Abstract:In the novel The Great Gatsby, Francis Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates the genesis and disillusion of “American Dream” from the vision of Jay Gatsby, the main character in this story, and predicates it as Nick Kalaway, the narrator.
The first part of this thesis states the origin and historical background of the concept “American Dream”. After the Independent War, America, as the representative of western world, suddenly realizes that their world is rich with material but poor with spirit; people are losing their belief. The American Dream is not glamorous as it used to be. The second part concentrates on Gatsby’s American Dream, revealing the essence of American Dream. The third part states the so called American Dream is nothing more than wishful thinking. Conclusion: People immersing in American dream are bound to lose themselves if they are without belief .This novel shows us that we should pay more attention to the accumulation of the ideological sustenance, though we are living in a material-rich world.
Key Words: Francis Scott Fitzgerald; American Dream; Disillusion
中文摘要: 二十世纪美国著名作家弗朗西斯·司各特·菲茨杰拉德的小说《了不起的盖茨比》借由书中人物尼克·卡拉威之口来描述杰伊·盖茨比的故事，笔者冷眼旁观，描述了美国梦的缘起与幻灭。本论文在第一部分简述“美国梦”概念产生的历史背景和由来；分析了自南北战争后，以美国为代表的西方世界蓦然发现自己已经站在了物质极大丰富，精神极度匮乏的信仰缺失的边缘；“美国梦”不再光鲜亮丽，其一味追逐物质积累和享受的阴暗面逐渐显现出来。论文第二部分着重分析了盖茨比的美国梦；深入地揭露了“美国梦”之本质。论文第三部分揭示了所谓“美国梦”不过是盖茨比式的人物们一厢情愿的妄想罢了。文章结论：沉浸在“美国梦“中的人们，没有了信仰的庇护，必然坠入道德的深渊。这部小说带给我们的具有现实意义的启示是：在世界经济高速发展的今天，我们更要重视精神食粮的积累，精神信仰的回归是人类心灵的最后净土。
关键词：弗朗西斯·司各特·菲茨杰拉德；美国梦；幻灭
