The Greatness of Gatsby in the Great Gatsby

【Abstract】The disillusionment of the American Dream is an undisputed theme of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. However, this paper takes another perspective, putting the emphasis on the greatness of Gatsby in the Jazz age. Gatsby’s greatness will be elaborated on from three aspects：his pursuit of American Dream, his personal qualities, his sharp contrast with the other characters in the novel.

【Key words】the American Dream; greatness; Gatsby; the Jazz Age

The Great Gatsby remains a classic in American literature for its vivid depiction of the disillusionment of the American Dream in the 1920s. The corruption of human values and the problems within the pleasure-seeking society are carefully interwoven to arrive at a horrible tragedy. However, a hero, Gatsby, stands out against this heart-rending backdrop distinctly with his own greatness.

I. The Greatness in Gatsby’s pursuit of American DreamGatsby’s greatness comes from his eagerness to achieve success and his strong will to realize his dreams. Gatsby is a typical pursuer of American Dream. He is an outstanding rags-to-riches saga. Born in a poor western family in North Dakota, he refused to accept his destiny passively. He left home to fight on his own. “For over a year he had been beating his way along the south shore of Lake Superior as a clam-digger and a salmon-fisher or in any other capacity that brought him food and bed.”(Fitzgerald, 132)Actually, from the very beginning, he has set up a strong resolution to undergo the bitterest hardships. The well-designed schedule fully reveals the strong-mindedness and perseverance built in the character, as well as the ambition to become a Franklin-type person, and he finally made it. “An instinct towards his future glory [leads] him”. (Fitzgerald, 133) He nudges in this dazzling world on his own strength, on thorough material scarcity but a glorified Dream. Gatsby has not laid hand on Cody’s money, ever. “He never understood the legal device that was used against him, but what remained of the millions went intact to Ella Kaye (Cody’s mistress). He was left with his singularly appropriate education.” (Fitzgerald, 133) He elbows his way into financial success through his own efforts and always retains hope in the future.

II. Gatsby’s greatness finding its expression in his good manners and unique personality

1. Innocence and purity

Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy purifies his personality. He buries himself in years’ hard work just for the return of an old love. He spent three years earning money to buy the house in hope of Daisy’s arrival. In spite of Daisy’s fickleness and shallowness, she remains an impeccable deity in Gatsby’s heart. The first “nice” girl he has ever met compels him to “[commit] himself to the following of a grail”. (Fitzgerald, 199) His innocence and purity, and his patience elevate him to a higher ground, and

cement his greatness. The capricious Jazz Age urges people to abandon the traditional values；however, Gatsby stands upright, untouched by its insolence and impudence.

2. Politeness and courtesy

The politeness and courtesy are revealed in both his words and deeds. The note he sent to Nick was a surprisingly formal one：“the honor would be entirely Gatsby’s, if [Nick] would attend his ‘little party’ that night.” (Fitzgerald, 55) When he introduced himself, he was picking his words with care；when he left, he excused himself with a bow to show respect and politeness；when the guests approached him to say goodbye, his manner tightened into formality to a corresponding response. He has a firm check of his behavior, which distinguishes him from the jazz-age mass.

3. Self-discipline in drinking alcohol

On his clamorous parties, he seldom drinks, staying away from alcohol as far as possible. As the narrator, Nick observes that it is a great advantage not to drink among hard-drinking people. You can hold your tongue, and moreover, when others soak themselves in the champagne and rumors at the party, Gatsby is able to stand aloof with a sober head all the time. As a result, Gatsby naturally “grew more correct as the fraternal hilarity increased.” (Fitzgerald, 67)

4. Incredible tolerance and generosity

Five years’ waiting and struggles towards an obscured dream clearly witness Gatsby’s tolerance. He hides himself in stupid tolerance and hammers Daisy in his heart as time goes by. In addition, the parties give full play to this quality. Guests to his house, invited or not, all received a warm welcome and enjoyed themselves in a lavish way the host provided. Nevertheless, Gatsby has to tolerate their gossip as well as material ravages.

5. Honesty

Despite the illegal means he adopted to accumulate wealth, he was an honest man from head to toe. First, he was honest with others. Although he had had little education, he got a real library with real-page books rather than the “nice durable cardboard” (Fitzgerald, 61), which was quite a vogue among the seemingly well-educated aristocratic rank. Second, he was at least honest with himself. He knows what he wants exactly and chases after that goal whole-heartedly.

6. Responsibility

Gatsby is a filial son as well as a competent lover. Although he had had fights with his father over some matters and run off from home, he bought his father a new house after his success and kept contact by mail. As a lover, he outshines Tom the husband. After Daisy’s murder of Myrtle Wilson, Gatsby’s anxious nightlong waiting and his decision to shoulder the blame also indicate his great responsibility.

