【精品】了不起的盖茨比论文

【精品】了不起的盖茨比论文 安阳师范学院 安阳师范学院本科学生毕业论文 On the Great Tragedy of The Great Gatsby 作者 王 娜 娜 系院 外国语学院 专业 英 语 年级 2009级专升本 学号 090451059 指导教师 李 海 方 论文成绩 日期 2010年月2号 安阳师范学院 学生 诚信承诺书 本人郑重承诺所呈交的论文是我个人在导师指导下进行的研究工作及 取得的研究成果。尽我所知除了文中特别加以标注和致谢的地方外论文中不包含其 他人已经发或撰写的研究成果也不包含为获得安阳师范学院或其他教育机构的学 位或证书所使用过的材料。与我一同工作的同志对本研究所做的任何贡献均已在论 文中作了明确的说明并表示了谢意。 签名 日期 论文使用授权说明 本人完全了解 安阳师范学院有关保留、使用学位论文的规定即学校有权保留送交论文的复印件允 许论文被查阅和借阅学校可以公布论文的全部或部分内容可以采用影印、缩印或其 他复制手段保存论文。 签名 导师签名 日期 安阳师范学院 On the Great Tragedy of The Great Gatsby Wang Nana School of Foreign Languages Anyang Normal University Anyang Henan 455002 Abstract: In 1925 the famous American writer F. Scott. Fitzgerald published his masterpiece The Great Gatsby which is about the disillusionment of the American Dream. It is a story of doomed love and helpless obsession set amid the harsh glitter of wealthy New York society in the 1920s. Through the eyes of the narrator the writer shows the brutality and amoral insularity of the very rich Tom and Daisy Buchanan the lesser and frivolous immorality of Jordan Baker and all the parasitic hangers-on who attend Gatsby’s parties and the hopeless dreams of the poor in Myrtle Wilson and her husband. Gatsby is “great” in the sense of the old American Dream of wealth and goodness—great in its conception tragic in its failure. Key Words: tragedies the American Dream society 1. Introduction In the history of American literature there is probably no writer who is more identified with a decade than Scott Fitzgerald is identified with the 1920s. He so vividly captures the mood and manners of his age and successfully draws a portrait of the American twenties through his works that he is always remembered as the spokesman and laureate of the Jazz Age. An important reason is that he lived in that era and was an integral part of it. And he wrote into stories and novels his very experiences or his keen observations of the Jazz Age America. The Great Gatsby reflected people’s spirit and living situation at that time when the American Dream which was handed down from the older generations was influenced and people were suspicious about the traditional notions and started breaking out them. Nihilism and hedonism were formed. The pursuit of material-luxury made people feel alien and cool. Youthful generation who lived in that period looked forward to a kind of luxuriant life. Therefore they bought costly things took part in extravagant parties and looked down upon others who were poor and so on. Fitzgerald reflects the social reality of that age by tragedies of the individuals. Gatsby’s tragedy is not a personal but rather a social one. In emphasizing Gatsby’s uniqueness as the last dreamer Fitzgerald indicates a society which can neither accommodate nor comprehend such a man. Thus Gatsby the naive dreamer who hopes to achieve the impossible is doomed to fail in the context of such a society. 2. Background Information It is widely claimed that one classic masterpiece can display the social background of the author who lives in. And the novel itself is often a writer’s manifestation of his or her attitude towards life. What is more the hero or heroin bears the shadow of the author. Therefore to know the family background and the author’s life during that time is necessary. This will help us better understand the novel. 2.1 An Introduction to F. Scott. Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby 2.1.1 An Introduction to F. Scott. Fitzgerald F. Scott. Fitzgerald was born on September 26 1896 into a middle class family in St. Paul Minnesota. His family was considered socially prominent and genteelly poor. With the financial aid of relatives he was sent to private school and then to Princeton where he showed his special 安阳师范学院 2 talent to writing. In 1917 in his senior year he left Princeton to serve in World War I. In Alabama where he was sent for military training he fell hopelessly in love with Zelda Sayre an embodiment of his romantic notions of a Southern Belle who was the daughter of a prominent judge. She told Fitzgerald that she liked him but that she was too expensive for him. Zelda soon broke their engagement and Fitzgerald went back to his father’s home to rewrite his novel This Side of Paradise. Six month later he surfaced again this time triumphant with the news that his novel had been accepted and promised to sell well. Zelda agreed to marry him when the novel was published. This Side of Paradise was published in the spring of 1920 and Fitzgerald was made rich or at least rich enough to marry Zelda. He and Zelda frequently went aboard and lived a luxurious life. Their need for money was voracious. To make ends meet Fitzgerald wrote at a rapid speed and made a fabulous amount of money which went as soon as it came. His works included Flappers and Philosophers 1920 The Beautiful and Damned 1922 Tales of the Jazz Age 1922 The vegetable 1923 The Great Gatsby 1925 All the Sad Young Men 1926 and so on. In the 1930s Fitzgerald’s reputation declined his wealth fell his health failed and Zelda suffered from mental illness. He plunged himself into alcoholism. Loneliness combined with alcoholism ruined him and he died of a heart attack in 1940. 