Spiritual Collapse In The Jazz Age

The 1920s America was a gilded age, which was dubbed as "the Jazz Age" by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, who was the chronicler and spokesman of this age. In his words, "It was an age of miracles, it was an age of art, it was an age of excess, and it was an age of satire." "The Jazz Age" was the most important sign in all of his works. His fictional world was the best embodiment of the spirit of the Jazz Age, in which he showed a particular interest in the upper-class society, especially the upper-class young people. Young men and women in the 1920s had a sense of reckless confidence not only about money but also about life in general. They spent money extravagantly and enjoyed themselves to their hearts' content. But beneath the masks of relaxation and joviality there was only sterility, meaninglessness and futility, and amid the grandeur and extravagance a spiritual wasteland and a hint of decadence and moral decay. The creation of Tender is the Night lasted for nine years, which became the best embodiment of the tragic fate in the Jazz Age for its wide description of the society and deep reflection of the age, as compared with the other novels of Fitzgerald's. It showed his most personal emotion and social care. It was regarded generally a most biographical novel for Fitzgerald and a most tragic elegy for the Jazz Age.This thesis plans to explore the reasons for the tragic fate of Dick Diver from the two perspectives of the character and social circumstances. Dick Diver is the representative of the Jazz Age and also the victim in the Jazz Age, whose tragic fate is to some degree the parallel of the Jazz Age. In the gilded and roaring Jazz Age, people are attracted by its superficial glitter while falling into the trap of hedonism. After the spree and binge to their hearts' content, they have a feeling of emptiness and confusion. But they cannot get away from the society full of hypocrisy and selfishness. They are doomed to a tragic fate of spiritual collapse and moral decay.The thesis consists of four chapters. Chapter One is an introduction to the Jazz Age and the chronicler of the Jazz Age. The Jazz Age is an era of economic booming and prosperity, which brought about the young people's indulgency in extravagant enjoyment to their heart' content in parties and speakeasies; it is an age of the flappers, which is accompanied by uninhibited young women with bobbed hair and short skirts, and more rights and freedom for women such as sexual liberation; it is an age of heavy conflict between the past Victorian ethic and the modern values, for which the younger generation rebels again their parents and refuses to follow the moral traditions; and it is an age of contraband, violence and chaos. The Jazz Age is a miraculous age with glitter, prosperity and chaos, turbulence juxtaposing. F. Scott Fitzgerald and his novel Tender is the Night are both the chroniclers of the age and the best embodiments of the age.Chapter Two focuses on the analysis of Dick Diver's character and social circumstances. Dick is an excellent and promising psychiatrist with many traditional virtues and he is an idealistically optimistic young man. He is a natural idealist for romantic love, successful career and perfect morality. He has other character flaws such as uncontrollable generosity, lavishly heroic qualities and paternally protective role and succumbing to wealth. These character weaknesses or flaws lead to his tragic fate of spiritual collapse. This is one of the reasons that result in Dick's tragedy. The other reason exists in the social circumstances. The Jazz Age is a miraculous age with glitter, prosperity and chaos, turbulence juxtaposing age. And American Dream arrives at a new climax. Dick's marriage to Nicole introduces the complicating external circumstances or social circle. The selfishness, hypocrisy and money-orientation in the upper class disappoint Dick, but the awareness of this embitters him for his inability to control everything and save himself.Chapter Three concentrates on the combination of the two that results in the tragic fate of Dick Diver, whose life is from a natural idealist and a promising psychiatrist to a deteriorated and demoralized drunkard. The desire to become wealthy and successful entices him into the upper class through the marriage with the rich patient Nicole. Dick cannot resist the temptation of the upper-class lifestyle but falls into the trap of hedonism. After having the endless extravagant parties and pleasure seeking, Dick feels empty and lost. What he confronts is the inevitable disillusionment and inability. He cannot escape from the destruction and demoralization. The idealism for romantic love, successful career and perfect morality and the other character flaws result in his irresistible falling into the trap of hedonism and disillusionment of dreams after the endless extravagant parties and pleasure seeking and his ultimate spiritual collapse and moral decay.Chapter Four comes to the conclusion. In the Jazz Age, people are doomed to spiritual collapse and moral decay. Some of them are living without soul. Some other people, like Dick Diver, have their idealism in this glittering and roaring age. They are irresistibly falling into the trap of the hedonism. When they come to recognition their loss of everything, they are helpless to control things and save themselves, and ultimately are doomed to spiritual collapse and moral decay. Dick's tragic fate is the representative of Fitzgerald and the whole Jazz Age. For the combination of character flaws and social circumstances, people in the Jazz Age are doomed to their spiritual collapse.