分析《了不起的盖茨比》中盖茨比个人悲剧的必然性.doc

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1、本科毕业论文题 目： 分析了不起的盖茨比中盖茨比个人悲剧的必然性姓 名： 杨忧忧 学 号： 201541996 院 系： 外国语学院 专 业： 英语 年 级： 2015 指导教师： 贾秀花 二 一九 年 五 月An Analysis of the Inevitability of Gatsbys Personal Tragedy in The Great GatsbyByYang YouyouTutor: Jia Xiuhua Specialty: English Literature A Thesis Submitted to School of Foreign Languages in P

2、artial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of B. A. At Hebei North UniversityMay 2019摘 要作为美国20世纪20年代最杰出的小说家之一，弗斯格特菲茨杰拉德用短小精悍的文字书写了“最为动人的美国悲剧”。他的作品大多具有悲剧意识，他的悲剧意识来源于他的悲剧人生和他对这种人生的独特理解。作为菲茨杰拉德最杰出的作品，了不起的盖茨比这部现实主义作品，不仅深刻揭露了当时美国社会的现实风貌，而且也反映了那时人们腐朽的道德观。美国当时的现实黑暗是其悲剧的来源，“爵士乐时代”背景下的美国到处充斥着拜金主义和

3、腐朽的价值观。作品通过主人公悲惨的一生来展现当时的社会丑态。该文主要分析盖茨比悲剧的因素，包括当时腐朽的社会环境、个人性格缺陷和以黛西和汤姆为代表的贵族阶级对盖茨比的迫害。这些构成了盖茨比悲剧的必然因素。通过对盖茨比悲剧的分析，我们不难发现，盖茨比的悲剧不仅仅是个人悲剧，这更是美国当时社会的悲剧。关键词：爵士乐时代; 悲剧; 必然性AbstractAs one of the most outstanding novelists in the United States in the 1920s, F. Scott Fitzgerald has described “the most movin

4、g American tragedy” with terse and forceful words. His works are mostly tragic. His tragic consciousness stems from his tragic life and his unique understanding of this life. As the most outstanding work of Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, which is a realist work, not only reveals the realities of Amer

5、ican society at that time but also reflects peoples corrupt morality then. The reality of the darkness of the United States at the time is the source of his tragedy. The United States in the Jazz Age is full of money worship and decadent values everywhere. The work has shown the social ugliness of t

6、hat time through the tragic life of the protagonist. This article mainly analyzes the factors of Gatsbys tragedy, including the decadent social environment, personal defects and the persecution to Gatsby caused by the aristocratic class represented by Daisy and Tom. These constitute the inevitable f

7、actors to Gatsbys tragedy. By analyzing Gatsbys tragedy, it is easy for us to find that Gatsbys tragedy is not only the personal tragedy but also the tragedy of American society at the time.Key words: the Jazz Age; tragedy; inevitabilityContentsAbstract in ChineseAbstract in EnglishIntroduction1Chap

8、ter One Social Background of the Jazz Age3A. Pursuit of Material Wealth and Dreams Disillusion3B. Unequal Hierarchy between the Rich and the Poor4Chapter Two Defects of Gatsbys Personal Characters6A. Lack of Discernment between Good and Evil6B. Feverish Pursuit of Love7C. Double Inferiority Complex9

9、Chapter Three Ruthlessness of the Upper Class11A. Daisys Betrayal and Money Worship11B. Toms Immorality and Class Superiority12Conclusion15NotesiBibliographyiiAcknowledgementsiiiiiiIntroductionAs the most famous work of F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby vividly describes the reality of the Unite

10、d States in the early 20th century after the First World War. This work has described how Gatsby struggles to be a rich person but he totally becomes a victim of others in the end. Gatsbys life is full of tragedy. The author is known as the “Jazz Age spokesperson, and he uses vivid language and his

11、own experience to reappear the spiritual condition of the “confused generation” of the United States racily. The authors ups and downs in his life go in such agreement with those of the country in the 1920s and 1930s that, to some extent, “his own life was a mirror of the times.”1 In recent years, m

12、any critics have analyzed The Great Gatsby from various aspects. Some researchers study the theme of the “American Dream” and the cause of the collapse of the dream, such as Li Mings An Analysis of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby and Fan Dongxues The Disillusionment of the American Dream in T