2.1.2 An Introduction to The Great Gatsby Nick Caraway a young man from Minnesota moved to New York in the summer of 1922 to learn about the bond business. He rented a house in the West Egg district of Long Island a wealthy but unfashionable area populated by the new rich. Nick’s next-door neighbor in West Egg was a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby who lived in a gigantic Gothic mansion and threw extravagant parties every Saturday night. Nick received an invitation to one of Gatsby’s legendary parties and was told that Gatsby and his cousin Daisy were lovers several years ago. However Daisy married Tom Buchanan a rich but boring man of good social position. He lost Daisy because he had no money but he was still in love with her. Gatsby persuaded Nick to bring him and Daisy together again. Under the help of Nick Gatsby and Daisy reestablished their love connection. Gatsby tried to convince Daisy to leave Tom who in turn revealed that Gatsby made his money from bootlegging. Daisy driving Gatsby’s car accidentally hit and killed Tom’s mistress Myrtle Wilson. Gatsby intended to protect her and decided to take the blame. Tom told Myrtle’s husband Wilson it was Gatsby who killed his wife. Wilson shot Gatsby and then committed suicide. Nick helped to arrange Gatsby’s funeral attended only Gatsby’s father. After the funeral Nick left New York detesting the hypocrisy among these people went back to his hometown. 2.2 The Similarities between Fitzgerald and Gatsby Gatsby and Fitzgerald are alike in many ways. First of all they both achieve their financial success. Secondly both of them possess an enthusiastic illusion for romantic love. Thirdly they two achieve their financial success for the love of a woman. Gatsby feels that he needs wealth to win the hand of Daisy and Fitzgerald feels the same about Zelda. The love of a woman is the motivating factor behind virtually all of Gatsby’s actions and many of the young Fitzgerald’s. Fitzgerald would spend the majority of his career struggling to earn as much money as possible to maintain the privileged lifestyle that Zelda desires. Therefore Gatsby is the embodiment of Fitzgerald. 3. A Description of Tragedies in The Great Gatsby 3.1 The Love between Gatsby and Daisy Gatsby and Daisy are lovers. However Daisy becomes the wealthy Tom’s wife. Nevertheless Gatsby is still in love with Daisy as time goes by. Determined to win his lost love back Gatsby engages himself in bootlegging and other illegal business thus earning enough 安阳师范学院 3 money to buy a magnificent mansion which is opposite to Daisy’s. He also holds dazzling parties every Saturday night in the hope of alluring daisy to come. With the help of Nick Gatsby can see his beloved Daisy again and keep a romantic relationship with her since then. After the accident happens for protecting Daisy he unhesitatingly takes the responsibility. And instead of going back to his mansion immediately he keeps in watching Daisy outside her house for a whole night in order to make sure she is safe. Furthermore he even sacrifices his precious life for Daisy in the end. All that he does is due to his love to Daisy. This kind of love is undoubtedly true love. In contrast Daisy loves Gatsby the first time they meet when he pretends himself a rich guy. Later she knows the truth and marries Tom who can provide her a luxurious life. Several years later she remet Gatsby and marveled at his richness and extravagance. She seemed to love him again. It is obvious that Daisy’s love to Gatsby is based on money. The real thing Daisy loves is the wealth Gatsby then has. I suppose Daisy will not fall in love with Gatsby if he is a poor soldier as before. Gatsby is giving his love all the time but Daisy is indifferent to this. It is really a love tragedy. 3.2 The Relationship between Gatsby and Other People At the beginning of the book the author writes about Gatsby’s luxurious mansion and his parties. His parties are full of champagne flowers fruits music etc. He offers his luxurious car to carry the guests. Let them dive from the tower of his raft and take the sun on the hot sand of his beach. He orders the famous orchestra for them. Parlous people cows to his parties most of whom without invitation. At his parties drinking his champagnes enjoying his expenses people gossip him as he killed a man once or he was a German spy during the war. This is the time when Gatsby is rich and has a fair social position. On the contrary at the end of the book when Gatsby is shot dead the whole mansion is like a dead place except Nick no one comes no one cares about him no one would like to take part in his funeral. Mr.Wolfshiem who is made rich in business by Gatsby denies Gatsby’ help and claims that he finds Gatsby and starts him in business. When Nick asks him to participate in Gatsby’s funeral he refuses with the reason “When a man gets killed I never like to get mixed up in it in any way. I keep out.” Their “friendship” for years dies with Gatsby’s death because he is no use to Wolfshiem any more. Just as what he says to Nick “Let us learn to show our friend for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead”. Another man who takes part in Gatsby’s parties calls up after his death just for a pair of shoes he left there before and refuses to be present at the funeral. Gatsby’s funeral is gloomy and miserable in a thick drizzle only his father the minister Nick and a postman. At the process of the funeral one person who used to drink at Gatsby’s parties comes to the graveyard he is very surprised and angry at the scene. Because only three months compared Gatsby’s parties with his funeral things change from heaven to hell. People who used to come to parties by hundreds disappear silently. They make best use of Gatsby when he is useful and forget him as soon as he is useless. The big contrast the author gives develops Gatsby’s tragedy. 