论《了不起的盖茨比》中的消费主义.docx

Chinese Abstract2English Abstract31.Introduction31.1 The Connotation of Consumerism31.2 Previous Research on Consumerism41.3 Consumerism in the 1920s51.4 Francis Scott Fitzgerald's Attitude Towards Consumption52. Consumerism in The Great Gatsby62.1 Backdrop of The Great Gatsby62.2 Emobodiment of Consumerism62.2.1 Leisure Consumption62.2.2 Hedonism72.3 Consumption Behaviors of Different Characters in The Great Gatsby82.3.1 Gatsby82.3.2 Daisy92.3.3 Tom103. The Impact of Consumerism on America in the 1920s113.1 The Positive Impact of Consumerism on American Economy113.2 The negative Impact of Consumerism on American Economy114. Conclusion12References12论了不起的盖茨比中的消费主义 摘 要二十世纪二十年代是消费主义在美国盛行的时代，它表明美国在进入经济发展与繁荣的时代后，开始从传统社会进入到以休闲消费与享乐性消费为主的社会。本文通过分析了不起的盖茨比中的各种消费现象，以及消费主义对彼时美国社会的影响，希望对形成理性的消费观具有积极指导意义。关键词：消费主义；休闲消费；享乐性消费On Consumerism in The Great Gatsby AbstractThe 1920s was a time when consumerism flourished in the United States, implying that the United States began to move from a traditional society to the one dominated by leisure and hedonistic consumption since entering an era of economic development and prosperity. This paper targets on analyzing the various consumption phenomena in The Great Gatsby and the impact of consumerism on the then American society, so as to help to form a rational consumption concept.Key words: consumerism; leisure consumption; hedonism 1. Introduction 1.1 The Connotation of ConsumerismIn western societies, most people work for decent consumption for unfettered material comforts and entertainment and for the purpose and value of life. But its principles and methods are still only a subdivision of the general concept of consumerism. Consumerism is an important part of bourgeois morality in the west today. In the field of social science, there are different definitions and interpretations of consumerism due to the knowledge tradition, such as green consumerism, consumer protection, consumer movement, consumer rights and interests, etc. Generally speaking, consumerism is a universal social moral phenomenon in western developed countries. Its the general term of rules, concepts, wishes, emotions and corresponding behaviors that guide and manage people's behaviors and relationships in consumption.Max Weber (1958) pointed out in Protestant Ethics and The Spirit of Capitalism that consumerism consumption concept is the product of the development of modern capitalist society to a certain stage. The inner logic of capitalism not only needs to break the ascetic ethical shackles of Puritanism, but also needs to break through the moderate limitation of reason. What it urgently needs is a consumerist ideology, that is, the unrestrained and irrational pursuit of desire, wealth and pleasure in ethics, or even the purpose of life itself. Many social textbooks fully affirm the importance of consumption behavior from the macro perspective, and claim that consumption replaces what was once regarded as the most important work as “the core of life”. “This is the consumption concept of consumerism in the capitalist era, which gradually became the mainstream ideology of western society in the 20th century”(Z.Bauma,1992: 49).1.2 Previous Research on ConsumerismWestern and eastern scholars have been studying consumerism from a wide range of perspectives. Baudrillard (2006) believes that the extreme production and resource consumption of the consumer society stimulates the consumption desire and the social function and meaning of life lies in the “extravagant and useless, unlimited consumption function”. By contrast, Chinese scholar Chen Xin (2003) holds in his book Salvation and Consumption that consumerism is a kind of value and lifestyle, which incites people's consumption passion and stimulates peoples purchase desire. That is to say, consumerism does not only satisfy the “need”, but also lies in the continuous pursuit of the “desire” which is difficult to be completely satisfied. Consumerism represents an empty state of meaning and an expanding desire and consuming passion.Besides, in order to solve the conflict between insufficient domestic demand and the surplus of consumer goods in western developed countries, Keynes proposed “the countermeasures of stimulating consumption and domestic demand”(赵津晶等, 2009(31): 6). Subsequently, those countries correspondingly launched public campaigns conveying the idea that consumption or enjoyment is patriotic. Enjoyment and indulgence replaced frugality and abstinence and became the ethical and moral norms, and consumerism became the dominant ideology prevailing in the west. (郑红娥, 2006: 5).1.3 Consumerism in the 1920sThe 1920s was a brief and special period in American history and was considered to be "turbulent times. The United States made a fortune in arms during World War I, and its huge profits led to a period of rapid economic growth, which was called the "Noisy