The Great Gastby
Abstract
As the spokesman of the “Jazz Age”, F.Scott Fitzgerald , referred to his own experience, wrote his masterpiece-The Great Gatsby. Through abundant symbols, Fitzgerald profoundly depicted the society of Jazz Age and successfully displayed the disillusionment of American Dream, which existed in the majority of American in 1920s. To describe the restlessness of the “lost generation” in the “roaring twenties”, the author created several typical tragic characters. This paper, based on some symbolic theories, focuses on how the author brought his attitude to the surface to reveal the theme. And by analyzing the symbolic meanings of some leading characters, it further probes into the failure of American Dream.
Key words
Symbolism; characters; American Dream; disillusionment
1 Introduction
1.1 Plot and characters review
Jay Gatsby, formerly Jake Gatz, is a successful bootlegger with desire of being accepted in the highest social circles of Long Island. Once he has done this, Gatsby spares no effort to win back the love of his former girlfriend Daisy, now married to a boorish "old-money" millionaire, Tom Buchanan. Gatsby 's obsession with Daisy and his pursuit of this unworthy dream results in disillusionment and, ultimately, tragedy. Sidelines observer Nick Carraway, recounts the whole story.
1.2 The spokesman of the “Jazz Age”
F. Scott Fitzgerald is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. He was both a representative of his era and a severe critic of society. In his short life, Fitzgerald experiences overnight fame and wealth in 1920s but suffers a lot in 1930s, which shares much resemblance with American society. Furthermore, with a lot of works describing the expectation and disilluionment of the American young generation, he gained irreplaceable position in the history of American literature and was often called the spokesman of “Jazz Age”. The Great Gatsby, for which he was known, is somewhat a reflection of his
As the spokesman of the “Jazz Age”, F.Scott Fitzgerald , referred to his own experience, wrote his masterpiece-The Great Gatsby. Through abundant symbols, Fitzgerald profoundly depicted the society of Jazz Age and successfully displayed the disillusionment of American Dream, which existed in the majority of American in 1920s. To describe the restlessness of the “lost generation” in the “roaring twenties”, the author created several typical tragic characters. This paper, based on some symbolic theories, focuses on how the author brought his attitude to the surface to reveal the theme. And by analyzing the symbolic meanings of some leading characters, it further probes into the failure of American Dream.
Key words
Symbolism; characters; American Dream; disillusionment
1 Introduction
1.1 Plot and characters review
Jay Gatsby, formerly Jake Gatz, is a successful bootlegger with desire of being accepted in the highest social circles of Long Island. Once he has done this, Gatsby spares no effort to win back the love of his former girlfriend Daisy, now married to a boorish "old-money" millionaire, Tom Buchanan. Gatsby 's obsession with Daisy and his pursuit of this unworthy dream results in disillusionment and, ultimately, tragedy. Sidelines observer Nick Carraway, recounts the whole story.
1.2 The spokesman of the “Jazz Age”
F. Scott Fitzgerald is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. He was both a representative of his era and a severe critic of society. In his short life, Fitzgerald experiences overnight fame and wealth in 1920s but suffers a lot in 1930s, which shares much resemblance with American society. Furthermore, with a lot of works describing the expectation and disilluionment of the American young generation, he gained irreplaceable position in the history of American literature and was often called the spokesman of “Jazz Age”. The Great Gatsby, for which he was known, is somewhat a reflection of his
References: [1] F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby. Jiangsu:YiLing Press, 1997 [2] Miller James E. Jr. F. Scott Fitzgerald: His Art and Technique. New York: New York University Press, 2001 [3] Wang Qiong. The Narrative Technique in “The Great Gatsby” from the Point View of Narration. Shanghai:Journal of Huzhou Teachers College, 2004 [4] Garrett George. Fire and Freshness: A Matter of Style in the Great Gatsby. In Matthew J. Broccoli (Ed), 2002 [5] Ernest H. Lockridge ed. Twentieth century interpretations of The Great Gatsby: A Collection of Critical Essays. Prentice-Hall, 1968 [6] Leech Geoffrey N & Short Michael H. New Essays on the Great Gatsby. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1985 [7] Zhang Tianjing. the Deeply Moving America Tragedy--Analysis the Great Gatsby. Journal of Xianyang Normal University, 2004 [8] Zhao Hongwei. Disillusionment of Gatsby’s” American Dream” From the Perspective of Society--Analysis of "The Great Gatsby". Journal of Harbin University, 2003 [9] Mizener Arthur ed. F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Collection of Critical Essays, Englewood Cliffs. N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1963