13、he Great Gatsby. Other researchers have studied the status of women represented by Daisy, such as Liang Zhongbaos The Feminist Interpretation of Daisy in The Great Gatsby. But as to the analysis of characters, there is only the concrete analysis of the double narrative style of the bystander Nick, s

14、uch as Wang Songs An Analysis of the Double Narrative Perspective in The Great Gatsby. This thesis explores the inevitable factors of Gatsbys personal tragedy from the social background, Gatsbys personal character defects, and the damage caused by the upper class that is represented by Daisy and Tom

15、. The content is divided into three parts. The social background of that time is in such an environment being spiritually empty and morally deteriorated that Gatsby cannot achieve his dream, which leads to his perdition. However, the main reason that causes Gatsbys personal tragedy is his own charac

16、ters defects. His naivet, stubbornness and inferiority designate that he cannot get into the circle of the noble and he dooms to become the victim. What is more, the persecution from the upper class particularly represented by Daisy and Tom, which indirectly accelerates Gatsbys tragedy. In a word, G

17、atsbys dream which is out of time is doomed to be a failure. By the analysis of the Gatsby tragedy, it can help us interpret the deep meaning of the work better.Chapter OneSocial Background of the Jazz AgeThe social background is set in the 1920s. This time is called the Jazz Era when the United Sta

18、tes is in the whirlpool of economic prosperity and the prevalence of hedonism, when material enjoyment becomes the main melody of society. And then people are filled with money worship. During this period, the younger generation of the United States, especially those who returns from World War I, st

19、ruggle to find their own ways and realize their American dream in this material society through personal efforts. When they succeed in their careers, they enjoy the material wealth they bring to their hearts, but their spirits are empty. Such a social background is doomed to Gatsbys failure.A. Pursu

20、it of Material Wealth and Dreams DisillusionIn the First World War, the United States makes a lot of money in the war. So, the United States becomes an economically strong country in the world, from a debtor to a creditor. After the war, the United States experiences a period of economic prosperity,

21、 and there is a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere everywhere in America. People think that they no longer need to fight, and they should enjoy themselves. The younger generation feels that they have entered a new era. Therefore, they have thrown away the traditional moral standards, values, and believ

22、e in hedonism, indulging in a wanton life under the Jazz Age. Fitzgerald once referred to this era as the Era of Jazz, the Era of miracles and the Era of art harvest. In this social background in which material wealth and music hedonism prevail, peoples traditional morality is also disintegrated. Af

23、ter the war, the United States is built on the dark and dirty spiritual ruins. Corruption and spiritual crisis are everywhere. Moral values are thrown into the air. The humans mind, the pursuit of wealth, and the pursuit of personal fame, career success, and life-stricken enthusiasm, all base on the

24、 accumulation of material wealth.In the 1920s, the United States experienced a superficial economic prosperity. But there is a huge economic crisis behind it. Behind the superficial prosperity of the economy and the development of commerce, peoples American dreams have been distorted. They think tha

25、t money could buy everything. As long as you have wealth, then you could get everything you want. Because of the economic crisis during the period from the First World War to the 1930s, American youths pursue the American dream blindly, and finally their dreams are shattered. Undoubtedly, Gatsby is

26、not an exception.B. Unequal Hierarchy between the Rich and the PoorIn American society, the growing polarization between the upper class and the poor is bigger and bigger. In the last three decades of the 19th century, capitalism developed rapidly in the United States2. By the end of 19th century, t

27、he United States had developed into a highly developed industrial country and reached the stage of imperialism. This period is a process of capital accumulation and concentration. With the emergence of monopoly, the working peoples situation is getting worse. The cruel exploitation and oppression fr

28、om the upper class has caused a large-scale rebellion of the oppressed and the struggle between the two classes has become more intense. In American society, especially for the bourgeoisie, they have indeed accumulated enormous wealth. Rich people live a luxurious life. But in countless dark corners

29、, the poor are struggling with despair and hunger. This social situation has caused a serious unequal social class and many distorted values, and the social ideology and morality have declined. With this completely degenerate moral value of that social form, the gap between the rich and the poor is

30、increasing, which causes the defiance and bullying of the rich to the poor. The huge gap has prevented Gatsby from transcending himself through legal ways to the upper class. The American social ethics of the early 20th century seems to be suffocating, worthless and hypocritical. The dazzling rise o

31、f the post-war stock market causes the sudden growth of national wealth, leading to utilitarian values, and people begin to spend a great deal of money and consume a lot. In the potential sense, anyone, regardless of their background, can make a fortune. But the American nobles - the family that hav

