毕业论文_论《推销员之死》中美国梦的破灭.docx

1、.分类号密级编号本科生毕业论文题目论推销员之死中美国梦的破灭学院外国语学院专业英语作者姓名车红艳班级2008级三班学号284010331指导教师王海林提交日期2012.5.23.AnalysisoftheDisillusionmentofAmericanDreamReflectedintheDeathofSalesmanCheHongyanAthesissubmittedtotheSchoolofForeignLanguagesandLiteratureTianshuiNormalUniversityinpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementforthedegre

2、eofBACHELOROFARTSinENGLISHLANGUAGETianshui,GansuMay,2012.原创性声明本人郑重声明：本人所呈交的论文是在指导教师的指导下独立进行研究所取得的成果。学位论文中凡是引用他人已经发表或未经发表的成果、数据、观点等均已明确注明出处。除文中已经注明引用的内容外，不包含任何其他个人或集体已经发表或撰写过的科研成果。本声明的法律责任由本人承担。论文作者签名：年月日论文指导教师签名：.目录一、论文正文117二、附录1毕业论文成绩评定表2答辩小组意见3答辩成绩评分表4论文指导记录5开题报告.CONTENTSAbstract.i摘要.iiI.Introduct

3、ion.11.1TheAmericanDream.11.2LiteratureReview.2II.Backgroundinformation.32.1SocialBackground.32.2Author.52.3TheWritingProcessinginformation.5III.AmericanDreaminDeathofSalesman.7IV.ThedisillusionmentofAmericanDreaminDeathofSalesman.94.1ThereasonofAmericanDreamsdisillusionment.94.1.1ObjectiveReason.10

4、4.1.2SubjectiveReason.114.2ThemanifestationofAmericanDreamsdisillusionment.124.2.1Willysfailure.124.2.1Biffscorrectunderstandingofhimself.13V.Conclusion.14References.16Acknowledgements.iii.AnalysisoftheDisillusionmentofAmericanDreamReflectedintheDeathofSalesmanCheHongyanAbstract:ArthurMiller,anoutst

5、andingdramatistof20century,isknownas“Americandramaconscience”.In1949hisplayDeathofSalesman,wonhimaninternationalreputation.DeathofSalesmanaddressesthepainfulconflictwithinonefamily,tackleslargerissuesregardingAmericannationalvalue,andexaminesthecostofblindfaithintheAmericanDream.MillerchargesAmerica

6、nwithsellingafalsemythconstructedaroundacapitalistmaterialismnurturedbythepostwareconomy,amaterialismthatobscuredthepersonaltruthandmoralvisionoftheoriginalAmericanDreamdescribedbythecountrysfounders.ThroughanalyzingthedisillusionmentofAmericanDreamintheDeathofSalesman,thepaperaimsatthefurtherknowle

7、dgeofAmericanDream.WecanknowthesocialinfluenceofAmericanDream,especiallyhowitimpactsthelifeandvaluesofthepublic.KeyWords:GreatDepression;AmericanDream;Materialism.论推销员之死中美国梦的破灭车红艳【摘要】阿瑟米勒是20世纪杰出的戏剧家，被誉为“美国戏剧的良心”。一九四九年他的戏剧推销员之死为其赢得国际声誉。推销员之死展示了一个家庭的成员之间令人心痛的矛盾冲突，审视了美国国民的价值观,剖析了人们因为盲目信奉美国梦所付出的代价。在剧中，米

8、勒控诉了美国社会兜售的虚幻神话。这个神话是围绕战后资本主义所滋养的资产阶级物质主义构建起来的，物质主义遮盖了人生真相，模糊了这个国家的建造者们最初描述的美国梦所倡导的道德观念。通过解析推销员之死中美国梦的破灭，本文旨在让我们进一步地了解美国梦，以及美国梦对当时社会的影响，尤其是对普通大众生活方方面面的影响以及价值观的改变。【关键字】经济大萧条；美国梦；物质主义.I.Introduction1.1TheAmericanDreamAsasignificantculturalsubject,theAmericandreamdeeplyrootsinAmericanhistory,appearinga

9、sanimportantthemeinAmericanliteratureaswellasthecentralideologyinordinaryAmericansminds.GenerationsofAmericanshavebeeninquestoftheirownAmericandreamindifferentforms.TheAmericandreamisacandidexpressionofAmericansoptimisticattitudetowardslife,anaffirmationonmanscapacityofrealizingtheunlimitedpossibili

10、tiesofexistence.ItisJamesTruslowAdams,whogivesthename“AmericanDream”tothephenomenonthatheregardsasthiscountrysgreatestachievement:ademocraticstandardfortheworldin1931inhisTheEpicofAmerican.Heusesittoembodytheideathatwithenoughhardworkandluck,anybodycanachievelifehewants.Hestates:TheAmericanDreamisth

11、atdreamofalandinwhichlifeshouldbebetterandricherandfullerforeveryone,withopportunityforeachaccordingtoabilityorachievement.ItisadifficultdreamfortheEuropeanupperclassestointerpretadequately,andtoomanyofusourselveshavegrownwearyandmistrustfulofit.Itisnotadreamofmotorcarsandhighwagesmerely,butadreamof

12、socialorderinwhicheachmanandeachwomanshallbeabletoattaintothefulleststatureofwhichtheyareinnatelycapable,andberecognizedbyothersforwhattheyare,regardlessofthefortuitouscircumstancesofbirthorposition.(JamesTruslowAdams,1931:92).TheoriginoftheAmericanDreamstemmedfromthegovernmentandeconomicfromthemode

13、lsoftheoldEurope.In18century,theEnglandimmigrantswhotraveledbyashipnamedmayflowerlookedforaplacethatthepilgrimscanliveasthe“pureland”.AmericanDreamhadbeguntosproutquietly.TheUnitedStatesgavetheworldeverychanceofpercapita.Aslongastheyworkedhard,theycanachievetheirdreams.ThoseimmigrantswhocametotheUni

14、tedStateswasunderdogofEurope.AndthemosttypicalwasthePuritanofEnglandandbankruptcysmallfarmersofGermany.Theyhadastrongrequestofpolitical.equalityanddemocracywhentheycametotheunculturedUnitedStates.ThustheequalrightsbecameaconnotationofAmericandream.Immigrantsinthisnewworldprovidedahopeforegalitariani

15、sm.MartianLutherKinginvokedtheAmericanDreaminhisfamousspeech:“Letusnotwallowinthevalleyofdespair,Isaytoyoutoday,myfriends.Andsoeventhoughwefacethedifficultiesoftodayandtomorrow,Istillhaveadream.ItisadreamdeeplyrootedintheAmericanDream”(King,1968:10).Whileinthe20century,theessenceofAmericanDreamhadch

16、anged.TherapiddevelopmentofthecapitalisteconomycovereduptheessenceoftheAmericanDream.AmericanDreamhadbeenhijackedbymaterialism.ThepursuitofmaterialwealthbecamethewholeoftheAmericandream.WhatMillerwroteinhisDeathofSalesmanisthistwistedAmericanDream.ThroughanalyzingthedisillusionmentofAmericanDreamint

17、heDeathofSalesman,thepaperaimsatthefurtherknowledgeofAmericanDream.FurthermorewecanknowthesocialinfluenceofAmericanDream,especiallyhowitimpactsthelifeandvaluesofthepublic.1.2LiteraturereviewDeathofSalesman,ArthurMillersfamouswork,indictedthefundamentalAmericanvaluesandtheAmericanDreamofmaterialsucce

18、ss.Sincethefirstappearanceoftheplay,ithadbeenreceivingallkindsofcommentsandsomecontroversythathasnothingtodowithitsartisticmerit.TheattrackonDeathofSalemancharacterizedtheanticommunistmovementknownasMcCarthyism,butthevastmajorityofcommentswerepraises.InContemporaryAmericanDrama:astudyintheplaysofTen

19、nesseeWilliams,ArthurMillerandEdwardAlbee,SinghAbhaarguedthatDeathofaSalesmanisacomplexandpsychologicalplay,dealingwithguiltLikethegreattragicfiguresofSophoclesandShakespeare,MillersWillyisbothanindividualandatype(Abha,1998:70-71).Somecriticscommentedonitfromtheperspectiveofphilosophy.Forexample,Mat

20、thewC.Roudane,inDeathofaSalesmanandthePoeticsofArthurMiller,saidthatThe.playexposes,fortheideologue,theinadequaciesofabourgeoisAmericaThisquestionunderpinstheplaysgreatness,reinforcesitsphilosophicallargeness(Bigsby,1997:78).OthercriticswereinterestedinMillerswritingnotion,sincetheheroinhisplayshift

21、edfromakingoranaristocrattoacommonman.A.HowardFuller,inASalesmanIsEverybodypointedout,“thesalesmancanbethefittestheroforamoderntragedy.AndWillyistherepresentativeofthespiritofalargeanddecisivesegmentofAmericanlife”(Fuller,1977:241).WilliamHawkins,inhisDeathofaSalesmanPowerfulTragedyheldthatDeathofaS

22、alesmanisaplaywrittenalongthelinesofthefinestclassicaltragedy.Itistherevelationofamansdownfall,indestructionwhoserootsareentirelyinhisownsoul.AndChineseauthorswereinterestedinWillystragedy.HanHuiyaninherspapersanalysisthereasonofWillysfailure.QuanRongaimsatthetragedyofWillyandthewholeAmerican.Others

23、arepaidtheirattentiontothesenseofconsumptionDeathofaSalesman,suchasXiaoXuenong.II.Backgroundinformation2.1SocialBackgroundThefirsthalfofthe20centurywitnessedarapid,bittersweetgrowthoftheUnitStates.Attheturnofthetwentycentury,Americanhadbeentransformingfromanagriculturesocietyintoanurbansociety.World

24、WarI,withEuropeanindustryabsorbedinwarpreparationsandtheirdesperatepurchaseofAmericanfood,munitions,andmental,providedadecisiveopportunityforAmericanmanufacturing.TheeraduringandafterWorldWarIIbroughtgreateconomicgrowth,anacceleratedbirthrateaswellasafeelingthattheUnitStateswas“winning”orhadwonWorldWarII,gaveAmericanSelf-confidencetoleadtheworld.Howeveragreatpricewaspaidinthemeantimefortheun