盖茨比美国梦的幻灭透视现实生活中的爱情

1、盖茨比美国梦的幻灭 一透视现实生活中的爱情AbstractThe great Gatsby lived in the period of the First World War, whe n people were suspicious about the traditi onal no tio ns and inten ded to break out them .In the no vel, Daisy is a woma n who was born in a rich family, and she always lives a luxuria nt life of the upper

2、 class. Obviously, the pers on who wants to get her love must have eno ugh money to offer her a luxuria nt life .In order to make his America n Dream come true, which is to win Daisy, Gatsby tries every possible means in cludi ng illegal trade of alcohol to make a fortune. However, whe n Gatsby help

3、s Daisy to escape from the accide nt successfully, and mistake nly be murdered by the husband of Tom' s mistress, his American Dream is broken. There is nothing left to himafter his death, his wealth no Ion ger means anything, and Daisy does not come back to him, either.This thesis based on an a

4、nalysis of the break of Gatsby' s American Dream in the novel The Great Gawhich was writte n by Fitzgerald and published in 1925. From the an alysis, we can have a view about the relati on ship betwee n love and money of the characters in the no vellove is closely conn ected withmon ey. And the

5、n accord ing to the status quo in reality, it draws a con clusi on that there is a close relati on ship betwee n love and money in reality. I n sum, it is an an alysis of the relati on ship betwee n love and money in reality according to the break of Gatsby' s American Dream.Key Words:The Americ

6、a n Dream; love; mon ey; disillusi onment摘要 了不起的盖茨比生活在一战期间，这时候人民对传统观念持怀疑态度并且在渐渐的打破这些观念， 传统意义上的美国梦也被歪曲了。在小说中，戴西是个出身富裕家庭，从小过着舒适的生活的女人，要想获得她的爱情，就必须有足够的金钱为她提供一个美好的生活。为了实现自己的美国梦，赢得 戴西，盖茨比通过各种手段赚钱，包括在禁酒期间非法运酒。但是，当盖茨比帮助戴西成功逃脱那 场车祸，并被误认为是凶手被杀害的时候，他的美国梦破灭了。在他死后，没有任何东西是属于他 的，他所有的财富对他来说已经没有任何意义，而戴西也没有回到他身边。从盖茨

7、比美国梦的幻灭，可以得出一个结论，他们的爱情和金钱是密切联系着的。这篇文章通过对菲次杰瑞德于1925年出版的小说了不起的盖茨比中盖茨比美国梦的幻灭的分析，对小说人物间的爱情和金钱的关系有了一个初步的认识一一爱情和金钱是紧密联系的。本文结合小说和现实中存在的现状，得出在现实生活中，爱情和金钱是密不可分的结论。总的来说，文章是在 对了不起的盖茨比美国梦的幻灭的分析的基础上，透视了现实中的爱情和金钱的关系。关键词：美国梦，爱情，金钱，破灭In troduct ionThe First World War in flue need the America n Dream which was han d

8、ed dow n from the older gen erati ons, and people were suspicious about the traditi onal no ti ons and started break ing out them. At that time, nihilism and hedonism were formed, and the pursuit of material-luxury made people feel alien and cool. Youthful gen erati on who lived in that period looke

9、d forward to a ki nd of luxuria nt life; therefore, they bought cost thin gs, took part in extravaga nt parties, and looked dow n upon others who were poor and so on.The Great Gatsby is a love story writte n by F. Fitzgerald about the life which the youth lead at that time,and it mainly describes Ga

10、tsby's quixotic passi on for Daisy Bucha nan, which is the symbol of hisAmerica n Dream .In the no vel, 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 winDaisy. The

11、Great Gatsby is a realistic dem on strati on of the ruin of the America n Dream, because GatsbyAmerican Dream is to have more money than TomDaisy ' s husband who is so rich that he can doeverythi ng he likes and he can also offer Daisy a better life, and fin ally wins Daisy' s loGatsby can n

12、ot make his American Dream come true is not because that he doesnt the ' t do his best, biAmerica n Dream he pursues is the love of Daisy, who was born in a rich family and always lives a luxuria nt life from the time she was born. However, Gatsby comes from an unfortun ate farm family inNorth D

