Abstract: The Great Gatsby is the masterpiece of American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. This novel has been widely appreciated since it was published, which is a peculiarly classical work about the decline of American dream. This paper is to analyze three female representatives in The Great Gatsby from different social strata: Daisy comes from the upper class, who is sardonic and somewhat cynical and behaves superficially to mask her pain at her husband’s constant infidelity; Jordan comes from the middle class, representing one of the “new women” of the 1920s—cynical, boyish, and self-centered; Myrtle comes from the lower class, who possesses a fierce vitality and desperately looks for a way to improve her situation. However, they are characterized equivalently by closely depending on men and realizing their values via the latter’s love and pursuit. In the male-dominated society of the Jazz Age, if women had wanted to gain true happiness, they not only should have had the awareness of being equal to men, but also should have taken actions to achieve goals.
Key words: The Great Gatsby; Daisy; Jordan; Myrtle
摘要: 《了不起的盖茨比》是美国作家弗.司各特.菲茨杰拉德的代表作。此书自问世以来获得社 会的广泛认可，它是一部关于美国梦破灭的经典著作。本文主要分析《了不起的盖茨比》中来自不同社会阶层的三位女性代表:黛西来自上层阶层,她喜欢冷嘲热讽、玩世不恭，并以浅薄的举止来掩盖她因丈夫一贯不忠所感到的痛苦;乔丹来自中层阶层，是20世纪20年代“新女性”的代表--玩世不恭，男孩子气，以自我为中心;梅特尔来自下层阶层，自身具有一股狂热的活力，拼命寻求改善自身处境的途径。但是，她们有着相同的特点，即依附男人而生活，靠男人的追逐来实现自身价值。在爵士时代的男权社会，女人如果想要获得真正的幸福，不仅需要自身作为与男性平等的“人”的价值意识的觉醒 ,更要以有效的努力去实现目标。
关键词: 《了不起的盖茨比》；黛西；乔丹；梅特尔
