论文正文 定稿.docx
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论文正文 定稿.docx
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论文正文定稿
APreliminaryAnalysisofGatsby'sFuneralintheGreatGatsby
Introduction
FrancisScottKeyFitzgeraldwhowasbornin1896anddiedin1940wasanauthorofnovelsandshortstoriesinAmerican.HecamefromapoorfamilyinSaintPaul,Minnesota.HeiswidelyregardedasoneofthegreatestAmericanwritersofthe20thcentury.Heisalsoamemberofthe“LostGeneration”ofthe1920s.In1920,hisfirstnovelThisSideofParadisewaspublished,whichmadehimfamous.Later,hefinishedthreenovels,TheBeautifulandDamned,TenderIstheNightandTheGreatGatsby.Afifth,unfinishednovel,TheLastTycoonwaspublishedposthumously.Fitzgeraldalsowrotemanyshortstories,likeFlappersandPhilosophers,TalesoftheJazzAgeandAlltheSadyoungMen.ButhismostfamousnovelwasTheGreatGatsby.ThepublicationofthisnoveldecidedhispositioninAmericanliterature,becauseitcriticizedtheupperclass’sselfishnessandperemptorinesslikeTom,andsuggestedthatthereasonsthatleadtoGatsby’stragedywerehisillusionaboutlifeandloveandthelackofcognitionabouttheupperclass.Inthisnovel,theauthorsuccessfullymoldedanambitiousbutinnocentfigureGatsby.“FitzgeraldwasoneofthegreatstylistsinAmericanliterature.T.S.EliotreadTheGreatGatsbythreetimesandconcludedthatitwas‘thefirststepthatAmericanfictionhastakensinceHenryJames’”(ChangYaoxing,1990:
292)
ThisessaywillanalyzeGatsby’sfuneralfromtheperspectiveofhumanity,loveandfriendship.Gatsbyisapersonwholivedaluxuriouslifebeforehisdeath.Butwhenhedied,peoplerefusedtocometohisfuneral,whichreflectedpeople’sindifferenceandcoldness.Daisythathelovedforhislifetimeescapedwithherhusband.Nickwastheonlyonethatlefttoarrangeeverything.Thepaperconsistsoffiveparts.Thefirstpartbrieflyintroducestheauthorandthenovel.ThesecondpartwillintroducethesocialbackgroundandmaincontentoftheGreatGatsby,thesimilaritiesofFitzgerald'sandGatsby'slife.ThethirdpartanalyzesGatsby’sfuneral.ItdiscussesthosepeoplewhocometoseeGatsbybeforehewasinterredandtheconclusionofthehomicidetrial.ItespeciallymentionedGatsby’sfather.Thefourthpartdiscusseshumanity,loveandfriendshipreflectedfromhisfuneral.Thelastpartcomestotheconclusion.Accordingtothisthesis,wewillunderstandpeople’sindifferenceandcoldnessatthattime.Intheireyes,ifyoucouldprovidethemwithwhattheywanted,youwereaso-calledfriend.Ifyoucouldn’t,youwerenothing.Inaddition,iteducatesusthatifwehaveadreamwhichdoesn’tfollowthetrendofthetimes,itwon’tcometrue.
1.LiteratureReview
1.1SocialBackgroundandMainContentoftheGreatGatsby
TheFirstWorldWarplayedareallyimportantroleinAmericansociety.Duringthewar,comparedwithothercountries,thelossofAmericacouldbeignored.Asformaterials,theUSAwasabigwinner.Intheaspectofeconomy,Americansocietyenjoyedunprecedentedlevelsofprosperity,becauseheprovidedthetwosidesinvolvedinthewarwithmunitions.Americachangedhimselffromadebtorcountrytoacreditorcountry.Inpoliticsandmilitary,Americabecamemuchmorepowerful.Therefore,theFirstWorldWarwasthebaseofthefollowingtenyears’prosperityofAmerica.
WiththeterminationoftheWorldWarI,IsolationisminAmericaappearedanew,whichmade1920sanerasymbolizingtherapiddecadenceofidealism.Americanswerefedupwithcomplicatedsituation,adventuresanddream.TheexperienceofjoiningtheFirstWorldWarbroughtpeopleasenseofdisappointmentanddisillusionment,madeAmericansbelievethatitwasnouseinterferingintheinternationalaffairs.In1920s,peoplebegantolosetheirancestors’goodhabitsandindulgedinvariouskindsofentertainment,suchaseating,drinkingandsoon.Theyabandonedthetraditionalindustriousnessandthriftyandbegantoenjoylifegradually.Mostpeople,includingtheyouth,devotedthemselvestotheenjoymentofeaseandcomfort.Intheiropinion,thepursuitofmaterialsequaledthepursuitofthedream.Theyregardedwealthasthesignofsuccesssothattheytriedeverypossiblemeanstogainmoney,whichleadtothedegenerationofspirit,thecorruptionofmoralityandthedisillusionmentofdreams.
