摘 要

《了不起的盖茨比》是F·司各特·菲茨杰拉德的代表作。主人公杰伊·盖茨比是美国梦的信奉者，也是受害者。他总是追求着他的“金钱梦”和“爱情梦”，沉浸在幻想之中。最后，盖茨比为他的幻想付出了生命的代价。本文从社会因素以及个人因素两个方面入手分析导致盖茨比悲剧的原因，进而反映二十世纪20年代美国梦的幻灭。

关键词：《了不起的盖茨比》；社会因素；个人因素

Contents

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

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

2.1. Social factors causing Gatsby’s tragedy..................................................................2

2.1.1 A victim of abnormal social and moral values......................................................2

2.1.2 A victim of American dream.................................................................................3

2.1.3 Economic difference between the East Egg and the West Egg.............................4

2.1.4 Class conflicts between the East Egg and the West Egg.......................................5

2.2. Personal factors causing Gatsby’s tragedy..............................................................6

2.2.1 Blind passion for material wealth..........................................................................6

2.2.2 Idealism about pure love.......................................................................................7

2.2.3 Ignorance of the essence of the upper class society..............................................7

3. Conclusion..................................................................................................................8

Works Cited..................................................................................................................10

Bibliography.................................................................................................................11

Cause Analysis of Gatsby’s Tragedy in The Great Gatsby

1. Introduction

Francis Scott Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896—December 21, 1940) , speaking on behalf of the “Lost Generation”, was one of the most outstanding novelists in the 1920s. He wrote four novels and about one hundred and fifty short stories in his life. His main works include This Side of Paradise (1920), Tender is the Night (1934), The Great Gatsby(1925), The Love of the Last Tycoon (1941) and so on. Among them, This Side of Paradise was his first work, which made him a little famous. He put his heart and soul into creating The Great Gatsby, which helped him reach the peak of his career in writing.

The Great Gatsby, which vividly depicts a picture of Roaring Twenties, stands out in world literature. The novel tells a story about Jay Gatsby’s tragic fate. The protagonist, Gatsby, is a son of a deprived peasant. He buys a large mansion in the West Egg when he has made a big fortune. He devotes his whole life to the pursuit of American Dream, and naively thinks that money can buy him everything, including his lost love and happiness. In order to regain Daisy’s love, he tries to become rich suddenly by illegal means——“selling grain alcohol over the counter.”(Fitzgerald 85) He succeeds at the beginning, however, he is killed in the end because of Daisy’s betrayal and her husband’s revenge. Gatsby’s blindness, innocence and ignorance make him not aware of the indifference and selfishness of the upper class society.

The Great Gatsby is Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, and it is not only popular among the public but also widely read and discussed. In a sense, this novel is the miniature of the Jazz Age in which the author Fitzgerald lived. “As a typical novel of ‘Lost Generation’, The Great Gatsby is praised by many critics as a classic work to explore the subject of personal freedom and seriously interrogate ‘American dream’.”(Gong 126) It seems that The Great Gatsby is the irony of American history. As David F. Trask has said, “the story of Gatsby is a true portrayal which is impossible to realize.”(Trask 213) As Tang Soo Ping said in York Notes on The Great Gatsby, “many critics have seen Fitzgerald’s artistic achievement in terms of his ability to depict the American society, its history and its people.”(Tang 7)

The Great Gatsby stands firm in world literature. Up to now, thousands of researches on The Great Gatsby have been conducted. Some scholars devote their full time to studying the collapse of American dream and character images. Others concentrate on its writing skills and narrative techniques. What’s more, some scholars also study it from multiple perspectives, such as the perspective of structuralism and comparative analysis.

This thesis will focus on the factors that lead to Gatsby’s tragic fate. The paper aims to analyze the factors from two different perspectives. The first part analyzes Gatsby’s tragedy from social factors. Not only is Gatsby in pursuit of American dream, but also suffers from abnormal values in the Jazz Age. In the end, he pays the price for that. Being suppressed ruthlessly by the upper class society also contributes to his tragedy. The second part concentrates on personal factors causing his tragic destiny, including seeking for wealth blindly, being idealistic about pure love and naively idealizing the upper class society.

1. Demonstration

2.1 Social factors causing Gatsby’s tragedy

The Great Gatsby originates from Fitzgerald’s personal experiences. In the 1920s, American dream began to place emphasis on materials and lack the pursuit of spirit. Americans thought that money was everywhere and everyone had the chance to earn them whether they were poor or rich. At that time, social values and moral values were distorted and gradually broke down. The new generation like Gatsby couldn’t separate themselves from the social environment. Gatsby pursues American dream because he feels that money can help him regain Daisy. Unfortunately, He doesn’t realize that he can never rely on money to win Daisy back because of their different social status.