毕设论文hte disillusionment of the american dreamthe social significance of the great gatsby文档格式.docx
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200601114101
院(系):
外国语学院英语系
专业:
英语
班级:
2006级本科1班
指导教师姓名:
仝志敏
指导教师职称:
讲师
起止时间:
2009年10月—2010年5月
(外国语学院制表)
TheDisillusionmentoftheAmericanDream
—TheSocialSignificanceofTheGreatGatsby
AThesisSubmitted
ToForeignLanguagesDepartment
OfZhongyuanUniversityofTechnology
InPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirements
FortheDegreeofBachelorofArts
By
NieZiyi
Supervisor:
ProfessorTongZhimin
May,2010
SCHOOLOFFOREIGNLANGUAGES
ZhongyuanUniversityofTechnology
DeclarationofAcademicIntegrity
Ipromisethatthethesiscontainsnomaterialwhichhasbeenacceptedfortheawardofanyotherdegreeordiplomainanyinstitutesofhigherlearningandthat,tothebestofmyknowledgeandbelief,thethesiscontainsnomaterialpreviouslypublishedorwrittenbyanotherperson,exceptwhenduereferenceismadeinthetextofthethesis.
IunderstandthattodosowouldmeanthatIhadcommittedplagiarism,andthatitismyresponsibilitytobeawareoftheUniversity’sregulationsonplagiarismandtheirimportance.
Signed:
Date:
Abstract:
The1920swasadecadewhentheoutlineofcontemporaryAmericaclearlyformed.WorldWarIcreatedanewgeneration,theLostGenerationandanewtime,theJazzAge—atimeofprofoundculturalandsocialchanges.Americanpeoplehadtomakeachoicebetweentraditionalvaluesandnewstandardsadoptedbyyoungpeople.InTheGreatGatsby,F.ScottFitzgeraldportraysthe1920sasatimeofdecayedsocialandmoralvalues.Cynicism,greed,andpursuitofpleasurebecamethesymbolsofthisperiod.TheychangedthenatureoftheoriginalAmericanDreamandfinallyruinedit.TheintentionofthisstudyistoexplorethesocialsignificancereflectedinthedisillusionmentoftheAmericanDreamthroughthecomparisonbetweenthecharactersandeventsinthenovelandthesocialrealityandthediachronicanalysisoftheAmericandream.
Keywords:
socialsignificance;
thedisillusionmentofAmericanDream;
theJazzAge
美国梦的破灭—试析《了不起的盖茨比》所反映的社会意义
摘要:
二十世纪二十年代是当代美国社会初具雏形的年代。
第一次世界大战造就了新的一代人——迷惘的一代,爵士乐时代也由此拉开序幕。
在这一时期,美国经历了深刻的文化与社会变革,美国人也必须在传统价值观和广为年轻人接受的新价值观之间做出选择。
在《了不起的盖茨比》中,菲茨杰拉德刻画了这个以玩世不恭、贪图享乐为标志,社会和道德价值腐化堕落,美国梦的本质发生蜕变并最终破灭的年代。
本文将小说中的人物和事件与社会现实进行比较,对美国梦做了历时性的分析,从而揭示小说所反映的社会意义——美国梦的破灭。
关键词:
社会意义;
美国梦的破灭;
爵士乐时代
Contents
1Introduction1
2APanoramaofAmericanSocietyinTheGreatGatsby2
2.1Materialism2
2.2Immorality3
2.3Inequality4
3TheFalloftheAmericanDreamReflectedinTheGreatGatsby6
3.1ThedefinitionoftheAmericanDream6
3.2TheevolutionoftheAmericanDream7
3.3ThedisillusionmentoftheAmericanDream7
4Conclusion9
References10
Acknowledgements11
1Introduction
TheGreatGatsby,anovelwrittenbytheAmericanauthorF.ScottFitzgeraldandfirstpublishedin1925,isahighlyspecificportraitofAmericansocietyduringtheRoaringTwenties.ThecentralcharacterisJayGatsby,wholivesinagiganticGothicmansionandthrowsextravagantpartieseverySaturdaynight.Thenarrator,NickCarraway,isGatsby’sneighborinWestEgg.AfterareunionarrangedbyNick,GatsbyandhisloveDaisyreestablishtheirconnectionandbeginanaffair.Afterashorttime,Daisy’shusbandTom,thoughhehimselfisinvolvedinanextramaritalaffairwithMyrtleWilson,isdeeplyoutragedbythethoughtthathiswifecouldbeunfaithfultohim.Later,Gatsby’scarhasstruckandkilledMyrtle.NicklearnsfromGatsbythatitisDaisywhoisdrivingthecarwhentheaccidenthappens,butGatsbywilltaketheblame.Myrtle’shusbandGeorgesoonfindsGatsbyinthepoolathismansionandshootshimdead.NickstagesasmallfuneralforGatsby,andmovesbacktotheMidwesttoescapethedisgusthefeelsforthepeoplesurroundingGatsby’slifeandfortheemptinessandmoraldecayoflifeamongthewealthyontheEastCoast.
Theaboveisabriefsummaryofthenovel.ThoughittellsusastorytakingplaceoveronlyafewmonthsinasmallareainthevicinityofLongIsland,TheGreatGatsbyisapanoramaoftheentireAmericansocietyintheJazzAge,andahighlysymbolicmeditationon1920sAmericaasawhole.Onthesurfaceitisathwartedlovebetweenamanandawoman,butactuallyitisastoryofthedistortedAmericanDreamdisillusionedinaneraofunprecedentedprosperityandmaterialexcess,inwhichliesthisnovel’ssocialsignificance.
