摘 要

《了不起的盖茨比》是美国作家弗·司各特·菲茨杰拉德最优秀的一部作品，是美国文学中重要的经典名作，奠定了菲茨杰拉德在美国文学史上的地位。作品主人公盖茨比为了追求自己心爱的姑娘，用非法手段聚敛财富。然而，他最终被现实打败，用悲惨的死亡结束了自己对梦想的追求。菲茨杰拉德以自身经历将上世纪二十年代的社会风貌,生活气息和感情节奏栩栩如生地再现出来，表现了战后一代美国梦的幻灭。本文通过对盖茨比金钱梦，地位梦和爱情梦的描写，分析了盖茨比美国梦破灭的原因，进而揭示了美国梦幻灭的必然性。

关键词：《了不起的盖茨比》；美国梦；破灭

Contents

1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................1

2. Demonstration.........................................................................................................................2

2.1 A brief introduction to American dream................................................................................2

2.2 Gatsby’s American dream......................................................................................................3

2.2.1 Gatsby’s desire for wealth...................................................................................................3

2.2.2 Gatsby’s anticipation of social status..................................................................................4

2.2.3 Gatsby’s love for Daisy.......................................................................................................5

2.3 Disillusionment of Gatsby’s American dream.......................................................................5

2.3.1 Gatsby’s corruption.............................................................................................................5

2.3.2 Gatsby’s loss of love...........................................................................................................6

2.3.3 Gatsby’s death.....................................................................................................................7

2.4 Factors leading to the disillusionment of Gatsby’s American dream.....................................8

2.4.1Social background of the Jazz Age.......................................................................................8

2.4.2 Difference between the East Egg and the West Egg............................................................9

2.4.3 Personal factors....................................................................................................................9

3. Conclusion...............................................................................................................................10

Works Cited........................................................................................................12

Bibliography..............................................................................................................13

On American Dream in The Great Gatsby

1. Introduction

F. Scott Fitzgerald is an outstanding writer in the American literary circle in the 1920s. Among the Lost Generation, he is one of the most talented writers in the American literary history. After graduating from high school, Fitzgerald studied at Princeton University and dropped out of school because of poor health. He enlisted in the army in 1917. In 1920, his first long-length novel This Side of Paradise was published and became a popular sensation, making Fitzgerald a household name in the United Stated. Later, Fitzgerald married Zelda and took her to Paris. In 1925, Fitzgerald’s novella, The Great Gatsby, made him a representative of the Jazz Age. In addition to the two works above, his other main works include Tender is the Night and The Love of the Last Tycoon. His works embody the Lost Generation’s disillusion of the American dream after the First World War and describe the impact of the war on the social atmosphere in the U.S., including the shake of traditional morality of the bourgeoisie and the spiritual world of young people, which was unrestrained but bitter as well as confusing.

The Great Gatsby tells a story about Gatsby, who was not rich when he was young and fell in love with Daisy. Later, the First World War broke out and Gatsby was transferred to Europe. Daisy broke up with him and married Tom. Tom had a mistress, so Daisy led an unhappy married life. At this point, Gatsby got rich by illegal means. He held parties every night and invited people all over the world to integrate himself into the circle of the upper class. Then, he rediscovered Daisy with the help of his neighbor Nick, Daisy's cousin. But Daisy had already changed. Daisy's driving mistake killed Tom's mistress, and Gatsby took responsibility for the sake of protecting Daisy. Daisy and Tom asked the mistress's husband to kill Gatsby, and Gatsby died. But nobody came to his funeral except his father and his friend Nick.