III. Greatness reflected in contrast

As a representative of the newly rich, Gatsby’s

- 249 -校园英语 / 文艺研究思想的旅程——对《了不起的盖茨比》中尼克的分析江西中医药高等专科学校/雷珊

【摘要】《了不起的盖茨比》是美国作家菲兹杰拉德的优秀作品，被公认为美国小说史上的名篇，在美国文学史上占有重要位置。这部小说真实反映了20世纪20年代美国的社会现状，揭示了爵士时代人们道德观的沦丧。本文通过分析小说人物尼克观念变化从道德观角度阐述美国当时社会价值观和精神诉求。【关键词】尼克 东部 西部 道德观 一战

一、介绍菲兹杰拉德是当代美国文学最伟大的小说家之一。他最著名的小说《了不起的盖茨比》出版于1925年，描绘了一战后美国的社会情况以及当时的美国梦。这本小说的出版标志着他成为了美国文学史上最杰出的小说家之一。《了不起的盖茨比》以爱情悲剧为线条，为大众描绘了当时的美国社会。在那个时代，人们生活的主要目标是追求财富和快乐。著名作家T. S.艾略特认为《了不起的盖茨比》“自从亨利·詹姆斯之后美国小说超出的第一步”。在这本书中，菲兹杰拉德运用了他独特的写作技巧和现实手法全面分析了美国拜金潮流下的人性，揭示了爵士时代美国梦破灭的根源。

随着1950年美国新批判主义理论的发展，菲兹杰拉德研究热兴起。许多评论员全面研究了他的写作技巧，一些甚至进一步研究了小说中的爵士时代和美国梦。在1960至1970年代，人们一直发表关于菲兹杰拉德的传记，评论和论文，并confrontation with the group represented by Tom and Daisy promotes his image immensely.

On one hand, Gatsby has gone a long way on the civilized side. Tom is a sturdy straw-haired man of thirty with a hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shiny arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward…. It was a body capable of enormous leverage—a cruel body(Fitzgerald, 9). However, Gatsby is a gentleman with an understanding smile and a modest air around him. He always speaks in a polite manner and doesn’t want any trouble with anybody. Tom’s foul tongue humiliates himself in the presence of Gatsby’s courtesy.

On the other hand, people like Tom and Daisy dwarf in front of Gatsby. “Tom and Daisy have neither dream nor aspiration for their life. The only matter bothering them is how to spend the time as Daisy cries：‘What’ll we do with ourselves this afternoon？And the day after that, and the next thirty years？’”(Fitzgerald, 65) Nevertheless, Gatsby has been running out of breath after his American Dream. He values self-made success and builds up his wealth with his own hands. On the contrary, Tom’s value is commensurate with hedonism. “He sucks on his inherited money, squanders at his own will and takes the enjoyed privileges for granted.”(金莉, 秦亚青, 142页)

In short, whereas Tom appears arrogant, pretentious and aggressive, Gatsby is modest, honest and amiable. Whereas Tom and Daisy plot to evade the responsibility, Gatsby heroically takes

且出现了许多特殊研究课题，如旁白方法、文章结构、颜色象征等。近期，一些评论员开始关注小说中反映的道德意思识。只有少数论文从尼克角度进行分析。这篇论文旨在分析当时美国物质繁荣和精神空虚的巨大反差，以此揭示这本小说的伟大之处。这篇论文将从尼克思想转变来分析当时及道德价值的滑坡。

这篇论文分为二部分。第一部分从尼克对财富和盖茨比的思想态度转变来分析尼克思想。第二部分讲诉当时的社会道德观。

二、尼克思想的分析1.渴望东部生活。尼克·卡罗威，是一位来自明尼苏达州的年轻人，于1922年夏天来到当时最繁华的城市纽约学习证券生意。美国当时的经济非常繁荣，证券市场非常活跃，许多人都从事证券生意并且一日暴富，他们向美国人展示了梦幻般的未来。追求物质成功的疯狂想法不可避免的影响了尼克。他来到纽约寻求财富。

2.尼克思想的转变。一开始，当尼克站在富人区环视周边建筑时，他非常羡慕布坎南夫妇，因为他们的房屋比他想象的还要精致。但羡慕感随着接下来发生的事情荡然无存。到达他们家时，他看见汤姆站在他的房子前，傲慢地看着他。所以尽管尼克是黛西的表弟，但他并没有感觉到爱。他up the consequences. Gatsby’s dedication to his ideal outrivals their meanness and depravity.

IV. Conclusion

Gatsby has come a long way from the West to the East. Underneath his rough appearance lies his romantic ideal, pure good wishes and his consistent pursuit of that ideal. His entire life dwells on a noble aspiration. His unswerving belief, strong hope in every possibility and his innocence rivets him in his ideal world of goodness and purity, and presses him to build up a “paradise” in the corrupted society. Gatsby’s life is no tragedy. Gatsby in tears and blood rolls out a dramatic heroic epic in the Dollar Age. Thanks to Fitzgerald, we have the opportunity to see with our own eyes the marvelous scene—the greatness buried in an ordinary yet unusual westerner. 参考文献：

[1]Fitzgerald,F.Scott.The Great Gatsby.Qingdao:The Qingdao Press,2003.

[2]金莉,秦亚青.美国文学[M].北京:外语教学与研究出版社,1999.[3]李宜燮,常耀信.美国文学选读(下册)[M].天津:南开大学出版社,2002.

[4]谢冰.论盖茨比爱情悲剧的成因[J].安徽文学(下半月),2016 (6).

[5]张曌.浅析盖茨比的伟大精神[J].现代交际,2017(11).

作者简介：孙金丹(1982-)，女，汉族，江苏靖江人，硕士，讲师，主要从事英语语言文学及英汉翻译研究。

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