《了不起的盖茨比》中对盖茨比的研究

AStudyofGatsbyinTheGreatGatsby1.IntroductionFitzgeraldisa20thcenturyAmericanwriterandscreenwriter.HewasbornonSeptember24,1896inSt.Paul,Minnesota.Hisfatherisafurnituredealer.Hetriedtowritethescriptwhenhewasyoung.Aftercompletinghighschool,hewasadmittedtoPrincetonUniversity.Atthetimeoftheschool,heonceorganizedatroupeandwroteamanuscriptfortheliterarypublicationsoncampus.Becauseofthepoorhealth,hedroppedoutofschool.Thenhejoinedthearmyin1917andwasbusywithmilitarytrainingallthetime.Hewasinsistingonwritingafterretiring.In1920,hepublishedthenovelParadiseonEarth,whichmadehimbecomefamous.Afterthepublicationofthenovel,hemarriedZelda.HelivedinPariswithhiswifeandmetmanyAmericanwriterssuchasAndersonandHemingway.In1925,TheGreatGatsbycameout,whichestablishedhispositioninthehistoryofmodernAmericanliterature.Hebecameaspokespersonforthe“JazzAge”inthe1920s.Inthe1920s,whenthemajorityofAmericansbegantotrulyfeelthematerialbenefitsofWorldWarI,theyeagerlypursuedwealthandenjoymentwithunprecedentedenthusiasm.Theybelievedthattheywereindulgedinoneofthemostbrilliantandsplendidtimeinhumanhistory,andbelievedthatthiserawouldcontinueindefinitely.Thesocialstructureandpeople’sbehaviorandpsychologyhadundergoneprofoundchanges,themiddleclasshadexpandedrapidly,personalconsumptionhadexpandedandthelifestylehadchanged,andpeople’smoralvaluesalsohadchanged.TheprotagonistJayGatsbywasapoorfarmerinNorthDakota.Hedreamedofbeingabigman.Aftersomehardwork,hefinallysucceededandchangedhisoriginalnametoJayGatsby.Whenhewasinthemilitarytrainingcamp,hefellinlovewithDaisy,whocamefromthesouth.Butwhenhereturnedfromoverseasafterwearingthemilitarymedal,Daisyalreadymarriedastrong,extremelywealthybutrudeguyTomBuchananfromChicago.Gatsbystillimmersedinthedreamoflove.Heworkedhardandbecameamillionairefromapoormilitaryofficerfinally.HeboughtafancyvillaoutwestofLongIsland,andtheBuchanancouplelivedintheeast.Hishousewaslitupeverynight,andlotsofguestsdrankalcoholthere.Hisonlywishwastoseetheloverwhohadbeenseparatedfromhimforfiveyears.Whentheyreunited,Gatsbythoughtthattimecouldbereversed.Butovertime,hefoundthatDaisywasnottheonewhowasonceinhisdreams,butthisdisillusionmenthadnotlastedlong.Daisykilledherhusband’smistressbydrivingcar,thenTomblamedGatsby.Gatsbywasfinallykilledbymistake,andDaisyevendidn’tcometothefuneral.NarratorNicksawthroughthecrueltyandevilintentionsofthewealthyupperclass,leavingNewYorkandreturningtothehometownoftheMidwest.Asarealisticandcriticalwork,TheGreatGatsbyisbasedonthe“AmericanDream”.Gatsbyisavictimofthetime.Henotonlysacrificeshisownlife,butalsosymbolizesthesameyoungpeoplewhoalsohaveanAmericandream.Theywillcertainlyexperiencehardshipsandobstaclesinthepursuitoftheirdreams.StudyingtheimageofGatsbyhasthefollowingsignificance:First,throughthein-depthinterpretationoftheprotagonistGatsby’simage,peoplecandeepentheirunderstandingoftheworkofTheGreatGatsby.Second,studyonGatsby’simmatureviewsonmoneyandlovehasprofoundwarningsignificanceforcontemporaryyouth.2.LiteratureReviewThispartwillfocusonthepreviousstudyanditslimitationsontheimageinterpretationofGatsby.2.1PreviousstudyontheGatsby’simageinterpretationTheGreatGatsbyisoneofthemostinterestingworksofFitzgerald.However,atthebeginningofthepublicationofthenovel,itwastreatedcoldlybythecritics.Itwasonlyinthe1960sthattheworkgraduallybecamethenewfavouriteofthecritics,andwaseventuallyregardedasoneofthemostrepresentativeworksbyFitzgerald.Inthepastfewyears,theresearchonTheGreatGatsbyinthewordhasgonethroughalongandpainfulprocess.Thecriticshaveinterpretedanddissectedthethemes,styles,metaphors,symbolsandsoonofTheGreatGatsbyfromvariousaspects.T.S.Eliot,amostinfluentialEnglishcritic,praisedthenovelasthefirststepthatAmericanfictionhastakensinceHenryJamesinhiscorrespondencewithFitzgerald.SincethefamousProfessorWuNingkunfirsttranslatedTheGreatGatsbyintoChinesein1983,moreandmoreChinesescholarsprobedintothisnovel.Someofthemanalyzeditssymboliccolors,itssubjectanditsformsofart.AlsosomepeopleanalyzedGatsby’stragedy.WangWeipingbelievedGatsbywasaromanticdreamerwhodevotedhislifetorealizinghisdreams.FromallresearchersaboutF.ScottFitzgerald’sfamousnovelTheGreatGatsby,wecanconcludethatTheGreatGatsbyisagreatnovel,anddifferentpeoplecanhavedifferentpointsofview.ButwecanseethattheseresearchersmainlyfocusontheAmericandream,symboliccolorsandlanguage.TherearefewpapersrelatedtothesubjectofGatsby’simageinterpretation.Intheaspectofcharacteranalysis,mostofthemanalyzedthefemalecharactersfromtheperspectiveoffeminism,whiletherewaslittleresearchonmaleprotagonistGatsby.2.2LimitationsofpreviousstudyontheimageinterpretationTheGreatGatsbyisaworkofgreatsignificance.Thestudyoftheworkabroadisquiteimpressive,whilethedomesticresearchisrelativelyweak.Becauseitinvolvesaspecialsocialperiod,thepredecessorsmoretendtofocusonitssocialsignificanceinthestudy.Inaddition,Daisyasamajorfemaleroleinthiswork,mostscholarswillchoosetoanalyzehercharacterfromtheperspectiveoffeminism.ThetragicendingoftheprotagonistGatsbyinthisworkgivesthereadermoreimpressionthanhischaracter,andpeoplearemoreinclinedtoresearchtherootofhistragicfate.Therefore,althoughtheresearchofTheGreatGatsbyisnumerous,thepapersandmonographsdonotsystematicallyrefertotheanalysisofcharacter,sotherearefewbibliographiestoreference.3.TheImageInterpretationofGatsbyInterpretationofaperson’scharactercanbedoneinmanydirections,suchasgrowthandlivingenvironment,appearance,personalitytraits,values,etc.ThesecharacteristicshaveanindelibleimpactonGatsby’stragicfate.3.1ThecharacterofGatsbyOnthesurface,Gatsbywasarichman.Heworeexpensiveclothesanddrankexpensivewine.Heheldabusyballeveryday.Helivedacolorfulandenviablelife.However,Gatsbywasactuallylonely.Hehadcountlessmoney,andpeoplewhovisitedhimeverydaywereendless.HelivedintheupperclassoftheUnitedStates.Allofthesegreatlysatisfiedhisvanity,andheseemedtobeawinneroflife.Butitisliketheroughwavesunderthecalmlake,everythingisnotasbeautifulasitseemsonthesurface.Actually,Gatsbyalwaysknewhewaslonely.Althoughthereweremanyguestseverynight,hejuststoodwatchingfromadistance.Heknewthesepeoplecameherejustfortheparty,andtheydidnotcareaboutwhoheldtheparty.Whenthepartywasover,peopleallleft.Gatsbywastheonlyoneholdingaglassofwineagainstthebighouseinamess.Atthattime,hecouldfeelthelonelinessfromhisheart.Besides,Gatsby’slanguagecanalsoreflecthisloneliness.Gatsbyrepeatedlyusesthe“oldsport”inthebook.Thetermisaslang,whichisaspokenformthatisgenerallynotusedinformaloccasions.Friendsandacquaintancesusuallyuseslangtodrawclosertoeachother.Thewordappearedinthebookaboutthirtytimes,mostofthemappearedinthedialoguebetweenGatsbyandNick.WhenGatsbyfirstmetNick,heused“oldsport”tosayhello.Thisappellationisnaturalandclose.ItshowedthatGatsbywantedtodrawclosertoNick.ThiswordreflectsGatsby’sinnerloneliness,andnooneintheluxuryteamregardshimasafriend.Untiltheendofthestory,Gatsbywaskilledbymistake.OnlyNickcametohisfuneral.Andnoneofthosepeoplewhohadonceattendedhispartycame.Thusitcanbeseen,Gatsbywaslonely.Henevermadetruefriendsallhisshortlife.Thosepeopledidnotthankhimforhishospitality.Instead,thereweremanyunkindcommentsonhimwhentheyknewhedied.So,Gatsbywaslonely.Then,anothercharacterofhimisself-abasement.Gatsbywaslivingintheupperclassandhavingmoneybeyondnumber.But,hewasnotanoblemanfromhisbirth.Allthesehonorswereearnedbyhislaterefforts.AccordingtoFitzgerald’sdescription,theprotagonist,Gatsbywasapoorfamily’sboyfromNorthDakotawhogrewupdreamingofbeingabigshot.Afterthat,heworkedhiswayupandchangedhisoriginalname,butactuallyGatsbywasnothisoriginalname.Firstofall,incurrentsociety,thenameisamarkofoneperson.It’samarkforotherpeopletorememberyou.Forexample,whenpeoplementionMaoZedong,weallknowwhothispersonis.Maybenotallofuscanrememberhisappearance,buthisnamewastiedtohisdeeds.Thenameisjustlikealabel,weusuallygettoknowapersonbyhisname.So,Gatsbywantedtogetridofthelabelthatmarkedhewasapoormanatthebottomofthesociety.WhenpeopleorhisparentscalledhimJames(Gatsby’soriginalname),hefeltinferior.Itwaslikepeoplewerecallinghimpoorghost.AfterthedeathofGatsby,hisfathercametothefuneralandbroughtGatsby’schildhooddiary,whichrecordedhisstrictschedule.Inaddition,healsobrokeoffrelationswithhisoriginalfamily.Hewantedtogetoutofhispoverty,hispoorfamily,hislowsocialstatusbychanginghisname.FromtheperspectiveofthenarratorNick,Gatsbytriedhardtodresshimselfuplikearichman.WhenhemetNickforthefirsttime,hewasafraidthattherumorsfromthoseguestsmisledNick,sohecouldn’twaittointroducehisownlifeandgreatachievementstoNick.“IamthesonofsomewealthypeopleintheMidwest--alldeadnow.IwasbroughtupinAmericabuteducatedatOxford,becauseallmyancestorshavebeeneducatedthereformanyyears.Itisafamilytradition”(Fitzgerald,1925:65).NickthoughtthatGatsbywasambiguouswhenhetalkedabouthisstudyatOxford.GatsbytoldNickaboutthedaysafterheinheritedhisfamily.Perhapshewastooeagertoprovehimself,sohiswordswereverysuspicious.“WithaneffortImanagedtorestrainmyincredulouslaughter.TheveryphraseswerewornsothreadbarethattheyevokednoimageexceptthatofaturbanedcharacterleakingsawdustateveryporeashepursuedatigerthroughtheBoisdeBoulogne”(Fitzgerald,1925:66).3.2Gatsby’sviewonmoneyGatsbywasapoor-bornguy.Hewaseagertogetridofpovertywhenhewasjustalittleboy.Therefore,whenhewasateenager,helefthometojointhearmy.Whenhejoinedthearmy,hemetabeautifulgirlfromtherichfamily,Daisy.AndquicklyfellinlovewithDaisy,butthegapinstatusandwealthmadehimunabletostaywithDaisy.Andevenafterthewar,DaisymarriedtherichmanTom.Thefrustrationoflovemadehimrealizehowimportantwealthis