1、An Analysis of the Image of Gatsby in the Great Gatsby了不起的盖茨比中主人公盖茨比形象浅析Major: English 专 业： 英 语Author: 作 者： 指导教师： 曹晓玲University: Eastern Liaoning University学位授予单位： 辽东学院Time: June, 2014完成时间： 2014 年 6月辽东学院本科毕业论文原创性声明本人郑重声明：此处所提交的本科毕业论文中主人公人物形象浅析是本人在导师指导下，在辽东学院外语学院学习期间独立进行研究所取得的成果。据本人所知，论文中除已注明部分外不包含他人
2、已发表或撰写过的研究成果，对本文的研究工作做出重要贡献的个人和集体均已注明。本声明的法律结果与导师无关，将完全由本人承担。作者签名： 日期： 年 月 日辽东学院本科毕业论文（设计）版权使用授权书本论文作者及指导教师完全了解“辽东学院论文版权使用规定” ，同意辽东学院保留并向国家有关部门或机构送交毕业论文的复印件和电子版，允许论文被查阅和借阅。本人授权辽东学院可以将本学位论文的全部或部分内容编入有关数据库进行检索，也可采用影印、缩印或扫描等复制手段保存和汇编毕业论文。作者签名： 导师签名： 年 月 日辽东学院本科毕业论文ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSUpon the completion of
3、 this paper, An Analysis of the Image of Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, I am grateful to the professor who offers my sincere encouragement and generous support during the course of my study for the Bachelors degree.First and foremost I am deeply indebted to my supervisor, Mrs. Cao Xiaoling, who guided
4、me with academic expertise, critical insights throughout each stage of my study and initiated me into my research. Her instruction enabled me to express my idea in a better way. Without her patient and insightful supervision, this paper would not be possible.Whats more, I also extend my heart-felt t
5、hanks to my classmates and friends, for their valuable guidance and sincere help.Last but not least, I would like to express thanks to my parents, for their encouragement and support.ABSTRACTF.Scott.Fitzgerald, one of the famous American novelists in the 20th century, is known as the spokesman and l
6、aureate of the “Jazz Age“ America, whose works give us a vivid picture of the aura of the American twenties: the prosperity of economy and the moral absence. Written in 1925, The Great Gatsby is one of the greatest literary documents of Fitzgeralds period, which wins many favorable praises. Now peop
7、le keep reading it. The critics analyze the novel through different perspectives such as the writing techniques, the narrative point of view and the structure of the novel. The exploration of moral emptiness and hypocrisy beneath the Jazz Age, together with the stylistic language brilliance of the n
8、ovel ensure Fitzgeralds position in American Literature. His novel bears some features of modernism, among which symbolism is the most understanding. The thesis reflects the deficiency of spiritual civilization and the loss of material civilization through the analysis of the image of Gatsby and the
9、 root of the tragedy of Gatsby due to the image analysis.Keywords: The Great Gatsby, Gatsby, image 辽东学院本科毕业论文摘要弗司各特菲兹杰拉德是 20世纪 20年代美国文坛上杰出的作家，素有“爵士时代”的代言人和桂冠诗人的称号。他的作品准确的展现了 20年代的美国社会的状况:一方面是日益经济繁荣，另一方面是年轻一代的道德缺失。写于1925年的了不起的盖茨比是那个年代最伟大的文学性文献之一，受到广泛好评，直到现在人们还在对这部小说写作手法、叙述视角和结构展开讨论。菲兹杰拉德用他独特的文体和语言揭示爵
10、士时代的光环下面隐藏的道德空虚和虚伪，并从此奠定了他在文学史上的地位。他的作品带有现代主义的特征，其中象征主义的运用是了不起的盖茨比的显著特色之一。本文主要通过对盖茨比形象的分析和透过盖茨比形象反射出盖茨比悲剧的根源性反映当时社会上精神文明的缺失和物质文明的沦丧。关键词：了不起的盖茨比 盖茨比 形象 CONTENTSACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3ABSTRACT4摘要 5CONTENTS61 Introduction.72 Literature review 83 Analysis of the Image of Gatsby 103.1 The different features o
11、f Gatsby.113.1.1 The different background of Gatsby.113.1.2 The different imagination of Gatsby .113.2 The dreamful image of Gatsby .113.2.1 Gatsbys dream of love .123.2.2 Gatsbys dream of career .133.3 The lonely image of Gatsby.143.3.1 His lonely life .143.3.2 His lonely death.144 The roots of Gat
12、sbys tragedy154.1 The self-factors.154.2 The social factors165 Conclusions16Bibliography .18辽东学院本科毕业论文An Analysis of the Image of Gatsby in the Great Gatsby1 IntroductionFrancis Scott Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896-December 21, 1940) is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in America of th
13、e 20th century and is considered a member of the “Lost Generation” About one hundred short stories and four long novels including This side of Paradise, The Beautiful and the Damned, Tender is the Night and The Great Gatsby which have been published during his whole writing. Beyond that he left an u
14、ncompleted novel, The Last Tycoon before he died. Fitzgeralds novels have been regarded as a sign for the Jazz Age and he is called “spokesman in the Jazz Age”. Not only Fitzgeralds novels work on different levels, but also give us memorable characters and events, as well as referring to the issues
15、of American wealth and spirituality”.As one of the classics in American literature, The Great Gatsby reveals the moral inanity and shame under the booming of the Jazz Age. When the book was published in 1925, it was widely accepted in American literature because Fitzgerald criticized the thought of
16、ultra-individualism in the contemporary American society.The Great Gatsby shows a subject of how the American dream influences the American characters: each of them has their own wish for their life of future, but their wish is only around wealth. To enjoy happiness from money is the main part of th
