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摘 要

美国著名作家菲兹杰拉德被称为“美国梦的代言人”。阅读他的小说，读者往往难以区分究竟他本人的生活就如同一部小说，还是其小说就是他的一段真实生活的写照，因为他的经历已完全融入其中，尤其是其代表作《了不起的盖茨比》。书中主人公盖茨比为了追求美国梦而最终牺牲了自己，他渴望以自己的信念和勇气来获取物质以及爱情上的收获，然而由于其梦想是一种虚幻的渴望，而不是建立在现实基础之上的追求，最终导致了美国梦的破灭。该论文旨在分析盖茨比的性格以及导致他美国梦破灭的原因。通过分析，读者可以整体了解盖茨比的性格特征与令人绝望的社会背景之间的密切关系。本文的主体分为三个部分：第一部分简要介绍作者菲茨杰拉德和小说的写作背景，指出导致盖茨比的生活成为悲剧的具体原因。第二部分介绍他性格的不同方面，包括对待财富和爱情的态度。第三部分重点分析盖茨比的美国梦，包括财富，社会地位和爱这三方面，紧接着阐述了在当时的社会背景下其美国梦幻灭的必然性。最后，本文得出结论，盖茨比的个人毁灭是不可避免的。

关键词: 性格 了不起的盖茨比 美国梦 破灭

Chapter 1 Background Information

1.1 Fitzgerald and his works

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in a middle-class family in 1896. He began to get a favorable education in private schools, and then at Princeton, where he began to write for the shows of the club and became editor of a university magazine while developing a reputation. He believed that he would be one member of the upper class if he became a significant writer. Then the First World War provided him with a chance to leave from Princeton temporarily. During the fifteen months of service in Alabama, he came across Zelda Sayre just as Gatsby met Daisy. Finally they got married and this beautiful woman became the prototype in most of Fitzgerald’s novels.

As an outstanding American writer who majors in novels as well as anecdotes, he has many well-known novels worthy of rethinking. It is the first time for Fitzgerald to tell a story of a tragic hero in the 1920s and the representative work is This Side of Paradise. The Beautiful and Damned is regarded as a kind of trial at writing The Great Gatsby: the motive seems the same as that of the later book though its style of writing is not so great. The novel named Tender is the Night tries to review the ethical misfortune of its leading roles to the effect of money while describes one American tragedy, in quarrels with degenerations, of mental inanity and pointlessness that represents the age. His masterpiece The Great Gatsby helped him establish the important position in American modern literature.

The Great Gatsby is officially launched in 1925 and obtains the critics’ consistent praise. It was widely viewed as his finest work of all and as a mirror of American society in the Jazz Age.

1.2 Lost Generation and the Jazz Age

Fitzgerald has been widely acclaimed as one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers. Besides, he has been viewed as a typical delegate of the Lost Generation in

the Jazz Age.

The Lost Generation is one phrase to modify a part of American intellectuals, including writers, novelists and poets who hid in France after the World War One to object to the American materialism and to pursue the prodigal ways of life in Paris. Filled with vigorous illusions, the intellectuals ran after the sense of life, indulged in excessive drinking, had many engagements in love and created many great American literature works. Gertrude Stein, an American poet, officially pointed out the phrase “the lost generation”. Though the Lost Generation had a despaired life, they all became talented and well-known in the American literature of the twentieth century. Their innovation challenged assumptions about writing and expression, and provided successful examples with later generation by generation to learn from.

The Jazz Age, which in Matthew Bruccoli’s words, “is not so much a historical period as a legend of glitter, of recklessness, and of talent in such profusion that it is sown forecast as feral oats.” (Bruccoli, 2008: 88) It is also called as the “roaring twenties” and reflects the 1920s and 1930s when jazz was so popular. At the beginning of the 1920s, there is full of beautiful hopes but after the World War One, there was a huge drop in stocks market prices that began the Great Depression. Most of the Americans just care about how to enjoy their life and doing what they want as much as possible. America went through the unprecedented boom. The American violated the law by knocking over a drink and was faced with the social breakdown.

For Fitzgerald, who led a life in the roaring 1920s and partly integrated into it — driving cars so quickly, drinking hard whisky, and enjoying the great joy of it, American was, he was so cognitive to be aware, “a moon which never roses”. While he appreciated the “bustling” of the postwar period, he could predict its more gloom and sag. Most of his work centered on the social problems and phenomena of the 20th century have been regarded as important materials for the generation to rethink.

1.3 The Outline of the Novel

The Great Gatsby, as Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, reflects the disenchantment of the American Dream. The entire story happens in a summer of the year 1922.

This novel depicts Jay Gatsby’s experience until the death. It is clear that the novel is through the narration of Nick who disagrees with the stylish people’s views. The narrator named Nick knows very well that Gatsby gets wealthy through violating the law, but Gatsby feigns to have gain well education as if he regarded himself as a war hero. Gatsby is a liar, but Nick describes him as further loftier than the wealthy, merciless and foolish group among those Gatsby and he live.