13、akota, and it is n ot easy for him to live a higher sta ndard life, not men ti on to afford the extravaga nt life of Daisy.When Gatsby becomes a milli on aire and he has the finan cial ability to give Daisy a better life, Daisy takes much no tice of him in deed and she really has the thought to be i

14、n love with him aga in. Unfortun ately,Gatsby ' s American Dream is broken quickly when he is dead and Daisy, does not feel any sadness but only happ in ess, leaves for ano ther city with his husba nd. There is someth ing separates them from each other, and it is wealth and social status. If Gat

15、sby has much money in the very beg inning, they may have bee n together and lives happily ever after. According to the break of Gatsby' s American Dream, theiin reality that love and money have a close relatio nship.I. I ntroducti on to FitzgeraldF. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) is best known for

16、 his no vels and short stories which chron icle the excesses of America's Jazz Age duri ng the 1920s, and he was born in St. Paul, whose family was con sidered socially prominent and gen teelly poor. Fitzgerald was both a victim and a kee n onio oker, of the extravaga nt gaudy of the Jazz Age. H

17、is fictional world was the best embodime nt of the spirit of the America n society in which he showed a particular in terest in the upper class, since they felt excused from seek ing the com mon good.To plug into their pers onal adve ntures, they not only en gaged themselves in casual sex and heavy

18、drinking, but also spe nt money extravaga ntly and enjoyed themselves to their hearts' content. However, btheir masks of relaxati on and joviality there was only sterility, meanin gless ness and futility and amid the gran deur and extravaga nee, a deni able junta positi on of appeara nee with re

19、ality, of the prete nee of gaiety with the tension underneath, is easily re cognizable in Fitzgerald' s novels and吴建ies.2002,6: 17)First published in 1925, The Great Gatsby met with excelle nt reviews, with T.S.Eliot being among the firstto comment on the book, calling it the first step that Ame

20、rican fiction has taken si nee Henry James ' . F.Scott Fitzgerald died believi ng himself a failure. The obituaries were con desce nding, and he seemed desti ned for literary obscurity. The first phase of the Fitzgerald resurrectio n-"revival" does n ot properly describe the process-oc

21、curred betwee n 1945 and 1950. By 1960, he had achieved a secure place among America's en duri ng writers: The Great Gatsby, a work that seriously exam ines the theme of aspirati on in an America n sett ing, defi nes the classic America n no vel.Almost every one of America n writers has touched

22、on the theme of America n dream, but as far as the breadth and depth, no one is equal to F. S. Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby is the model of America n dream in the history of America n literature.II. Analysis of Gatsby' s AmahoanIn differe nt social and historical backgro un ds, the con cepts of

23、America n Dream are differe nt, and for differe nt people, they have differe nt un dersta ndings of America n Dream and the ways to pursue their America n Dream are also various. As for Gatsby, the symbol of his final America n Dream is to win the love of Daisy. However, owing to the fact that Gatsb

24、y is subject to their differe nt social status and life styles, his America n Dream is doomed to be a failure.A. America n Dream in Differe nt Social and Historical Backgro undsThe America n Dream arose in the colonial period and developed in the nin etee nth cen tury, based on the assumpti on of ea

25、ch pers on, no matter what his origi n was, could succeed in cha nging their social positi ons and making their dreams come true through their own efforts, and gett ing n ew, free and better life. This is what often called "American dream". (Zhao Hongwei,2003,6:2 ) American dream is a popu

26、lar belief that hard work will bring forth America's bounty in the form of material well-be ing, a coun ter culture that rejects traditi onal thi nking while promoti ng their own causes, in formati on explosi on, reverse discrimination- in the workplace because so many employers are hiring women

27、 and minorities. It idea that the America n way of life offers the equal possibility of un limited econo mic, social, etc. One can always work their way up from the rags to riches just like Abraham Lincoln, 16th Preside nt of the US.In brief, the main content of America n culture was emphasis on in

28、dividuals' value, optimistic, purs uing of democracy and freedom, the promoti on of deportati on and competiti on and the n eed of realism and practicality.However, i n differe nt historical backgro un ds, the meanings of America n Dream are also differe nt from each other. I n Colo nial period,