17、eir life. Fitzgerald unites his experiences with his nations experiences and reflects the time features through the novel. Fitzgerald proposes the rise and fall of Gatsby, cleverly choosing a first-person narrator, Nick Caraways point of view. The Great Gatsby has been the first progress made in the
18、 American novel. It has become a sign of the American literature.2 Literature reviewWritten in 1925, The Great Gatsby is one of the best known literary documents of this period. Many scholars have studied Fitzgeralds works from different perspectives, for example the personal background, the charact
19、eristics and the subject. Over the past years the research on The Great Gatsby in the word has went through a long and excruciating process. Lots of researchers have proposed different conclusions from different fields and wrote critical essays. Many of them studied the American dream in The Great G
20、atsby. Bewley Marius(1985) claims that the failure of Gatsby who seeks the American dream madly and explores the changes that happens in the American society, indicating obstructions which cannot be get across on the way to Gatsbys aspire of success. Meanwhile, Color Symbolism is very popular during
21、 the 1920s, and some of them studied the Symbolic Colors in The Great Gatsby to find out the dreams and thoughts of characters. Of course some studied The Great Gatsby from the matter of style of freshness. “The Great Gatsby seems to be so different from what has otherwise engaged the passions of ot
22、her writers in form and content.”(George Garrett, 2007). T.S.Eliot, a most influential critic of English, praised the novel was “the first step that American fiction has taken since Henry James.” The famous critic H.L.Mencken declared this novel “to be no more than a glorified anecdote.”The famous P
23、rofessor Wu Kunning first translated The Great Gatsby into Chinese in 1983. Since then, more and more Chinese scholars began discussing this novel, analyzing its symbolic colors, its subject and its forms of art. What Zhang Lilong (1998) has said, “In fact, The Great Gatsby is a recall and summarize
24、 of the process development of the American dream practical and historical point of views.” Also some analyses Gatsbys tragedy. Wang Weiping (2004) argues that the Gatsby is a romantic dreamer of the past, who dedicated his life to realize his dream. Wang Yujuan (1998) claims that “Gatsbys dream is
25、also all American dreams.”From all researchers about Francis Scott Fitzgeralds famous novel “The Great Gatsby” all over the word, we can conclude that The Great Gatsby is a great novel that different people can have different point of views. But we can see that these researchers mostly concentrate o
26、n the American dream, the Symbolic Colors and the language. Nevertheless, a few researchers have studied the image of Gatsby. In the following, Ill analyses the different images of Gatsby and find out the roots of 辽东学院本科毕业论文Gatsbys tragedy.3 Analysis of the Image of GatsbyGatsby is an idealist persi
27、sting in pursuing his dream. When he is a young boy, he has a Platonic idea that he deem he is the son of the God, so that he should devote his life to the God and devote himself to the profound, vulgar and gaudy beauty. When he meets Daisy, a girl from a prominent family, he still decides to pursue
28、 Daisy recklessly even though he know perfectly that their social positions are totally different: one is an unknown and stony-broke young man, the other is a rich girl living in an elegant and pleasant atmosphere. He has devoted himself to pursuing the dream and the charming and elegant Daisy is th
29、e embodiment of his dream. In order to achieve the wonderful life of reviving an old dream with his first love-Daisy (however, Daisy has already been married with a rich man-Tom before Gatsby goes abroad due to oversea battles.), Gatsby risks his life to earn money under the condition that both his
30、body and mind are tired.After Gatsby makes great fortune overnight, he spends much time and energy in arranging plans so as to see Daisy for a moment and tell her his miss. He buys a villa opposite to the house of Daisy, often holds luxurious banquets in it and looks forwards to sudden presence of D
31、aisy someday. For this, he has been waiting for 5 years. With the help of Nick, a distant relative of Daisy, Gatsby has the chance to meet Daisy. Therefore, he is mad with joy since his dreams come true. It is the motional excitement that makes him exhausted just like a clock with a spiral spring wo
32、und too tightly. What he does is just for Daisy. He is passionately devoted to her even willing to undertake murder for her.Nevertheless, the dream he has built in his life with much effort is nothing but a vulgar, empty, extremely selfish and flirtatious lady in reality. Gatsby is a Faustian person
33、 who struggles against obstacles endlessly. His life course presents an automatic inner development. Changes in life are peaks resulting from his past choices and experience. He is eager for an infinite state and never gives up his dream even when he loses his life.In a next part, the thesis will at
