| Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was one of the greatest novelists of America in 20th century and was widely acknowledged as the spokesman of the "Lost Generation" and "the Roaring 20s". The Great Gatsby published in 1925 has won great popularity among readers, researchers and scholars both home and abroad. It is commented as "the first step that American fiction had taken since Henry James." And it is ranked one of the twelve most outstanding American novels which stand up to the test of time. Generally, most studies home and aboard concentrate on the relations between Fitzgerald and his creations, the themes and narrative skills, but few have approached the criticism of the reality as the primary cause of the betrayal of the American dream. Thus, this thesis argues that "the reality"-the social context during the Roaring 20s, Gatsby’s idealism, his blind pursuit of his dream, Daisy’s materialism and her indifference-work together to bring forth the disillusionment of the American dream.There are five chapters in the thesis. Chapter One gives a brief introduction to the literary achievements of Fitzgerald and the artistic value of this book, the importance of this study, literature review and research methodology of this thesis. Chapter Two presents the history and concept of the American dream. Chapter Three discusses the origin and pursuit of Gatsby’s dream. He desires to promote his social status by becoming wealthy to recapture Daisy’s love. Chapter Four analyzes the causes that contribute to the failure of American dream, i.e. the social background of the Jazz Age, other social causes, Gatsby’s idealized love and his own blindness. Chapter Five gives the conclusion with an emphasis on the significance of this study. |