4. An Analysis of the Causes of These Tragedies 4.1 Gatsby’s Dream 4.1.1 Dreaming of Wealth Gatsby’s dream originates from the American Dream which arises in the Colonial period and develops in the nineteenth century is a kind of belief that it is possible for everyone in America to win success and wealth by their efforts. While Gatsby is one of the believers of such a dream he has been longing to get rich and stand out among rich people. From chapter nine of the novel we know Gatsby does have an energetic schedule in his childhood. Such as getting up at six in the morning doing dumbbell exercise and wall-scaling from a quarter past six to half 安阳师范学院 4 past six beginning to study electricity from a quarter past seven to eight fifteen…… Anyway he is trying hard to better himself all the time in order to realize his American dream some day. 4.1.2 Dreaming of Pure Love Gatsby meets Daisy and then losses his heart to her. In his mind Daisy represents all beautiful creatures of the upper class society in America. And in his memory the first love between Daisy and him seems to be a human fairyland. Whereas the cruel reality is that he lacks rich family supporting him and his love. However he never doubts their love and even considers it as true love. He firmly believes that Daisy also loves him all the time. Though she marries Tom the only reason is not because that she does not love him any longer but because that he does not have enough money. So having lost Daisy he desperately earns much more money and fantasizes about recapturing his beloved Daisy with money when he is rich enough. Afterwards he really makes a fortune. After he gets rich he buys a splendid mansion and holds big parties every week. However luxurious life can not bring Gatsby a little happiness since in essence he is different from those who seek for benefits and fames. In Jazz Age wealth is not the most significant to Gatsby while what he only wants is to repeat the past with Daisy day and night and to get the lost true love. 4.1.3 The Disillusionment of Gatsby’s Dream Gatsby dies his dream dies too. The reason that Gatsby does not make his American dream come true is not that he does not do his best but that it is impossible to seek the American Dream at his time during the 1920s when the majority is egoists and materialists. His dream is not fit for the reality so it breaks. 4.2 Gatsby’s Personality During Gatsby’s pursuing love we can see that he is an idealist he is faithful to his love he is emotional too. By contrast with the personality of Daisy’s and that of others’ we can easily understand that the potential destructiveness in Gatsby’s character leads to the inevitability of his tragedy. To understand Gatsby we have to look at not only his true life but also the life that he tries to create for himself especially his illusion to his beloved Daisy. Their love has been deeply engraved on his mind. It becomes his most beautiful memory of the past. Almost five years Gatsby never stops recalling Daisy. He makes full use of his imagination and creates a phony image in his mind. “He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion adding to it all the time decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way. No amount of fine or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart.” As a result the more perfect his ideal becomes the more far away the reality is. As he desires to make the historical past transform to the future with same historical meaning through his own persistent efforts after five years when Gatsby meets Daisy his princess again the miracle Daisy has lost her original glory. The distinction between ideal and reality is huge. His idealistic view of Daisy conflicts with the real Daisy in the daily life. Over the course of five years Gatsby has built Daisy up in his memory as a perfect woman someone that the actual Daisy can never measure up to. As an idealist Gatsby struggles to find the ideal in the midst of the real and meets a disappointment which he refuses to believe. His ideal love is actually an unrealistic dream. Because Daisy is not as perfect as Gatsby always imagining in his mind and his ideal personification that Gatsby desperately seeks is only a badly worldly beauty with a good appearance and empty soul in reality. Owing to this unrealistic dream Gatsby’s fate turns out to be a tragedy. Because he is not conscious of his unrealistic dream of love and he does not correctly handle the contradictions between ideal and reality. Gatsby sinks into this kind of unreal dream so deeply that he can not wake up. So the final result of him is surely m.