On the Three Female Characters in The Great Gatsby.docx
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On the Three Female Characters in The Great Gatsby.docx
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OntheThreeFemaleCharactersinTheGreatGatsby
OntheThreeFemaleCharactersinTheGreatGatsby
20111151121潘思岑
1.Generalintroduction
The"Americandream"isauniqueculturalphenomenoninAmericanhistory,alsoisaeverlastingthemeinAmericanliterature.Fitzgerald,mostgoodatwritingabout"Americandream",isagenuineauthorbornunderAmericancultureandthe"Americandream".FitzgeraldisoutstandinginliterarycirclesintheUnitedStatesalongwithHemingway,Faulkner.TheGreatGatsbyistherepresentativeworkofFitzgerald,publishedin1925.BydescribingtheprotagonistGatsbypursuingtheAmericandream,achievingtheAmericandreamandeventuallybecomingakindofsacrificeduringtheprocessoftheAmericandream,thenovelcriticallyreflectedthecorruption,erosionandthestrongcriticismoftheAmericansocietyundertheaflashy,brightandexcitingsurface.ThisworkhasbeenpraisedasthemostprofoundcontemporaryAmericannovel,whichhasbeenrecognizedembodimentofcreativethinkingandartisticstyleofFitzgerald.Theauthorhimselfalsoacknowledgesthatthenovelishisconsciousartisticachievementfromcreativethinking.ItisGatsby,asoneofFitzgeraldprotagonistsinthenovel,whohasbeenatypicalfigureintheworldliterarygalleryandrecordedintothewesternliteraryclassic(114).
InTheGreatGatsbyFitzgeraldexquisitelyandaccuratelydepictsthe“jazzage”.Thethreeimportantfemaleimagesareparticularlyimpressive:
Gatsby'sdreamlover,DaisyBuchananfromanoblefamily,Daisy'sgirlfriend,alsoagolfplayerJordanBaker,andTomBuchanan'smistressMyrtleWilson.AsforJordanBaker whoalwayskeepsskepticalfortheworld,“thereareonly peoplejustpursuing and beingpursued, alsothebusyand leisureintheworld.”(107).Whatleadstothedecay andparasitic valuesforlife ofthesewomen, wethink, istheerathey livein.Inthenovel "TheGreatGatsby",Fitzgerald created 3different femalecharacterswithdifferentsocialclass,different culturebackground,different personality temperaments.Buttheyshareanimportantthingincommonthattheylivedependingonmanandtrytheirbesttorealizetheirlifevaluefromthepursuitofmen.Thissuggeststhatthedecadentparasiticlifestyleandconsciousnessofthesefemalecharactersinthefieldreflectsthefemalepsychologicalstructureandethicsofthe"jazzage".
AsMalcolmCowley,anAmericanliterarycritic,statesthatFitzgeraldhasbeeninfatuatedwithmoneywhenhewasyoung,butthenhebrokethepalewithluxuriouslifeandgotpoisonedbymoney.Sohehasaprofoundunderstandingofthevalueofmoneyandcanvividlydepicteda‘romanceofmoney’forupperclass(3).Admittedly, fromhisown experiencesandfeelings inthebook Fitzgeraldfocusesontheperformanceof the American tragedyand thetragedyofthetimes.
2.DaisyBuchanan
DaisyBuchanan,abeautifulandyoungrichwoman,wasNick'scousin,andwasalsoGatsby'slover.GatsbywonDaisy'sheartwithahandsomegentlemanimage,andtheyfellinlove.Daisypromisedshewouldalwayswaitforhim.Infact,GatsbywasinlovewithDaisyonpurpose,thatis,hewantedtosatisfyhisvanitytobeinlovewithsuchabeautifulgirl,andoncehegetDaisy'sheart,hefeltdull.HeevenoncewantedDaisytoendtherelationshipwithhim.Astheresultofwar,theywereseparated.ThismadeDaisyfeeltheinvisiblepressure.Justlikeothermillionsofwomen,Daisylikedtoenjoyanextravagantlife.ShewouldnotsacrificeherinterestsforGatsby’sso-calleddream.ItisbiasedforustothinkDaisyasamammonistonlybecauseshelovedmoney.MaybeitisrightforthatkindofpoorgirlswhoalwayswantedtobeaCinderella,butit’snotforher.Daisywasjustbornwithwealth.CharlotteGilman,afeministcritic,oncepointedoutthatintheboomingl920softheUnitedStates,theU.S.women'ssocialstatuswasstillundertheinfluenceofmalediscourse,thatwastosay,women'sfamilybackgroundandmaritalstatusdeterminestheirsocialstatus.Whenagirlwantedtogetasenseofsecurityonlythrougharespectablemarriage,Gatsbywaspoorandcouldn'tgiveherthisspiritualsecurity.Inordertopursuetrueinnerdesire,Daisyhadnosuchpowertoresistthepresentsystemonlybyherself.So,theonlythingshecoulddowastoresistsuchdisharmonyofhappinesswithanotherform.Intheend,sheendedtherelationshipwithGatsby,andchosetobeTomBuchanan'swife.However,becauseofTom'sselfishandmerciless,inotherword,itrepresentedanotherpatriarchalsystemandsuchmarriagewouldbeanightmareforDaisy.