Gatsby comes from the Midwest and he is very poor, but he gives his heart to Daisy who is very rich. It is nearly impossible for him to marry her. Later the girl married with a wealthy youth, Tom Buchanan. In order to get Daisy back, Gatsby devotes himself to smuggling as well as other illegal behaviors, thus saving considerable wealth to purchase a magnificent villa. In this villa, he holds many extravagant parties every night to attract the upper class to show up. For granted, Gatsby realizes this dream. However, he fells great disenchantment and loss. Later Daisy has a car accident so that a woman is killed by her. With a conspiracy, Gatsby becomes the scapegoat and is shot while Daisy and Tom escape.

1.4 The American Dream

Sarah Churchwell sees The Great Gatsby as a cautionary tale of the decadent downside of the American dream. From Gatsby’s pursuit of money to unrealistic love, he finally was shot as a scapegoat; this story exposes the disillusion of the American Dream.

The American Dream is one value kept by a large number of Americans in the United States that one is able to lead a better life, especially becoming prosperous in material and money through hard-working, courage, and resolution. The values can trace back to the early European immigrants, and have been inherited from generation to generation. At present, the American Dream has stated the balanced development between financial prosperity and spiritual satisfaction.

The American Dream is rooted in The Declaration of Independence, which emphasizes that “all men are created equal” with the right to “life, liberty and the

pursuit of happiness.” Then Historian James Truslow Adam expounded the expression “American Dream” in his book named Epic of America, “life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain.” (Adam, 1988: 30) Later he wrote, “It has been a dream of being able to grow to fullest development as man and woman, unhampered by the barriers which had slowly been erected in the order civilizations, unrepressed by social orders which had developed for the benefit of classes rather than for the simple human being of any and every class.” (Ibid., 60)

Chapter 2 Analysis of the Characters of Gatsby

2.1 Previous studies on Gatsby’s characters in The Great Gatsby

A few investigators are very interested in the analysis of characters; especially the hero Gatsby and different researchers have different, even opposite attitudes towards Gatsby’s love for Daisy.

According to Sunyan (2014), Gatsby’s characteristic is pure because of his altruistic love for Daisy, a good-looking but silly woman who quickly married a prosperous man rather than Gatsby and became one member of the upper class. He has never lost his love for Daisy and in the end he is still willing to shield her from disgrace. His persistence in love gives readers a deep impression.

While Sunyan thinks highly of Gatsby’s persistence in the love for Daisy, the researcher, Zhou Xinping (2002) insists that Gatsby should be so naïve and innocent. After Daisy married Tom because of the sovereign power and numberless wealth, Gatsby is so naive that he has great faith that the bygone can be regained and renewed, and tried his utmost to earn money in the cost of ignoring the law and committing a crime. He is fully aware that Daisy is a realistic girl whose voice is “full of money”, but still is attracted by her seeming charm and try to win her favor at all costs. He believes excessively the power of money, but never realizes that he can’t integrate into the world of Daisy and Tom.

2.2 Analysis of Gatsby’s characters

As a romantic dreamer, Gatsby keeps aspiring after his dream. He regarded himself as the son of God and tried his best to pursuing the best in the God’s eyes including Daisy. However, he knows well that they belong to different classes: he is unknown with little money and in a relatively low social status, while Daisy is born in a notable family and great clan. To have the qualification to stand by Daisy, he decides to go abroad and risk his life to make money as much as possible.

However, before Gatsby’s departure, Daisy gets married with a wealthy man ---

Tom. Gatsby never gives up his love and when he comes back with great fortune, he buys a villa near Daisy’s home. He has been looking forward to meeting Daisy for five years. With his neighbor Nick’s help, Gatsby gets one chance. At this case, he is in a kind of ecstasy, thinking his desire will be realized. He is willing do everything even sacrifice his life to commit murder for Daisy.

Nevertheless, the dream he has persists in is nothing but a hard-fisted and superficial woman in reality. Gatsby’s experience belongs to an obvious mode: there is, first at all, a will, and then disillusionment, and lastly a thorough collapse as well as hopelessness. In the next part, the thesis will analyze different aspects of Gatsby’s characters.

2.3 Gatsby’s persistence in love

Though time flies, Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy never changes, and this point is well described in the novel through three details.

First of all, in order to attract Daisy’s attention, Gatsby spends money like water. Every weekend, he is accustomed to holding especially royal parties in his place just like an extravagant “castle”. Seen from afar, this light-infused house is full of unearthly glamour. The fountain at the front of the mansion creates a beautiful scene and the parking lot is filled with luxury cars from New York, manifesting the exalted identities of the guests. There is the excellent wine and delicious food, even a grand stage for the guests to dance with the music. All of them seem to enjoy the parties except Gatsby, because he is just waiting for Daisy’s coming, the girl addicted to this kind of parties. Gatsby keeps holding these parties regardless of the costs just to satisfy Daisy, yearning for coming across her additionally.

