美国文学论文

The great Gatsby 姓名             杨琴          学号           20130517096      专业         英语（师范）8班  2016年6月 The great Gatsby Abstract The Great Gatsby is one of the most popular works of F. Scott Fitzgerald it strongly criticizes the rich’s priority for materialism and the loss of morality of the United States in 1920s. By the way, the inspiration comes from his life. In order to make readers understood better, he elaborately arranges each section, showing us the bright plot. At the same time, he uses symbolism to make his work more active, such as green means the hope and dream, the broken of Gatsby’s dream means the broken of American’s. It is a mirror of that era. The aim to write this article is to indicate the inevitable tragedy and evaporation of the American dream. Key words: The Great Gatsby  American dream  symbolism  tragedy Author What I want to say is not about the author's life, which Baidu has too much exposition; but the author’s experience which is not included in it. The most important thing is that the author writes this great book is based on his own life experiences. The author just was like Gatsby , fell in love with a pretty woman who he cannot worthy of her; fell in love with a daughter of rich who is not belongs to his world; fell in love with a gold girl who loves material over love itself. But he is better than Gatsby, because at the end of the story he married with her after published< this side of paradise > and made success. Married, everything what he had done is to provide a luxurious life to her and every story which he had written, included in all the common objective of characters, is to make his wife happy and give her a life like the upper class. Gatsby, however, is different from him. Content Here, we'll have to talk about the content of the book. The story is told by a bystander –Nick—a poor young man who was the first time to went to New York, doing the most extraordinary work – a bill broker in bond business. He rented a small house in West Egg which directly stands opposite in his cousin Daisy’s house. In the first visit, he met his beloved people—Jordan Baker. And on the back of home, he met the legendary Gatsby by chance, who was reaching his fingers to touch green light from the opposite side shore in the dark, lonely. There are many kinds of stories about him, such as he was a legend of nobility, had a very prominent position, joined the army and awarded a lot of medals, killed people. But no one really knew him; no one was able to confirm whether the legend was right or not. What attracted Nike most was the noise of Gatsby’s villa. Nike thought which one can be so rich. But soon, Nick became a member of party, for he became the first one to receive an invitation from the luxurious party. Then he came to realize the purpose is not for anything else, but Daisy. Five years ago, when they first catch sight with each other, fall in love. Daisy was his first but last love. But he was poor, she was a gold girl. She was not willing to follow him and live a life of poverty. Before married to Tom, she resolutely destroyed the letter he wrote. While Tom was not a good people who loved promiscuous sex relations outside. It is not to say he didn’t like family or Daisy. But in his mind, it’s a symbol of gentleman in upper class. In such a complex relationship, Nick met Gatsby’s anticipation and helped him to see his sweetheart Daisy, but he behaved as helpless as a child in the first meeting after about five years later. After an initially awkward reunion, Gatsby and Daisy reestablish their connection. Their love rekindled, they begin an affair. He hoped they could be together forever. However, these are his personal thoughts. All of these dreams broken after Tom grew increasingly suspicious of his wife’s relationship with Gatsby. He is deeply outraged by the thought that his wife could be unfaithful to him. Tom announces to his wife that Gatsby is a criminal—his fortune comes from bootlegging alcohol and other illegal activities. Daisy realizes that her allegiance is to Tom. On the way back, Daisy driven Gatsby‘s car to run over and killed Tom's mistress—Myrtle. Tom knew the whole story, but he pushed all things to Gatsby. Later, everything was becoming sarcastic. In order to protect Daisy, Gatsby took all responsibilities and begged Nick not telling anyone truth. To protect Daisy’s safety at any time, he stayed in front of her home, but Tom and daisy were secretly packing up, readying to leave here tomorrow morning. More irony, what Gatsby had been waited was not Daisy's phone, but the death of himself, and after him death no one but Nike came to attended his funeral. The story is end. Nike began to disgust the surrounding, he end his relationship with Jordan and moved to the Mideast. Gatsby’s dream of daisy was corrupted by money and dishonesty the American dream of happiness and individualism has disintegrated into the mere pursuit of wealth. Though Gatsby had made it come true, Nick’s dream was the same like Gatsby’s and America dream, broken. America dream Nick, Gatsby and Tom and Daisy all were intended to realize their dreams from the west to the east, for the pursuit of money, fame, success and stimulus. Daisy wouldn’t marry a penniless man, she and Tom's life must be made of a luxurious house, polo and travel. Gatsby had only to earn large sums of money through various illegal means, admitted to a seaside villa, he just had confidence to win Daisy back - his "American Dream". He did not hesitate to spend huge sums of money to host a party at home every night for attracting Daisy's attention. He exhausted all his intelligent wisdom to cater for Daisy, even at the expense of sacrificing his life. However, Daisy is no longer a pure and simple girl at the beginning of him met, but a full of money and hedonism lady. Eventually, Gatsby's dream of love failed to achieve, at the same time, sacrificed his life. Symbolism of green The book had told much times the green light. When the dark approaching, Gatsby stayed at the shore, reached his fingers to touch the distant green light. What’s the green means? In Gatsby‘s eyes, green is a color of nature, representing hope and dream. When he was seventeen, Gatsby wore a shabby green sweater, presenting an optimistic and hopeful image; then he fell in love with Daisy deeply, however, Gatsby was too poor to marry her. Daisy immediately married with a rich man—Tom. Gatsby struggled hardly to escape from the bottom of society. But, he is not for the luxurious and material comforts, but for the pure love. At the end of story, there also refers green again. Here the symbolism of the green night is American’s enthusiastic and reckless pursuit for the illusory American dream. In Gatsby’s eyes, Daisy is his hope, goals and dream of love just like the green light. Because of the leading of the green light, he made it and became a rich man. However, the green light not only contributed him but also destroyed him. Conclusion The Great Gatsby is a tragedy in the view of the whole story, and it is also the tragedy of the times—Jazz Age. It is a mapping. In the colonial period, the pursuit of individualism-- to obtain what you want by self-reliance-- is the most important thing. That is to say, at that time, regardless of your background, race and religion, as long as you work hard, you can succeed in material. In that times, Gatsby and Wolfshiem got together to sale unauthorized liquor, participated in the stock business and eventually became a veritable millionaire, all which help him upper into the society. In such an era, human relationship became less important. Just like Daisy married Tom for luxurious life; After Gatsby death, no one but Nike came to his funeral. It is really the sorrow of the era. References 1. Fitzgerald, F. S. (1993). The Great Gatsby Wordsworth Editions Limited. 2. Mizener Arthur. The Far Side of Paradise: A Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Boston: The Riverside Press, 1965. 3. Albee, E. (1961). The American Dream 4. William Goldurst. F. Scott Fitzgerald and his Contemporaries[M ]. New York: the World Pub. Co. 1963 5. 张瑞华.《了不起的盖茨比》的象征意义[J ] . 外国文学研究,1999 , (2) .  6. 杜永新. 美国梦的幻灭:盖茨比形象的历史与文化解读[ J ]. 外语教学, 2002, (6). 7. 肖明文,(2006.03), 盖茨比与他的美国梦—菲茨杰拉德《了不起的 盖茨比》，《新余高专学报》 8.唐建清，《了不起的盖茨比》 译林出版社 9.玑衡 《毁掉菲兹杰拉德的女人》 《读者》