29、 America n Dream was the crying for wealth; and in the later 18th cen tury, people ' s America n Dream was to fight for democracy; America ns had a great fan tasy for expa nsion in the Civil War period; in the First World War, the America n Dream is to pursue luxuria nt life, and in the 2nd Worl

30、d War, the America n Dream is to achieve higher sta ndard of life.The World War I cast the young men into an age of alie nati on and disse ntie nt. They en tered the War with n aive and bli nd patriotism and un der the sloga n of World peace and democracy. Retur ning from the war, these idealized in

31、 tellectuals felt separated by their war experie nee from conven ti onal ideals and values of their homes. The econo mic bloom has decepti on afflue nee on the promis ing young men, not only destroyed their lives, but also destroyed their early innocent believes. Many excelle nt young men found it d

32、ifficult to adapt to the after-war overflow of materialism. Scien tific adva nces caused in crease in in dustry, which brought vast cha nges to the character of America n society. Millio ns of America ns were no Ion ger content to follow former patter ns and there was a rebelli on aga inst the false

33、 ness of society as represe nted by Victoria n gen erati on.To many people, World War I was a tragic failure of old values, of old politics, of old ideas. The social mood was ofte n one of con fusi on and despair. Yet, America ns en tered a decade of proprietary and exhibiti onism that prohibit the

34、legal ban aga inst alcoholic beverages, did more to en courage tha n to curb. Fashi ons were extravaga nt; more and more automobiles crowed the roads, advertis ing flourished; and n early every America n home had a radio in it. Roads swept the n ati on, people danced the Charlest on, and they sat up

35、on the flagpoles. The only thi ng for the youth who lived in that period to pursue was material wealth, and luxuria nt life.In order to show off the wealth, many people in upper class also held big parties in weeke nds. In those parties, there were every ki nd of people who were also famous or rich,

36、 and such ki nd of party were so extravaga nt that the reas on people took part in it was to know more rich people and in dulged them in luxuria nt life. They were look ing forward to havi ng more money and the n lived a better life, which was much more extravaga nt. I n such a special period, there

37、 was a fact that the pers on who had more money and lived a more extravaga nt life would be respected much more and have more frien ds. On the other hand, the pers on, who n either had money nor fame, would be looked dow n upon by others, not men ti on to live a better life or have a true love from

38、ano ther. Whatever their America n Dream was, the only way and first thing they should do was to earn eno ugh mon ey. Without mon ey, there was no achieveme nt, i ncludi ng love.Self-made and self- inven ted millio naire Jay Gatsby who lived in the period of the First World War embodies some of Fitz

39、gerald's, and his coun tries, most abidi ng obsessi ons: mon ey, ambiti on, greed and the promise of new begi nnin gs. At that time, almost every one of the youth had an America n Dream for themselves. And all the people in cludi ng immigratio n and poor people had a desire and regard for a perf

40、ect life. Such a perfect life should be full of big house, much mon ey, delicious food, cost cars, as well as freedom. Every one had a differe nt idea for his or her America n Dream; every one' s America n Dreabe totally differe nt from each other; that is what makes them all in dividuals. The d

41、ream may differ in that some people wan ted to work hard and had finan cial success, or others might just want to have eno ugh food and in come to survive, and made their life simple, healthy and happy.（邓年刚，潭素钦 ,1997, 1: 1）However, there was a com mon truth that every one who lived in that period ac

42、tually had an America nDream and eager to achieve it and every one has an America n Dream which is to have a good opport unityto realize pers onal dream.B. Gatsby ' s Pursuit of American DreamFrom the novel The Great Gatsby, there is a knowledge that Gatsby' s American Dream is to win daislo

43、ve, and everythi ng he spares no effort to do is to rega in the love of Daisy .In order to make his America n Dream come true, Gatsby not only gets money from illegal trade of alcohol, and he also does everyth ingDaisy asks him to do in cludi ng scarify his precious life.1. Gatsby ' s American D

44、reamAs for the great Gatsby, his America n Dream is to have much money and the n 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 mon ey, at least has more money tha n Tom, should he win Daisy' s love. So it is reas on a