34、tach much importance to introduce different features of Gatsby including the dreamful image of Gatsby and the lonely image of Gatsby.辽东学院本科毕业论文3.1 The different features of GatsbyGatsby is a person with different characteristics. As a young man mad about money and love, he has different background a
35、nd different imagination.3.1.1 The different background of GatsbyIn the novel, the description of Gatsby gives us a series of questions. There are rumors that Mr. Gatsby kills a man or Mr. Gatsby is a German spy. Some people deny the previous information and say Gatsby serves for USA army in World W
36、ar II. Some people argue that Gatsby is a bootleg liquor dealer. Many people deem Gatsby is not Emperor William but the German field marshal Hindenburgs nephew. The complex contradictory information effectively spells a person a mysterious line or contour. In fact, so many people go to the Gatsbys h
37、ome but know nothing about Gatsby as if a subtle homage to Gatsby. In addition, the origin of Gatsbys property is not clear. But his character is very obvious, it is a contradiction that as if thinking of something in noise or feeling something is missing when gambling at high stakes. Of course that
38、 he feels lonely after he gathers lots of guests to his party is another contradiction. He gathers guests but stays away from them. When the band plays the symphony for the guests, Gatsby stands alone on the marble steps. When the guests revel in his garden, Gatsby become more and more dignified.3.1
39、.2 The different imagination of GatsbyFirst of all, we can see that Gatsby is an ordinary person through Nicks eye because he has a remarkable talent for hope. In fact, “I never find this romantic passion in others and cannot find in the future”. From what Nick has said, we can feel Gatsby is extrao
40、rdinary refined with his unique imagination. As a romantic idealist, this remarkable talent seems to be the cornerstone of Gatsby. Even though he is just a poor boy named James.Ghez, he creates a Jay Gatsby finally. The poor James.Ghez has become the ideal Jay Gatsby and he is no longer an ordinary
41、people. He regards himself as “The son of the Gold”.3.2 The dreamful image of GatsbyGatsby, as a literature character, represents a generation of the society. His personality is very colorful, so that his image is dreamful. This chapter emphasizes Gatsbys dream of love and Gatsbys dream of career wh
42、ich fully reflect that Gatsby is a complicated person.3.2.1 Gatsbys dream of loveAs for Gatsbys love for Daisy, he sacrifices a lot and is a representative figure in the field of love. First of all, Gatsby has a persistent and single-minded attitude towards love. After he falls in love with Daisy, g
43、reat changes have taken place. He is wild with joy and loves Daisy without controlling his mind. Even though Daisy has a new sweetheart due to Gatsby poverty, he attributes all the reasons to his own poverty and is determined to change himself. He never doubts or blames the mate choice of Daisy. Aft
44、er he gets huge wealth through many years of struggle, the unique desire and the unique pursuit in his heart are to obtain the love from Daisy all the same. In order to attract the attention of “goddess“ in his heart, he waits for 5 years unexpectedly and buys a villa. All these are just for seeing
45、Daisy accidentally. What a fool for love! He would like to spend everything he has and never care any gains and losses to obtain the love of Daisy. That he treats Daisy all the same from the beginning to the end without conditions and reservation moves our readers. Secondly, Gatsby treats love in th
46、e spirit of devotion. He spends money recklessly, holds parties throughout the night, is not in the mood for fame and compliments and is not in the mood for obtaining worship and appreciation from others. What he wants to acquire is accidental attention and patronage of the “goddess“ in his heart by
47、 wasting money unselfishly, devoting time and dedicating patience. After the “goddess“ is in trouble, he shoulders the responsibility of the crime positively without any hesitation. At the moment, he never considers the consequences properly brought by the undertaking. It is observed that he has no
48、idea of thinking for himself. All his thought, all his body and his entire mind have been contributed to his lover-Daisy. There is only one purpose for all the consideration: assuring the safety of Daisy and allowing her to be happy. He makes the final decision even if paying the price of life. His
49、selfless and great love for Daisy allows people in his time to be ashamed. However, it is Daisy who is the only person with perfect body figure and attractive appearance is not really moved by Gatsbys true love. Daisy is really attracted by Gatsby great change after he makes a great fortune and gets back to his hometown, but she does not 辽东学院本科毕业论文love him. What she loves most is the money and the status that Gatsby owns, so that she does not shed tears even when Gatsby saves her with his own lif