2APanoramaofAmericanSocietyintheJazzAge
NoonecanfinishreadingTheGreatGatsbywithoutbeingimpressedbytheopulentpartieswithwildjazzmusicthatGatsbythrowseverySaturdaynight.ThenovelisanepitomeofthewholeAmericansociety,showingusavividpictureoftheJazzAge.TheJazzAge,referringtotheperiodaftertheendofWorldWarI,throughtheRoaringTwenties,endingwiththeonsetoftheGreatDepression,isatimeofprofoundculturalandsocialchanges.Americanpeoplearetornbetweentraditionalvaluesandnewstandardsadoptedbyyoungpeople.
2.1Materialism
MaterialismcanbeclearlyseenfromthelifeofDaisyandGatsby.Theformeronlylovesmaterialluxuryandcaresfornothingelse,whilethelatterdoesnotlovematerialluxuryitselfbutthinkslargefortunewillbringhimloveandhappiness.
DaisyisNick’scousin,Tom’swife,andthewomanthatGatsbyloves.ShehaspromisedtowaitforJayGatsbyuntiltheendofthewar,butaftermeetingTomBuchananandcomparinghisextremewealthtoGatsby’spoverty,shebreaksherpromise.Money,ease,andmaterialluxuryarewhatDaisytrulywants:
“IfDaisyreallylovedGatsbyasapooryoungofficer,itwasbecauseshewasnotsocorruptedandsophisticatedthen.Evenso,whenshewasfacedwithachoicebetweentrueloveandmoney,shechosethelatter.”(Xu,1994)
Gatsbyistheprotagonistofthenovel.FromNick’snarration,weknowGatsbyisamysteriousandwealthyyoungman.EverySaturday,hishugeGothicmansioninWestEggservesasthesiteofextravagantparties.Hehasbeenpursuingfameandwealthallhislifewithanidealwhichhethinkscanberealized.TofulfillhisdreamofgettingDaisyback,heearnsmoneybybootleggingandotherillegalmeansbecausehebelievesthatmoneycanbuyhimloveandhappiness.
Materialismandmoney-worshippervadedinAmericaduringthe1920s.ThepeoplefromvariouswalksoflifewhoattendGatsby’spartiesshowthegreedychaseforwealth.Thequickriseofthestockmarketintheaftermathofthewarledtoasudden,sustainedincreaseinthenationalwealthandanewfoundmaterialismandpeoplebegantospendandconsumeatunprecedentedlevels.(Du,2002)Insteadofsomenoblevalues,thegoalwhichpeoplewerestrugglingforhadbecomematerialluxury.Tomakemattersworse,theromanticidealismheldbytheAmericanyouthpromotedtheirmaterialism.Car,house,beautyandsoon,weresymbolsoftheirdream.Theydevotethemselvesintothepursuitofthesethings,ofpleasure,excitementandnovelty.Noonecantellwhatonearthhewasstrivingfor,becauseeveryoneisstrivingforanunworthyillusion.“Whattheywantisjustlivingindream,inillusion.Buttheirdreamistoofarawayfromtherealityandtheyaredefinitetofail,tolose.”(Zhang,Wang,2002)
2.2Immorality
WenoticethatWorldWarIisthebackgroundofthestory.IthadgreatimpactonAmericans.Duringthewar,menhadfoughtagainsttheenemyinfarawaylandsandwomenhadaggressivelyenteredtheworkforce.Whenthewarwasover,thesurvivorswenthomeandtriedtoreturntonormalcy.Meanwhile,youngwomendecidedthattheywerenotwillingtowasteawaytheiryoungliveswaitingidlyforspinsterhood;
theyweregoingtoenjoylife.
However,thesurviverswerenotabletodoit.Instead,theybecamedisillusioned,asthebrutalcarnagethattheyhadfacedmadethesocialmoralityofearly-twentieth-centuryAmericaseemlikestuffy,emptyhypocrisy.Theworseisthatmoreandmorepeoplegotinvolvedincrimeandillicitactivities.Inthenovel,Gatsby’sbusinessassociate,MeyerWolfsheim,isanotoriousfigurestandingfortheunderworld.Heisinvolvedinorganizedcrime,andevenresponsibleforfixingthe1919WorldSeries.HeandGatsby’sillegalbusinessgivesevidencetotheriseofcrimeandillicitactivitiesinAmericansocietyduringtheRoaringTwenties.Additionally,thepassageoftheEighteenthAmendmentin1919,whichbannedthesaleofalcohol,createdathrivingunderworldaimingtosatisfythemassivedemandforbootlegliquoramongrichandpooralike.
Inthe1920s,thedevelopmentofproductiveforcesliberateswomenfromtheheavyburdenofhousework.Thechancesoftakingjobsarebetterthanever,makingthemmoreindependentandrebellious.Womenwanttoliveastheyhopeandtheybegintobehaveagainsttheoldrulesandmorals;
womenseekforfirst-classcitizenshipandtrytoplaymoresatisfyingrolesinthesociety;
womenespeciallytheyoungworeshortskirt,silkstockings,heavymake-upandshort,bobbedhair,announcingtheirpresencebytheirappearance,allasDaisy’sfriendJordan,anextremelycynicalwomangolferwithamasculineicydemeanorwhocheatedtowinherfirsttournamentdoesinthenovel.AnotherexampleisTom’smistressMyrtleWilson,anearthly,vital,andvoluptuouswomanwhoisdesperatetoimproveherlife.ShesharesalovelessmarriagewithGeorgeWilson,amanwhorunsashabbygarage.Shehasbeenhavingalong-