英语专业论《了不起的盖茨比》中美国梦的破灭学位论文.docx
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英语专业论《了不起的盖茨比》中美国梦的破灭学位论文.docx
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英语专业论《了不起的盖茨比》中美国梦的破灭学位论文
论《了不起的盖茨比》中美国梦的破灭
(英语语言文学专业)
学生吴桂贤指导教师杨苒苒
《了不起的盖茨比》是美国著名作家菲茨杰拉德的代表作品,该书确立了他在文学史上的重要地位。
小说讲述的故事发生在一战后的美国。
作者采用第一人称讲述了主人公盖茨比一生追求梦想,最后梦想在残酷的现实中破灭的过程。
在一次偶然机会中中,尼克(即小说叙述者)结识了靠非法贩卖私酒而发横财的大富翁盖茨比。
盖茨比起初是个穷中尉,在入伍前与尼克表妹黛西热恋,然而黛西嫁给了富家子弟汤姆。
富裕后的盖茨比对黛西仍然魂牵梦萦,为了引起黛西的注意在其对面买下豪宅,并想尽一切办法与之见面。
但冰冷的现实已经让人们的性格冷漠,精神空虚。
在金钱和物质的强大压力之下,爱情之火被浇灭,而生前风光无限的盖茨比落下被枪杀,没有人前来参加葬礼的悲剧下场。
本论文试图从以下三个方面来探讨盖茨比的悲剧命运即“美国梦”的最终破灭。
一、20世纪20年代美国的社会文化背景解读;二、主要人物性格特征分析;三、美国梦破灭的必然性。
关键词:
了不起的盖茨比;美国梦;破灭;社会文化;人物性格
ABSTRACT
TheGreatGatsbywaswrittenbyFrancisScottFitzgeraldwhoiswidelyregardedasoneofthegreatestAmericanwritersofthe20thcentury.ItissetonLongislandinNewYorkCityfromspringtoautumnin1922.
ThenoveltakesplacefollowingtheWorldWarOne.IttellusadoomedtragedyofGatsby—amanwhochasedafterhis“Americandream”inhislifetime.Eventuallyhisdreambrokedownunderthestressofthecruelworld,andalsothemangotintodespairtowardsloveandhisdream.
AtfirstGatsbywasapoorlieutenant.HebecamearichmanbysmugglingalcoholandthenarratorgottoknowGatsbybyaccident.GatsbyfellinlovewithagirlnamesDaisy,butshemarriedamillionaireTom.Gatsby,inordertoattractDaisy,heboughtavillafacetofacewithDaisy’s.AndhesparednoeffortstodatewithDaisy.However,becauseofthecruelnessoftheworldandthecoldheartofpeople,hefailedinchasinghislove.Finallyhewasshotdeadandalmostnooneattendedhisfuneralthoughhiswaspopularwhenalive.HisdeathisatragedyandindicatesthebreakdownofTheAmericandream.
ThisthesisattemptstoanalyzethefactorscausingthebreakdownofTheAmericandreamintheGreatGatsbyfromthreeaspects:
theAmericanculturalbackground,mainfigures’charactersandinevitabilityofthebreakdownofAmericanDream.
