women and minorities. It’s the idea that the American way of life offers the equal possibility of unlimited economic, social, etc. One can always work their way up from the rags to riches just like Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the US.
In brief, the main content of American culture was emphasis on individuals' value, optimistic, pursuing of democracy and freedom, the promotion of deportation and competition and the need of realism and practicality.
However, in different historical backgrounds, the meanings of American Dream are also different from each other. In Colonial period, American Dream was the crying for wealth; and in the later 18th century, people’s American Dream was to fight for democracy; Americans had a great fantasy for expansion in the Civil War period; in the First World War, the American Dream is to pursue luxuriant life, and in the 2nd World War, the American Dream is to achieve higher standard of life.
The World War I cast the young men into an age of alienation and dissentient.
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They entered the War with naive and blind patriotism and under the slogan of World peace and democracy. Returning from the war, these idealized intellectuals felt separated by their war experience from conventional ideals and values of their homes. The economic bloom has deception affluence on the promising young men, not only destroyed their lives, but also destroyed their early innocent believes. Many excellent young men found it’s difficult to adapt to the after-war overflow of materialism. Scientific advances caused increase in industry, which brought vast changes to the character of American society. Millions of Americans were no longer content to follow former patterns and there was a rebellion against the falseness of society as represented by Victorian generation.
To many people, World War I was a tragic failure of old values, of old politics, of old ideas. The social mood was often one of confusion and despair. Yet, Americans entered a decade of proprietary and exhibitionism that prohibit the legal ban against alcoholic beverages, did more to encourage than to curb. Fashions were extravagant; more and more automobiles crowed the roads, advertising flourished; and nearly every American home had a radio in it. Roads swept the nation, people danced the Charleston, and they sat upon the flagpoles. The only thing for the youth who lived in that period to pursue was material wealth, and luxuriant life.
In order to show off the wealth, many people in upper class also held big parties in weekends. In those parties, there were every kind of people who were also famous or rich, and such kind of party were so extravagant that the reason people took part in it was to know more rich people and indulged them in luxuriant life. They were looking forward to having more money and then lived a better life, which was much more extravagant. In such a special period, there was a fact that the person who had more money and lived a more extravagant life would be respected much more and have more friends. On the other hand, the person, who neither had money nor fame, would be looked down upon by others, not mention to live a better life or have a true love from another. Whatever their American Dream was, the only way and first thing they should do was to earn enough money. Without money, there was no achievement, including love.
Self-made and self-invented millionaire Jay Gatsby who lived in the period of the First World War embodies some of Fitzgerald's, and his countries, most abiding
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攀枝花学院本科毕业论文 Body
obsessions: money, ambition, greed and the promise of new beginnings. At that time, almost every one of the youth had an American Dream for themselves. And all the people including immigration and poor people had a desire and regard for a perfect life. Such a perfect life should be full of big house, much money, delicious food, cost cars, as well as freedom. Everyone had a different idea for his or her American Dream; everyone’s American Dream may be totally different from each other; that is what makes them all individuals. The dream may differ in that some people wanted to work hard and had financial success, or others might just want to have enough food and income to survive, and made their life simple, healthy and happy.（邓年刚，潭素钦, 1997, 1: 1）
However, there was a common truth that everyone who lived in that period actually had an American Dream and eager to achieve it and everyone has an American Dream which is to have a good opportunity to realize personal dream.
B. Gatsby’s Pursuit of American Dream
From the novel The Great Gatsby, there is a knowledge that Gatsby’s American Dream is to win daisy’s love, and everything he spares no effort to do is to regain the love of Daisy. In order to make his American Dream come true, Gatsby not only gets money from illegal trade of alcohol, and he also does everything Daisy asks him to do including scarify his precious life.
1. Gatsby’s American Dream
As for the great Gatsby, his American Dream is to have much money and then win Daisy, who is in love with Gatsby five years ago but now is the wife of rich Tom. Gatsby thinks that only if he has much money, at least has more money than Tom, should he win Daisy’s love. So it is reasonable for him to pursue material wealth in order to win the love of Daisy.（克罗蒂亚·罗思·皮埃罗庞, 2004, 7: 2）
Gatsby is a young millionaire, but he has an unsavory reputation of the past and he is much suspicious by many people who have enjoyed in his parties about his wealth. Gatsby has little connection with the social stratum which he contacts, and nobody knows the ways he gets so much money. Some say he did illegal trade, some say he had killed someone, or he is the nephew of William Second. However, he is always a lonely person,
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盖茨比美国梦的幻灭——透视现实生活中的爱情