Nineteen-twenties ". The sudden rise of the auto industry and the entry of processed food and garments into the home brought unprecedented comfort to the lives of many Americans, While boosting the rapid development of the economy, the new industry gradually changed the living habits and values of the American people. Wealth becomes the only goal that people pursue, and the amount of wealth becomes the standard to judge a persons success or not. The pursuit of wealth and the enjoyment of life became the value of the American people at that time. The development of production and economic prosperity also gradually made consumerism fashionable. American consumerism in the 1920s was diverse, mainly characterized by “hedonism” and “leisure consumption” with the features of and material and erotic pleasure (刘成富, 全志钢, 2006: 21). 1.4 Francis Scott Fitzgeralds Attitude Towards Consumption As a pioneer of the “Jazz Age”, Fitzgerald reveled in the excitement and craziness of consumer culture. The course of his life interprets his work, which in turn provides the most appropriate commentary on his enigmatic life. In his works, Fitzgerald vividly depicted the social landscape and human ideology under the influence of American consumer culture in the early 20th century. The protagonists in his works all bear the imprint of modern consumer culture. They sacrifice their lives for various codes of the upper class. However, this exchange of unequal value is bound to end in tragedy. At the same time, it can be seen from Fitzgeralds portrayal of the tragic image of the protagonist, the description of interpersonal indifference and extravagant and wasteful scenes in his works, Fitzgerald holds a negative attitude towards consumer culture in essence.In his life, Fitzgerald experienced the embarrassment of economic hardship, the glory of overnight fame, the luxury of spending a lot of money, the peak and trough of his creative career and the pain and struggle of being forgotten, and he personally experienced the play of money on life, love and marriage. When re-examining Fitzgeralds life, it is like watching a movie that opens with a comfortable, romantic and luxurious life under a rainbow of neon lights, and ends with nothing. In his eyes, "America is a cruel society, both for winners and losers"(Thomas Mann, 1971: 67). After he moved to America, Fitzgerald was lost in the flashy consumer society, and his life was bound to be tragic. Fitzgerald predicted in echoes of the jazz age that “when we were young, life seemed so romantic and good. We miss it because it will be in the past, never to return”(F. Scott Fitzgerald, 2009: 22).2. Consumerism in The Great Gatsby2.1 Backdrop of The Great GatsbyAs above-mentioned, the 1920s was a special period in American history known as the “roaring years”, referring to the decade from 1919 to 1929 before American economy collapsed.Several factors constituted the particularity of this era. First of all, the United States was at the historical crossroad. The vigorous development of capitalism enabled the United States to move rapidly from an agricultural civilization to an industrialized modern society. At the same time, the United States, which entered the war at the end of the First World War, became a creditor instead of a debtor because it was not badly hit by the war. At that time, the government mainly implemented the “laissez-faire” economic policy, that is, the free market should be allowed to operate in its own way, and the less the government intervened in economic activities, the more efficient the economy would be. This created the miraculous Coolidge age of prosperity. As a result, the domestic economic situation in the United States was booming, with the rapid expansion of transportation, mining and construction, and the sudden rise of electrical and automobile manufacturing. Automobiles, electrical equipment, household machinery, processed food and clothing began to enter the home, bringing unprecedented comfort to many Americans. Real estate and stock markets were particularly active, and some speculators became rich overnight in these gambling industries. Whether a person was successful or not depended on how much wealth he possessed. People began to make money blindly, to make “fast” money, and to make more money. At the same time, American hedonism, Spencers theory of evolution and James' pragmatic philosophy were prevailing in the United States. The traditional puritanical moral concept and religious belief advocated “industry and frugality” and other ideas, gradually replaced by the pursuit of personal wealth, material life and other consumer hedonism. In a word, all those elements constitute the backdrop of The Great Gatsby.2.2 Emobodiment of Consumerism2.2.1 Leisure ConsumptionLeisure consumption refers to the consumption of leisure products (material and spiritual) in leisure time. Leisure consumption