KeyWords:
TheGreatGatsby;AmericanDream;Breakdown;CulturalBackground;MainFigures’Characters
Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………1
PartOneTheAmericanCulturalBackground……...………2
1.1BriefIntroductionofFitzgerald’slife…………………..........…2
1.2TheAmericanCulturalBackground……………….……………3
1.3ALookintotheAmericanDream………………………………3
PartTwoPersonalityofMainCharacters……...……………5
2.1Gatsby’sPersistenceandNaivety……………….............……5
2.2TheCouple’sSelfishnessandSnobbishness……………............7
2.2.1AMaterialist-Daisy………………...................................................7
2.2.2AManfromtheUpperClass-Tom………..…………………….…..8
PartThreeDisillusionoftheAmericanDream…….………….10
3.1AnalyzingTragediesofTwoClasses…...…………………...10
3.2TheInfluenceoftheAmericanDreamonGatsby…….…….…11
Conclusion………………………………………………………...13
Notes………………………………………………………………14
Bibliography……………………………………………………....16
Acknowledgements…………………………….…………………18
Introduction
Asfaraseverybodyknows,ScottFitzgerald①isanoutstandingwriteroftheJazzAge.AndalsohisnoveltheGreatGatsbywhichwasamasterpieceinhisprimetimeiswidelyacceptedallovertheworldanditispopularallthetime.So,numerousscholarsandexperts,nomatterdomesticorabroad,havestudieditformanyyearsandproducedmanyworkslikeonTheIndicationsintheGreatGatsbybyChinesescholarsQinZeandGaoFen②.SomeotherpeoplefocusedonthenarrationstructureoftheGreatGatsby,onthedoubleeffectsofNickandanalyzingmainfigures’charactersinthestoryandeventhetragicdestinyofGatsby.However,thereisstillanimportantthemeinthestorywehaven’tanalyzeddeeplybefore.ThatistheAmericandream,essenceofAmericanculturewhichhasbeenrootedinthecountry.AstheGreatGatsbywasanautobiographyofFitzgerald,itreflectedtheAmericansocietyof1990sprofoundly.Soit’sworthanalyzingtheAmericandreamfromthenovel.
However,aplentyofmeaningfulproblemsremainunresolvedfornoworkfocusontheAmericandreamsystematically.NoonehasdeconstructedtheoriginandtheessenceoftheAmericandream.Ifthetragicendingisacombinationofthecruelsocietyandtheinfluenceofthemaincharacters’personalities,thequestionis“HowdidthecruelsocietyandtheirpersonalitiesinfluenceGatsby’sdestiny?
”
IreadtheEnglishandChineseversionsoftheGreatGatsbyseveraltimes.ThenIdidcollectrelatedmaterialsfromprofessors’thesisandontheinternet.Inthisthesis,Iattempttodosomeresearchandanalyzetheproblemsgivenabovebasedontheplotofthenovelandonthesocialrealitythen.
PartOneTheAmericanCulturalBackground
1.1BriefIntroductionofFitzgerald’slife
FrancisScottFitzgeraldamemberofthe“LostGeneration”③andanAmericanauthorofnovelsandshortstoriesstandsamongthegreatestAmericanwritersofthe20thcentury.Hewasnotarichstudentbutaboyofunusualintelligenceanddrivewithakeenearlyinterestinliterature.Hismotheronceensuredthathersonhadalltheadvantagesofanupper-middle-classupbringing.Soheachievedalotinliteraturelikenovelsandshortstories.HismostimportantworkistheGreatGatsby,tosomedegreeasemi-autobiographicaloneinhiscareer.AsIhaveemphasizedbefore,helivedinthe20thcentury,rightaftertheWorldWarOne."Youareallagenerationperdue④"TheAmericanfamouswriterHemingwayputit.Henceaterm“TheLostGeneration”cameouttorefertoagroupofyoungpeoplewhocametheageoftheperiodfromtheendofWorldWarItothebeginningoftheGreatDepression.Thelitterateursduringthattimesharedsomethingincommonoftheirspiritworld:
confusion,emotionalemptinessandsoon.ThereisnoexceptionwithFitzgerald.Sinceherosetofameovernightwithhisfirstworkpublished,hegetmarriedaeminentgirlwhowasyoungandfairlyattractiveandtheywerethenviewedasthesocalledperfectcouple.ThecouplewasactiveinthesocialcircleoftheNewYorkCityandofcoursedrewmuchattentionoftheupperclass.Hewasabsolutelyabsorbedinhisearlysuccess,theshininglifewithhisfriendsandhislove.Theymadethemoneyflyandenjoyedthelifefreely.WhenIrecalledthesceneofthebigpartydepictedintheGreatGatsby,Icouldn’thelpconnecttheauthor’sreallifestylewiththelifeinthebooknaturally,why?
