论《了不起的盖茨比》中美国梦的破灭.doc

论《了不起的盖茨比》中美国梦的破灭 （英语语言文学专业）学生 指导教师 《了不起的盖茨比》是美国著名作家菲茨杰拉德的代表作品，该书确立了他文学史上的重要地位。小说讲述的故事发生在的美国。作者采用第一人称讲述了主人公盖茨比一生追求梦想，最后梦想在残酷的现实中破灭的过程。 在一次偶然机会中中，尼克（即小说叙述者）结识了靠非法贩卖私酒而发横财的大富翁盖茨比。盖茨比起初是个穷中尉，在入伍前与尼克表妹黛西热恋，然而黛西嫁给了富家子弟汤姆。富裕后的盖茨比对黛西仍然魂牵梦萦，为了引起黛西的注意在其对面买下豪宅，并想尽一切办法与之见面。但冰冷的现实已经让人们的性格冷漠，精神空虚。在金钱和物质的强大压力之下，爱情之火被浇灭，而生前风光无限的盖茨比被枪杀，没有人前来参加葬礼的悲剧下场。本论文试图从“美国梦”最终破灭美国的社会文化背景性格 ABSTRACT The Great Gatsby was written by Francis Scott Fitzgerald who is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. It is set on Long island in New York City from spring to autumn in 1922. The novel takes place following the World War One. It tell us a doomed tragedy of Gatsby—a man who chased after his “American dream” in his lifetime. Eventually his dream broke down under the stress of the cruel world, and also the man got into despair towards love and his dream. At first Gatsby was a poor lieutenant. He became a rich man by smuggling alcohol and the narrator got to know Gatsby by accident. Gatsby fell in love with a girl names Daisy, but she married a millionaire Tom. Gatsby, in order to attract Daisy, he bought a villa face to face with Daisy’s. And he spared no efforts to date with Daisy. However, because of the cruelness of the world and the cold heart of people, he failed in chasing his love. Finally he was shot dead and almost no one attended his funeral though his was popular when alive. His death is a tragedy and indicates the breakdown of The American dream. This thesis attempts to analyze the factors causing the breakdown of The American dream in the Great Gatsby from three aspects: the American cultural background, main figures’ characters and inevitability of the breakdown of American Dream. Key Words: The Great Gatsby; American Dream; Breakdown; Cultural Background; Main Figures’ Characters Contents Introduction………………………………………………………1 Part One The American Cultural Background……...………2 Brief Introduction of Fitzgerald’s life……………………2 The American Cult