Secondly, Gatsby’s persistence is also reflected in his clumsy behavior when he has a reunion with Daisy. They are arranged to meet in the house of Nick, so Gatsby decorates the rooms in an extremely gaudy way while waiting for her appearance. During the process, Gatsby can’t help moving around, looking ill at ease. Imagining the scene is continuing to be cut off between his unlined brow and the wooden clock beating, the readers can easily feel his intention on the surface. When hearing the car

horns out of the door, he is breathing more rapidly. All of these details annotate his fidget, which in turn manifests that he cherishes Daisy very much. When Nick gets to the house with Daisy, he doesn’t find Gatsby, while at the moment, there is knocking outside the door. Nick sees Gatsby who has been wet in the rain come in as if there is an occasion when Daisy meets him. During their talk, he behaves nervously just like an inexperienced child. This immature representation is more convincing than any word to prove his insistence on the love for Daisy.

The last detail is Gatsby’s reaction to the car accident, during which Daisy kills Tom’s lover named Myrtle Wilson incautiously. For the sake of safeguard Daisy from murder, he naturally admits the woman was killed by him. It happens so suddenly that Nick behaves excessively excited, and Gatsby explains that she drives so fast then changes the noun into “I”. Gatsby looks at the scene in the distance while cautious Nick knows what really has happened without any redundant words. What Gatsby has done is to make sure the safety of Daisy and it seems that an eagle protects her own baby from the dangerous situation.

However, what he persists seeking for is just the ideal woman in his mind rather than the real Daisy. He never realizes her essences of being greedy and snobbish even without independent spirit. No matter how he loves Daisy, he is doomed to fail; because Daisy loves money and power more than him. While Daisy let Tom tell George Wilson that his wife was killed by Gatsby, he is still considering about how to shield her from disgrace.

Chapter 3 Analysis of the American Dream of Gatsby

3.1 Previous studies on Gatsby’s American Dream

Zeng Aiqiong (2011) makes a comprehensive analysis of the American Dream from the point of mentality and material. On the one hand, the ideal American Dream, which is the basis of it, makes citizen full of wonderful hope and longing. Gatsby’s crazy pursuit of Daisy symbolizes American’s urgent aspiration for happiness, especially success (including satisfied career, perfect love, vast wealth and sovereign position). At that time, Gatsby accompanying his deep love for Daisy joined the army in the World War I and sublimated his values. It seems to tell the readers that one without illustrious pedigree can gain both fame and wealth if he endures hardships with diligence.

On the other hand, the material American Dream results in Gatsby’s final doom. Gatsby held countless parties to attract Daisy’s attention with filthy lucre. However, the music, the cheerful voices and the happy laughter in those parties, all dimmed as one indistinct chaos, signified the aimlessness with deep solitude of the participants beneath their relaxed and jovial look. Similarly, Gatsby is lost during the pursuit, even was shoot as a scapegoat, which implied the final failure of his American Dream.

Wang Weiqin (2013), another researcher, agrees on the classification and emphasizes that the American Dream stems from the identical improvement in material and mentality. Gatsby’s tragedy results from the imbalance between wealth and spirit. Until he was dead, he was innocent enough to trust the bygone is able to be regained and that Daisy was worth cherishing.

However, in the view of Xia Guhua (2013), Gatsby’s American Dream has been distorted since he finished being a soldier. He crazily had faith in the power of money, and tried his utmost to earn money in the cost of ignoring the law and committing a crime. Then Gatsby purchased a villa, making himself a neighbor of Daisy and held extravagant parties to win Daisy. Unconsciously, he wanted to realize his own spiritual desire by material wealth. Contrast with the conventional American Dream, in that era which underlines opportunity, equality, belief and success, Gatsby was doomed to get lost.

3.2 Gatsby’s American Dream

In view of the writing setting of this book, the individual livelihood of Gatsby is integrally kin to the American’s experience up to the initial few decades of the 1920s. So his dream is a typical miniature of the age and the American Dream.

3.2.1 Gatsby’s dream of wealth

Gatsby was born in a poor family, so getting more wealth is of more importance in his American Dream. He is a genuine aspirant, and when he is young, he keeps a Platonic idea that he is the son of God and that has the responsibility to devote himself to the God. In order to realize these dreams, he alters his own name from Gatz to Gatsby, which means “the son of God”.

Gatsby is a pragmatic and passionate person. He is used to formulating specific schedule and does things in an arranged way. He insists that enough money should be the first step to help him into the world where there is the rich with high social status.

Therefore, to fulfill Gatsby’s dream of wealth, he is ready to put up with any pains even ventures violating the law. Ultimately, he can give luxurious parties as easy as blowing off dust, with the guests enjoying the time.

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