NowIsee,thelifeofFitzgeraldandpeopleinhisdayshasbeenreflectedinthenovelcompletely.ThelifestyleGatsbyandthewriterhimselfsharedmuchincommon.Thatistosay,theauthorputtherealityintogoodusetoaccomplishhisliterature.
1.2TheAmericanCulturalBackground
The1920sintheUnitedStateshasbeencalledtheRoaringTwenties⑤orthe“LostGeneration”or“JazzAge”⑥.TheRoaringTwentieswasdescribedasaperiodofmaterialsuccessandspiritualfrustrationbysomecriticswhoobservedthegreedyandmoneyworshipofpeopleofthistime.TheaverageAmericaninthe1920sbecamemoreenamoredofwealthandeverydayluxuries.
Itwasaneraofgreateconomicgrowthandprosperitydrivenbygovernmentgrowthpolicies,aboominconstruction,andtherapidgrowthofconsumergoodssuchasautomobiles.TheeconomyoftheU.S.hadsuccessfullytransformedfromawartimeeconomytoapeacetimeeconomy.TheUnitedStatesaugmenteditsstandingastherichestcountryintheworld,itsindustryalignedtomassproductionanditssocietyacculturatedintoconsumerism.Tothisend,therewereaplentyofchallengesandpotentialopportunitiesallowingtheaveragepersonsinbornwithriskyspiritandeagernesstomakeasmallfortune.Therefore,itwasquiteeasyforGatsbytodocommercialbusinessparticularlytheillegalsmugglingwhichsweptacrossthewholenationandthroughthiswaymanynouveaurichesemerged.Withoutexception,Gatsbyrosetofameandmoneyovernight.
Therewassomethingworthyofbeingmentionedaboutpeople’snotionofthisera.Realizingsomanyopportunitiesinthepost-wartimeandthegovernment’sstimulatingpolicies,peopleareyearninggreedilyformaterialsuccess.Inconsequencetheyignoredthedevelopmentofspirituallife.Theywereboldtoconductillicitdealslikesmugglingliquor.Gatsby,asaliquorsmuggler,succeededwithafastpacethenherosetotheupperclass,boughtavillafacedwithDaisy’sbuilding.
Ashissuccesscamefast,thefailurealsoclosedtohimimmediatelywhenhewasshotdead.Undertheexcessivegrowthofthenation’seconomy,hisdreamwaslikefoamsinthedeepseathatwereattractivebutfilledwithillusion.Soatacertainmomentthedreamwasboundtobreakdownlikethefoams.Oncethedreambrokedown,theillusionwoulddisappearforever.
1.3ALookintotheAmericanDream
TheAmericanDream⑦isasignificantpartintheAmericanculturesincethebirthofthenation.Itevenrepresentsthenationalspirits.TheAmericandreamisanationalethosoftheUnitedStatesinwhichfreedomincludesapromiseofapossibilityofprosperityandsuccess.Itderivedfromthecolonialtimeanddevelopedinthe19thcentury.HereisthedefinitionoftheAmericanDreambyJamesTruslowAdams⑧in1931,‘lifeshouldbebetterandricherandfullerforeveryone,withopportunityforeachaccordingtoabilityorachievement”regardlessofsocialclassorcircumstancesofbirth.TheideaoftheAmericanDreamisrootedintheUnitedStatesDeclarationofIndependencewhichproclaimsthat“allmenarecreatedequal”andthattheyare“endowedbytheirCreatorwithcertaininalienableRights”including“Life,LibertyandthepursuitofHappiness.ItwaslaterquotedbymanyU.S.presidentslikePresidentBarackObama⑨tocheeruppeople.(加注与引号再仔细检查下)
Soanypeoplenomatterpoororrich,regardlessoftheplacesoftheirbirth,byhardworkingandintelligencewillaccomplishthegoals,willmakeadifference.Onceyouhavecapability,youcanrealizeyo
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- 了不起的盖茨比 英语专业 了不起 盖茨 美国 破灭 学位 论文
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