编辑:
2014-04-09
Even if his dream originated from American dream, the essence of Gatsby’s dream is the essence of American dream. With his growing, Gatsby’s American Dream went by an evolution when he was young. He dreamed making a good fortune, transcending common people and getting rid of poorness as much as the heroes written by Ben Franklin and Horatio Alger. Later he met Daisy by chance and then lost his heart to her, thus Daisy became the personification of his perfect ideal and the embodiment of concentrating his entire ideal, and the he endeavored to do everything in the direction of them. Because in his mind, Daisy represented all beautiful creatures of the upper class society in America, and in his memory, the first love between Daisy and him seemed to be a human fairyland, whereas, the cruel reality was that he lacked rich family supporting him and his love. The great disparity of their status made him sense that he had no right to touch her hand. “Gatsby was overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that wealth impressions and preserves, of the freshness of many clothes, and of Daisy, gleaming like silver, safe and proud above hot struggles of the poor.” (Fitzgerald, 2002: 98)
So having lost Daisy, he desperately earned much more money, and fantasized about recapturing his beloved—Daisy with money when he was rich enough, afterwards, he really made a fortune. “Once I wrote down on the empty space of a timetable the names of those who came to Gatsby’s house that summer, including film stars, boarders, duke, prince, etc. (Fitzgerald, 2002: 13)” , while the narrator Nickel’s finn servant informed me that Gatsby dismissed every servant in his house a week ago and replaced them with half a dozen others. Gatsby became very rich beyond people’s imagination, nearly owned magical power, could gather all rich men and dismiss servants and employ any one, and even made West Egg become a constant magnificent feast. Surely, what have been finished was not to depend on the traditional teaching but illegal deals in gangdom or underworld, however, luxurious life could not bring Gatsby a little happiness, since in essence, he was different from those who sought for benefits and fames. In Jazz Age, wealth was not the most significant to Gatsby, while what he only recalled was to repeat the past with Daisy day and night and to get the lost pure love. After he got rich, he bought a luxurious mansion in front of Daisy’s house across the bay. “If it wasn’t for the mist we could see your house across the bay,” said Gatsby, you always have a green light that burns all nights at the end of your dock.” (Fitzgerald, 2002: 110) Almost five years, Gatsby never stopped recalling his first lover Daisy. “He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way. No amount of fine or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart.” (Fitzgerald, 2002: 113)
As a result, the more perfect his ideal became, the more far away reality was.
C. Symbol of Gatsby’s Dream
标签:英美文学论文
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