32、e accumulated wealth in the old days, despise the so-called newly-expanded households. The social group to which Daisy belongs is the people living in the eastern part of the gulf and their wealth is embodied in the form of fixed assets. Unlike such social group, the people living in the western par

33、t of the gulf, the wealth they have is flowing funds. They may go bankrupt at night. The group in the western part of the gulf, represented by Gatsby, attempts to improve their social status through the accumulation of wealth, but the cruel social reality is immutable. Even with more money, they can

34、 never be accepted by the upper class. This social background causes the inevitability of Gatsbys tragedy.Chapter TwoDefects of Gatsbys Personal Characters Gatsbys tragedy is closed to the flaws in his character. First of all, Gatsbys personality defects are reflected in the naive and simple underst

35、anding of social values. He believes innocently and tenaciously that as long as he gets material accumulation and success, he will be able to regain the lover of the past. Innocent Gatsby lacks a clear understanding of the upper echelons of the United States. Daisys background and social circle are

36、out of beyond for the young Gatsby. Secondly, Gatsby believes that the upper class has the existence of pure love. It is the love for Daisy that makes him struggle and dedicate everything to Daisy. He believes that money is omnipotent, and with money, you can regain the lost love. For this so-called

37、 love, he does not hesitate to give his life. What is more, since Gatsby is born in a poor family, he is ashamed to admit his origins and refuses to face the fact that he is a descendant of the peasants. He even changes his name and changes the original name “James Gates” to “Jay Gatsby” which sound

38、s like the upper class and means the electorate of God. He feels inferior, dissatisfied with the status. And he is so ambitious that he has developed a double inferiority complex. These reasons have led to the inevitability of Gatsbys personal tragedy.A. Lack of Discernment between Good and EvilThe

39、lack of ability to distinguish between good and evil is reflected in his naive personality traits, which accelerates Gatsbys personal tragedy. In the second half of the novel, a fact that is not honorable is open to the public. Actually, he is a smuggler. However, at the beginning of the novel, peop

40、le do not know his true identity. Obviously, Gatsby deliberately conceals his indecent identity. At the banquet held in Gatsbys house, there are all kinds of people, including those who are invited and unsolicited. While drinking and having fun, they guess the identity of Gatsby. Some people say tha

41、t he is a child of the generals, and some people say that he is a smuggler. But when Gatsby dies at last, none of those who used to be at his party attend the funeral. Gatsby never realizes that the high society represented by Daisys husband Tom would never allow him who belongs to the poor. He is a

42、lways the representative of the lower class. He is just a nouveau riche. His tragedy is representative of the common fate of all the young people from the lower class who are born in poverty but are eager for illusory happiness.Gatsby does not realize that it is different between the wealth which is

43、 got overnight and the fixed wealth. That is to say, his wealth is different from Tom. Tom is the descendant of rich class. He has spent money as running water since he was in college. He is lying in the heap of wealth accumulated by his fathers. But Gatsbys wealth has attracted a lot of speculation

44、 and jealousness from guests. Therefore, Tom is unfettered in his wealth world and enjoys it indulgently, while Gatsby sees wealth as a mysterious key to the door to the world of bliss. For Tom, material wealth is like a toy in the hands of a spoiled child; for Gatsby, material wealth is like a holy

45、 illusion in the hearts of religious believers. Toms use of wealth is just as easy as playing with the women around him; but Gatsby considers matter as a kind of spiritual ideal, which is destroyed by his lack of knowing to wealth.Gatsby is not aware of the false, superficial, despicable nature of t

46、he upper class. With the attraction of money and status, Daisys conscience has no longer existed. She allows her life to be dominated permanently by such a vulgar person like Tom. The dream which Gatsby has devoted all his life to building is dedicated to such a woman who only has beautiful appearan

47、ce but vile heart. In fact, Gatsby does not know the real heart of Daisy; she is just a charming item. However, in Gatsbys heart, she has become a supreme ideal, a symbol to recall the old love. Gatsby is deeply dominated by a kind of powerful fantasy. The beautiful image of Daisy in his heart canno

48、t hide the true nature of Daisy in real life.3B. Feverish Pursuit of LoveGatsbys tragedy also stems from his crazy love for Daisy. Like other upstarts in the society at the time, Gates has tasted the sweetness of money after accumulating a lot of wealth, updates his view of money, and begins to seek other possibilities th