WhenshetalkedabouthersituationtoNick,Daisysaid:
"Ithinkeverythingisbadinmylife."Seemingly,simplewordsrevealedherlostofinnerheart.Indeed,herlove,marriage,andevenherselfhaddeviatedfromthenormaltrack,whichmadeherlostherself.Soon,shefoundthatTom,vulgarandrude,treatemotionalrelationwithinfidelity.AlthoughshehadtriedtochallengetheauthorityofTom,alleffortswereinvain.
Inthenoisyl920s,divorcewasnotacceptedbythepublic,andthedivorcedwomenhadtobearmorepressureandcriticismthanmen.EvenifDaisycouldescapefromthecageofmarriage,itdidnotmeanthatDaisycouldgetspiritualfreedom.Withoutindependenteconomicrights,shemighteventuallyreturntofamily.Therefore,itwasreasonablethatDaisywasunabletobreakthroughlayersofobstructionforthepursuitofindividualfreedom.Althoughherhusband'sbehaviorwasunacceptable,theonlythingshecoulddowastopretendtograciouslyaccepttheso-called"happiness",becauseshehadnochoice.Forthis,whywasitnotasilentresistance?
Justasinthenovel,Daisycriedtoask:
“whatcanwedothisafternoon?
”
AsamodernfemaleinFitzgerald'swork,Daisyhadastrongfemaleconsciousness.Sheisarichandvividperson,andalsoavictimoftheemotionalinfidelity.Underherhypocrisy,sheownslove,mature,honestandisfullofromanticfantasy.Nodoubtthatshewastherepresentativeofnewwomen.Shedidn'twanttobecomeapregnanttool,andthelifearoundthekitchenalldaywasnotwhatshewanted.Whatshewantedwasdifferentfromthetraditionalwomen'smarriage,motherhoodandchangelessstateoflife.ThenovelfrombeginningtoendtreatsNickasthemainroletotellthewholestory.WhenNickandsheaccidentallytalkedaboutchildren,Daisydidn'tshowthepassionandexcitementinhereyes,butsaidcalmly,"ifIdonotguesswrongly,sheshouldhavebeentalkingandcouldeatanything.Iwishsheisafool–Ithinkitisthebestwayoutforagirlintheworldasaprettyidiot."Daisyknewthatconsciousnessandrestraintmadeherfeeltangledandconfused,andmoredeeplyknewtheweakpositionofwomeninthepatriarchalsociety.Ifherdaughterclearlyrealizedhersituationinthefuture,andwasunabletopursueownfreedomandhappiness,thenshewouldliveapainfullifelikeher.So,suchwordsshesaidcanpreciselyreflectastrongmaternaltendernessofwomantoherchildren,reflectthehardchoicesforwomenunderthepatriarchalsystem,andalsoexpresshercriticismofthepatriarchalsystemandadisguisedformofresistance.
3.Jordan
Jordanisamiddle-classwomanwithgreatconcentrationupward.Intheeyesofreaders,JordanBakerisaninsouciantwomanwhodidn'tcareabouteverythingparticularly.Ifthecolorwithcodingmeaningincultureisusedtoshowpersonalitycharacteristics,Daisyisthered-Bengal,whileJordanischrysanthemumyellowcomingfromamiddle-classfamily.Thepursuitoffameandwealthwasburiedinherindifferentface.Jordanwasasmartwomanshecanplayanyrolethemomentitneededtobeandworeapairofmaskwithherarrogance.Attheageof16,sheconsideredDaisyasthelargestadmirersofalloldergirlsbecauseDaisyownedthewealthandstatuswhichshecouldn’tequalto.Atthesametime,“DaisywasthemostpopularMissLouisville”(58).Actually,herworshipofDaisywastheworshipoffameandwealth.Itwasalsotherealreflectionofhermoneyworshipandvanitypsychology.
DaisyinfluencedJordanconstantlyuntilshegrewupwhichcouldbeseenfrommanyplacesinthebook.WhenJordanappeared,sheandDaisyweredressedinawhitedresslikeabigballoonfloatinginspacewiththewhitegauzedancinginthewind”(8).WhenvisitingDaisywithGatsbyandNick,herdaughtersaid:
“auntJordanisalsowearingawhitedress”(90).WhenJordanrecalledDaisy’sgirlhood,shespecificallymentioned“sheiswearingawhitedressdrivingawhitecar.”(58).Thiswhitecodingmeaningmeanstheunityofpurenobilityandugly-humble,goodandevil.Itliesbetweentherightandwrong,thevirtualandreal,whichexpressestheFitzgerald'sthemistysenseoffemaleandtheDaisy’sprofoundinfluenceonJordan.Inotherwords,DaisywaswhatJordandesiresforlife.
However,intherelationwithDaisy,sheinvoluntarilyfeltakindofdepressionandlowself-esteem--thiswasincontrasttoDaisy‘sinherentsenseofthesuperiority.Althoughwithbeauty,JordanlackedthecharmasDaisythatisirresistibletothemale.Inaddition,shealsocouldn’tequaltoheronwealthandstatus.Golferasacareerletherdeeplybeawareofthefierceandcruelcompetition.Inthecompetition,shebyhookorbycrookordespicablyintendedtogainthevictory.SheobviouslyseemedtobemuchmoreagedthanrosyDaisylivinginthegreenhouseandneverkeptthealreadyfadingdreamsinherheartoneyearafteryear (92).Shebravelychosetostraighttothetarget.Asaresult,shelostalotofsensibilitiesandlingeringthatDaisyrevealeddistinctively.
Moreover,Jordanwasaquiterealisticcharacterfromthebeginning.Thisrealityals
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