is an important symbol of the improvement of the quality of life of the people, and also a very ostentatious value, namely a double statement of leisure and money.Leisure is a free activity that takes place beyond ones working hours. When leisure needs are satisfied by the consumption of certain products, facilities and services, leisure activities become “leisure consumption.” The leisure consumption in The Great Gatsby is characterized as follows: first, excessive indulgence in the pursuit of material things in order to obtain material greatness, and pleasure in the process. Gatsbys mansion exemplifies this inexhaustible quest: “Built to look exactly like a town hall in Normandy, with a newly built tower on either side, with sparse branches of ivy climbing above.” Although Gatsby's mansion is inexplicably restored, the sparse ivy reflects the childishness of a hairy-headed young man who hasn't dried his breast. Second, the deliberate pursuit of uniqueness and novelty in material consumption. Describing Daisy as “crookedly wearing a mauve tricorn hat” and “two rows of copper buttons glistening in the sun”. Fashionable clothing is both a material attribute and a product of the spirit, embodying innovation, openness, uniqueness and excellence.In a broad sense, “leisure consumption” includes four levels: first, it is to satisfy physiological needs. Secondly, it is to satisfy the consumption of health recreation. Third, it is to meet the needs of development. Fourth, it is to meet the spiritual needs. Among them, the first level is consumption in the leisure time and is in accordance with the nature of leisure consumption. For example, enjoying a dinner at a restaurant beyond the normal meal time with the normal cost, is leisure consumption in leisure time. However, leisure consumption that leisure economy pays attention to is mainly reflected in the last three levels. 2.2.2 HedonismHedonism" has typical capitalist overtones of luxury.Hedonism refers to the idea that the pursuit of all kinds of stimuli that can arouse one's sensual pleasure is one's purpose in life. It treats the enjoyment of pleasure (including sensual pleasure and material physical pleasure) as the only purpose of life, which is used as a criterion for judging right and wrong, good and evil, beauty and ugliness. It also conveys the message that the enjoyment of pleasure is the fundamental desire and pursuit of life, and it can be realized and possessed by any necessary means.“Hedonism” advocates pleasure first and is often associated with money worship. It ignores spiritual pursuits. The novel is full of hedonism and a multitude of social scenes: dinners, afternoon tea, tea parties, dinner parties, aimless excursions, and it shows a group of people giving in to their personal desires. In the novel, everyone tries every mean to satisfy their multiple desires, and even takes extreme hedonism as the value goal of life, and runs after wealth unbridled, finally leading to pathological consumption psychology. The “prohibition” of the Jazz Age in the United States is a powerful symbol of hedonism. The anti-alcoholism in the United States has a long history, which can be traced back to the colonial period, because alcoholism can cause great mental and physical damage to individuals, and the behavior of alcoholics often harms society due to their lack of self-control. In fact, all consumption activities are related to the development of productivity and material abundance, and the prosperity of economy and material has promoted the consumption ethos. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald vividly recorded the consumerism generated under the background of “indulgence and rebellion” culture. Like leisure consumption, hedonism also includes four levels in a broad sense. First, “hedonism” refers to sexual ethics. Its an idea that originated in the west. We believe that sensory happiness is the purpose of life, and that sensory happiness alone can make people happy and satisfied. Second, it refers to an ethical theory. The pursuit of pleasure is the principle of action. The third is the theory of happiness. Fourth, it is a view of life of the exploiting class. It is believed that the natural nature of human beings is to seek pleasure and avoid suffering, and to seek profit and avoid harm, so the purpose and significance of life lies in the pursuit of personal material enjoyment, to meet the needs of physiological instinct, and to achieve physical happiness. Pleasure and pain are regarded as the criterion to judge the value of life.2.3 Consumption Behaviors of Different Characters in The Great Gatsby2.3.1 GatsbyGatsby is the representative of the “American Dream.” He has the mind to make himself rich, and he is alienate in the process of pursuing the “American dream.” To be specific, Gatsby's “American dream” begins with his love for Daisy, and ends with his love for