45、ble for him to pursuematerial 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 milli on aire, but he has an un savory reputati on of the past and he is much suspicious by many people who have enjoyed in his parties about his wealth. Gatsby has little connection wit

46、h the social stratum which he con tacts, and n obody knows the ways he gets so much mon ey. Some say he did illegal trade, some say he had killed some one, or he is the n ephew of William Second. However, he is always a Ion ely pers on, although he has extravaga nt parties freque ntly and there are

47、so many rich and famous people from all around the world come to take part in his parties and even they are proud of havi ng see n him once. But the only thi ng he really wan ts to achieve is to rega in the past whe n he is in love with Daisy, and this is the symbol of his America n Dream, too. （Zhe

48、ng Chen ggo ng, 2002,3: 5）Gatsby ' s attempt to achieve his American Dream which iio recapture the love of Daisy Buchanan whom he had known five years before the action of the novel begi ns, whe n he is a young and poor officer in the Un ited States army and Daisy is a young un married woma n, w

49、ho used to live a luxuria nt life with much money and great fame. And the only way should Gatsby make his America n Dream come true is to get a lot of money which is much difficulty for a no rmal soldier to earn. He does all the things Daisy asks him to do. And n obody can do this out of reas on. In

50、 order to win Daisy, Gatsby dare to have illegal trade of alcohol to make a fortune, because he clearly knows that he must offer Daisy a better life which is luxuria nt if he wants to win Daisy. Through his great effort, he gets much money authe ntically although it is from illegal bus in ess.Gatsby

51、's success in fortune is great, his strong will of love and achievi ng life goal is also great; he becomes the big n ame of the society, and becomes the upper class's deputy. Every one is glad to come to his party, every one admires his property, and every one wants to be his friend, even Da

52、isy has take n much no tice of him and falls in love with him aga in. Gatsby is also great whe n he loses his life in order to protect Daisy from the accide nt.However, the falli ng of his America n Dream, that Daisy goes together with her husba nd to ano ther city happily while Gatsby is murdered m

53、istake nly, improves that all his great characterizes means nothing. In other words, Gatsby ' s final American Dream, which is to win Daisy, is totally a fai（杨慧群,2002, 5: 3）Furthermore, whe n Gatsby died, no one tur ns up for his fun eral, though hun dreds of people have eate n at his place. It

54、is a sad comme nt on huma n n ature that whe n a man dies, he is alone, absolutely alone. The only things that accompa ny him are his good deeds especially those done spontan eously and without expectations. And the saddest thing is that Daisy, doesn' t feel any regret or sorrow for Gatsbygone t

55、raveli ng with his husba nd Tom. There is nothing left for Gatsby. All the things of his life have gone with his death, in cludi ng his wealth and love.From the above analysis of Gatsby' s American Dream, there is a conclusion that whatever it is broken ornot, Gatsby ' s American Dream is to

56、 get as much money as he can even tghroui/ery illegal means, and the n he can have the econo mical stre ngth to achieve his final goalwin the love of Daisy.2. Gatsby ' s Efforts in Achieving his American DreamGatsby was born in a poor family in the Middle West, but whe n he is a boy he has an am

57、biti on to win wealth and positi on depe nding on his in tellige nee and dilige nee. During the time of servi ng in the army, Gatsby is in love with Daisy who is in a big and rich family. And in his eyes, Daisy' s livinbeauty are the very ideal incarn atio n that Gatsby is dream ing of. But the

58、relati on ship betwee n them are not possible, because he does n' t have eno ugh money to afford Daisy a luxuria nt life, and later on Daisygets married with the rich and in flue ntial Tom Bucha nan. Gatsby believes that it is money which makes her leave him, so he determ ines to be rich. After

59、several years -imposed hardships,satsby become wealthy and successful by illegal operati ons, and his faithful belief in ideal love which is the symbol his America n Dream.When he could get the admissi on with the help of mon ey, he buys a villa sta nding for wealth and in the opposite site of Daisy

60、's mansion; also it's a kind of sile nee call of Daisy. He holds gra nd banq uet in his villa day and ni ght to attract Daisy to come and intends to rega in their past lov ing days, and succeeds in retrievi ng Daisy's love aga in. From the luxuria nt ball, people could see the luxury and squa nder of Gatsb