TheGreatGatsbytoldusatragicstorywhichhappenedintheRoaringTwentiesthatistheJazzAge.TheheroGatsbywasapooryouthfromtheMidwest.HefellinlovewithabeautifulgirlcalledDaisywhocamefromawealthyfamily.However,hewassopoorthathecouldn’tmarryher.Sowhenhewenttothewar,Daisywasmarriedtoarichyoungman,TomBuchanan.Gatsbyfeltsosad,buthedecidedtowinherback.Heengagedhimselfinbootleggingandotherillegalactivities,sohemadealotofmoneytobuyamagnificentimitationFrenchvillaatWestEgg.InhisvillahespreaddazzlingpartieseveryweekendhopingthattheBuchananswouldcome.Atlast,theycameandGatsbymetDaisyagain.Buttohisdisappointment,thewomanbeforehimwasnottheidealloveofhisdream.Asenseoflossanddisillusionmentcameoverhim.WhenTomexposedtheillegalsourceofGatsby'sfortune,DaisyimmediatelychoseTomwithouthesitation.Later,DaisykilledawomanwhohappenedtobeTom'smistress.SheandTomplottedtoshifttheblameonGatsby.Intheend,thiswoman'shusbandshotGatsbyandtheBuchanansescaped.
1.2RelationshipbetweenFitzgerald'sandGatsby'slife
FromthisnoveltheGreatGatsby,wecanfindthattherearemanyconnectionsbetweenthewriterFitzgeraldandGatsbyandmostofthemaresimilar.Firstofall,theyhavethesamebackground.BothofthemcamefromtheMidwest.“F.ScottFitzgeraldwasborninSt.Paul,Minnesota.Hisfamilywasconsideredsociallyprominentandgenteellypoor”.(WuWeiren,1990:
222)Gatsbyalsocamefromapoorfamily.Sotheybothexperiencedthehardshipthatimpoverishedthem.Meantime,theyoncejoinedtheFirstWorldWar,whichmadethemboredwiththetangledlife.
Secondly,theybothfellinlovewithawealthygirl,andinordertogaintheirlove,theytriedtheirbesttoearnmoneytosatisfythesegirls’vanity.Fitzgeraldconcentratedonwritingnovels.Afterthesuccessofhisfirstnovel,hemanagedtomarryZeldaSayre.However,whenGatsbymadeenoughmoneytolivealifehewanted,Daisyhadbeenother’swifeandnomatterwhatwaysheused,hecouldn’twinhislostloveback.
Thirdly,whentheygotrich,bothofthemwereaddictedtoluxuriouslife.Theyspenttheirlifeinanaimlessandself-indulgentway.ForFitzgerald,“theyswaminpublicfountainsinNewYork,rodetopartiesonthehoodsoftaxis,foughtwithwaitersanddancedondiningtables.Lifehadbecomealongcocktailparty.”(WuWeiren,1990:
222)AsforGatsby,heoftenheldpartiesonhisown.“EveryFridayfivecratesoforangesandlemonsarrivedfromafruitererinNewYork---everyMondaythesesameorangesandlemonslefthisbackdoorinapyramidofpulplesshalves.”(Fitzgerald,1992:
41)Theybothworshipedmoney,actuallybecausethepowerofmoneywassogreat.Itcouldbringthemfashion,elegance,fascinationandsocialstatus.
Inaddition,theywerenotonlyparticipantsbutalsobystandersintheirtime.Likeotherpeople,theywereindulgedinvariousextravagantlife,butatthesametime,theywerefedupwiththiskindoflife.“Fitzgeraldwasessentiallyatwentiesperson.Hewaspartofitandeventuallydiedwithit.Insideheknewitwell.Outsidehesawitironically.”(ChangYaoxin,1990:
293)
Lastbutnotleast,bothofthemendedupwithatragicfinalresult.
Batteredbytheillnessofhiswife(inthe1930sZeldabegantosufferaseriesofmentalbreakdowns),byhisownalcoholism,andbythefailureofhiswriting….Hecontinuedtoengageinperiodicdrinkingboutsandgrewseriouslyill.InNovember1940hesufferedaheartattackandasecondoneamonthlater.OnDecember21,1944hedied.(WuWeiren,1990:
223)
AstoGatsby,hewasshotbyWilsonbecauseDaisyandTomshifttheblameonhim.Hebecameascapegoatandexactlysacrificedhimselfforhislovedream.Tohissadness,DaisyabandonedhimandescapedtoEuropewithTom.
1.3PreviousstudiesontheGreatGatsby
ChengHao(2006)inhisessay“TheLoveDestinedtoaTragedy---onthesourceoftragedyoftheprotagonistinTheGreatGatsby”,providesthereasonswhyGatsbywaskilledbyWilson.HesaystherealfactorsthatleadtoGatsby’stragedyaretheclassgapbetweenDaisyandGatsby,Daisy’sgiddyandwantoncharacter,andtheunreachable”AmericanDream”whichisharboredinGatsby’smind.YangHuiqun(2002)in“CommentonFitzgerald’sNoveltheGreatGatsby”thinksthatthisnovelexposestherepresentativefigures’humannatureoffalseness,indifferenceandselfishnessunderthecultofgold-worship’strend.WhenGatsbydied,fewpeoplecametohisfuneral.ItwasreallyliketheChinesesaying“Powergone,adulationgone”.MaRuiqingandRenShujing(2007)intheir“TheAnalysistotheDeathoftheGreatGatsby”pointouttheeconomicpropertyandspirituallostofAmericanaftertheFirstWorldWarandthevanishofthe”AmericanDream”representedbytheyouththroughtheanalysisofthetragicfateoftheprotagonistGatsby.YangLiandXuYingguo(2009)intheir“AnIronicLoveStory---Death,LoveandSocialRealityinTheGreatGatsby”claimsthatinthisnovelthewriterFitzgeraldusesdeathtomeasureloveandexposesthedarknessandunfairnessofthesocialreality.Bydiscussingtherelationshipamongtheprotagonist’sdeath,hisloveandthesocialreality,itsuggeststhatthesocialrealitydecidespeople’sopinionsonlove.Meanwhile,thechoicethattherolesmakewhentheyfac
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