,hewasdisplacedbecauseofpoverty,helostloverbecauseofpoverty,andhewasbulliedbecauseofpoverty.Therefore,allthesekindsofreasonmakeGatsbyamoney-firstgolddigger.Gatsby’sdistortedvalueswereformedinthecontextofthetime.First,thewarmadeGatsbyseparatefromDaisywhenhewasinastronglove,whichmadeGatsbymadatDaisy’sloveandproducedaseriesofcrazyideas.Daisylosthersenseofsecuritybecauseofthewar,andbegantoregardmoneyasasourceofsecurity,andmarriedTom,whowasbornintherichfamilybutwhosecharacterwascorrupt.Second,theeconomydevelopedrapidlyafterthewarandgraduallyenteredthestableperiodofcapitalistdevelopment,thecommunityalsohadthesenseofprosperity.However,capitalismhadalsocausedadisparitybetweentherichandthepoor,whichhadbroughtaboutgreatunfairnessinsociety.Stockspeculationhadmadethesocialatmosphereimpetuous,causingthetransformationanddistortionofpeople’sconceptofmoney.Gatsby,wholosthislover,enteredthissocialtrendafterreturningtohiscountryandbeganspeculatingtoearnmoney.Undertheinfluenceofthesocialtrend,hebelievedthatmoneywasomnipotent,andcouldhelphimsolveallproblemsandwintheloverback.Gatsbywasclearlyaccustomedtousingmoneyasawaytoachievehisgoals.Inthebook,GatsbyaskedNicktohelphimtomakeanappointmentwithDaisysecretly.Thiswasoriginallyaneasyhelpbetweenfriends,butGatsbywantedtothankNickwithmoney.Firstofall,duringtheconversation,GatsbyfirstunintentionallymentionedthathewouldhelpNickrepairthelawn.Then,GatsbyaskedaboutNick’sworkandincome,andofferedNickachancetomakemoney.ButatNick,thiswaydidn’tmakepeoplefeelcomfortable.“Irealizenowthatunderdifferentcircumstancesthatconversationmighthavebeenoneofthecrisesofmylife,But,becausetheofferwasobviouslyandtactlesslyforaservicetoberendered,Ihadnochoiceexcepttocuthimoffthere”(Fitzgerald,1925:84).AfterGatsbyknewthatDaisyhadmarriedarichman,hedecidedtofightforDaisyashisdream.ButalthoughGatsbyalwaysinsistedonhisdreams,hispurelovedreamswouldeventuallychangewiththechangesinDaisy’sviewsonlife.InsteadofsayingthatGatsbywaspursuinghisownlove,it’sbettertosaythathewaspursuingofmoney.Secondly,Daisyhadbeencompletelyassimilatedbythematerialismofthetime.Sheneededmoneytogainasenseofsecurityandpride,andlivealifethatshethoughtwascomfortable.Inordertowinherlove,Gatsbyhadtodoeverythinghecouldtomakemoremoney.Theluxuriousscenesofthecastle’sgrandballeveryweekendwereintoxicating,thebrightlylitmansionilluminatedthenightsky,thefountaininthefrontpoolofthemansioncreatedawonderfulwatercurtain,andtheparkinglotwasfilledwithvehiclesfromNewYork.ThenightsceneletuswitnessthesuccessofGatsby,hisdreamaboutwealthfinallyrealized.Hesquanderedthemoneyalot,justtolettheflamesofthesewealthburntheeyesofDaisy,so,actuallyGatsbybecameathoroughmoneyworshipper,andhealwaysfeltthatmoneywassupreme.3.3Gatsby’sviewonloveFitzgeraldusedaplaintexttotellalovestorythathasnothingtodowithgettingrichorinspiration.Thisisaninfinitelysadandsentimentalstory.FromGatsby,peoplecanseetheobsessionandblindnessofamanwhoisobsessedwithlove.Thiskindofobsessioncanbereflectedinthreedetails.First,inordertoregainattentionofDaisy,Gatsbydidnothesitatetospendmuchmoney.Gatsbyheldaballinhiscastleeveryweekend.Peoplefromallwalksoflifecametoparticipateinhisparty,whereitseemedtohavegatheredalltheglitzofNewYorkinthatera.WhatGatsbydidwasnotforself-distraction,buttoattracttheattentionofDaisywhowaskeentoparticipateinsuchdances.Heinsistedonholdingsuchadanceparty,completelyignoringthesquanderingofmoney,andcompletelyexpectingareunionwithDaisy.ThesecondwasGatsby’sembarrassingperformancewhenhemetDaisyagain,highlightinghisattachmenttolove.GatsbydecoratedNick’shomeintoabloomingworld,waitingfortheappearanceofDaisy.Duringthepassageoftime,Gatsbykeptmovingandseemeduneasy.Gatsbyreadthebookcarelessly,lookingoutofthewindowfromtimetotime,andthefootstepsofthemaidinthekitchenwouldmakehimnervous.Whenheheardthecarhornfromoutsidethedoor,Gatsbyjumpedupinshock.ThesedetailsexplainedGatsby’stension,andthistensionhighlightedhishighattentiontoDaisy.WhenNickledDaisyintotheroom,hewassurprisedtofindthatGatsbywasgone.Atthistime,therewasaknockonthedoor.NickopenedthedoorandsawGatsby,whowasdrenchedbyheavyrain.Aftercreatinganatmosphereofencounter,Gatsbywaslikealittleboywhohadneverbeenintheworld,andheseemedtobeatalossinfrontofhissweetheart.Hisclumsinesswasmoreconducivetohisattachmenttothislovethananyotherlanguage.ThethirdwasthatGatsbyputtheresponsibilityofthecaraccidentonhisshoulderstoprotectDaisy,andthisbehavioronceagaininterpretedhispersistenceandblindnesstothislove.WhenNickaskedGatsby,henaturallyadmittedthatthewomanwaskilledbyhim.Gatsbyaccidentallysaid,“Everythinghappenedtoosuddenly,shetried”,butimmediatelychangedandsaid“Itried”,sothatcarefulNickdiscoveredthetruth.EveninfrontofNick,whowasbothhisownfriendandDaisy’scousin,Gatsbystilltriedtocoverupthetruthoftheaccident.ItcanbeseenthatGatsby’sloveforDaisyhasreachedthepointwherehecandieforher.Theblindlovehadcoveredhiseyes,andhecouldnotseethetruth.Inthefaceoflove,Gatsbywasalwayswaiting.FromthetimehefoundDaisyattheendofthepier,andthegreenlightbehindher,hefellintoafirmbutpainfulwatch.Althoughthiswatchwasseensimplyfoolishbymanypeople.Heshouldhavehadagoodfuture,buthewasruinedbecausehewastoopersistentandblind.4.TheinfluenceofGatsby’scharacterandviewsonhisultimatefateGatsby’scharacterwasoneofthecausesthatledtohistragicfate.Gatsbywasnotapersonwhoeasilygaveuponadmiringwomen,untilGatsbydied,andhewasverypersistentinDaisy’slove.Hewastooinnocentandoversimplifiedeverything.Tosomeextent,histragicfatehadaconnectionwithhispersonalcharacterandhisvalues.4.1TheinfluenceofGatsby’scharacteronhistragicfateGatsby’sendingwasembarrassing.Awealthymanwhowastryinghisbesttoclimbfromthebottomtotheupperclass.However,hehadneverbeenabletogetridoftheinfluencefromhisoriginalfamilyandalwaysfeltself-abased.Actually,Gatsby’stragedyandtheflawsinhischaracterwereinseparable.Firstofall,GatsbywasaloyalpractitionerofthematerialsupremacyoftheAmericandream.Hebelievedthattheopportunityofcapitalistsocietywasequal,buthewasashamedtoadmithisoriginsandrefusedtofaceuptothefactthathewasadescendantofthepeasants.HechangedhisoriginalnametoJayGatsby,whichmeanttheelectofGod.Hebelievedthathecouldsqueezeintotheupperclassthroughhisownefforts.Therefore,nomatterwhatmeans,evenrelyingonillegalwaystogathermoney.Buthedidnotrealizetheinsidiousblackmailandhypocrisyoftheupperclass.Theycouldnotallowotherforcestosharetheirsenseofsuperiority.Intheireyes,therewasaqualitativedifferencebetweentheupstartandthehereditaryupperclass.Nomatterhowhereplacedthecar,howtodisguisehimself,hewasstillasmallpersonfromthebottomofthesociety.Besides,Gatsby’sunrealisticpersonalitytraitsweredestinedtoaddtragiccolortohislifeandlove.Inhiscognition,hethoughtthattheworldatthattimewastooidealistic.Heidealizedeverything.Hebelievedthataslongashehadthecouragetopursuethedreaminyoungage,whichwasbecomingamillionaire,andhewouldpursuehisfirstlovesuccessfully.ButtheinnocentGatsbylackedaclearunderstandingoftheupperechelonsoftheUnitedStates.Thedreamofbeinginnocentwasdifficulttoachieve.HeregardedDaisyashissimpledream.ButDaisy’sbackgroundandsocialcirclewereunpredictablefortheyoungGatsby.Itwasanidealsymbolinhisheartandamythabovereality.Finally,hededicatedhislifetohisowndreams,sothathecouldnotseethedarknessandfilthoftheupperclass.Hispurenatureanddreamwereincompatiblewiththeupperclass,buttheywereinseparablefromhistragicfate.4.2TheinfluenceofGatsby’sviewsonhistragicfateGatsbystillbelievedthattherewaspureloveintheupperclass.Hebelievedthatmoneywasomnipotent,andwithmoney,hecouldgeteverything,includinglostlove.ThefactorthateventuallybroughtDaisybacktohimwasnotlovebutanexpensiveshirtandmoney.Inreality,hisunrealisticthoughtswerecontrarytothesociety,whichwascorruptanddegradedatthattime.GatsbydidnotfacethelackofmoralcharacterinDaisy.Forexample,whenDaisycametotheGatsby’sluxuryvillaandsawhisvariousshirts,shewhimpered:“Thisshirtissobeautiful,Ihaveneverseensuchabeautifulshirt”(Fitzgerald,1925:94).Gatsbythought,Daisy’ssoundthatwasfullofthetasteofmoney.ItwasnotdifficulttoseethatGatsbyhadrealizedthatthepureandbeautifulgoddessheonceadmiredhadbecomematerializedbymoney.However,hedidnotwanttoadmitthisfact,butmoredeterminedtobewithDaisy.Infact,insteadofsayingthatGatsbystilllovedDaisyatthistime,itwasbettertosaythathestilllovedthebeautifulfantasythatDaisyoncebroughttohim.Inthiscase,hewouldratherchooseaperson,whosemoralitywassinisterandselfish.Hewasobsessedwithhisownworldallthetime,tryingeverymeanstogetridofthehumbleoriginsofpoverty,andtryingtosaveDaisy’sheart.HeevenwaitedforfiveyearsintheWestandboughtamansioninfrontoftheDaisy’shome,andtheonlypurposewastoseeDaisyeveryday,hedidn’tknowthatifDaisyhadloveforhimorjustadmiredhismoney.AlthoughheoncehaddoubtsaboutDaisy,hethoughtthatDaisyonlyadmiredhismoney,anddidnotreallywanttogobacktohim,buttheideawasjustflashed.BecausehestillhypnotizedhimselfandfirmlybelievedthatDaisywasstillapureandsimplegirl,stillthegoddessinhismind,anddidnotrealizethatDaisyandhewerenolongerapersonofthesameworld.ThearticlealsomentionedthatwhenGatsbymetwithDaisyintherentalhouse,DaisylearnedthatGatsby’swealthwasobtainedthroughillegalmeans.Atthistime,Daisywashesitant,andshewasafraidthatGatsbycouldnotlikeTomgaveherastableandcomfortablelife,sosherefusedGatsby.Butatthistime,GatsbystillhadanillusionaboutDaisy.EvenifhewasplantedandblamedforthemurderofTom’smistress,hestillthoughtthathewouldflyawaywithDaisyonedayandlivehappilywithher.However,atthistime,DaisyandTomhadsetfootonanotherpieceofland,andDaisyhadalreadyleftGatsbybehind,justlike