The Withering Of The American Dream

F. Scott. Fitzgerald was the most representative American novelist of the 1920s. He was not only a leading participant in the typically frivolous, carefree, moneymaking life of the decade but also a detached observer of it.The Great Gatsby (1925) is regarded by many critics as one of the finest twentieth- century American novels. T. S. Eliot called it "the first step the American novel has taken since Henry James." However, the immediate response to the novel was overwhelmingly negative. It was not until 1950s that The Great Gatsby became popular all over the world. It took a long time for the greatness of The Great Gatsby to emerge.The Great Gatsby is a general critique of the American dream. American culture is characterized by a strong emphasis on the goal of monetary success and a weak emphasis on the importance of the legitimate means for the pursuit of success. By combining the traditional biographical and historical approaches, and the approach of cultural criticism, the thesis tries to re- explore the significance of the American dream. In Introduction, the thesis briefly introduces Fitzgerald's life, works and the social, historical context in which The Great Gatsby was created. Chapter One gives a reflection of the American dream, focusing on the sacred tradition and the secular tradition which have contributed to the early formation of the American dream in terms of religion, economy and politics. Chapter Two analyzes the development of Gatsby's American dream by dwelling on Benjamin Franklin's and Dan Cody' influence on James Gatz respectively. Chapter Three expounds on the withering of the American dream through the analysis of the characterization of the protagonist-Gatsby, Meyer Wolfsheim, Daisy Fay and Tom Buchanan. Gatsby and Tom represent the two major forces in American society: idealism and materialism. Gatsby becomes a victim of the new commercial culture where material success is dominating. In Conclusion, the thesis argues that The Great Gatsby is about the predicament of human beings in general, thus it is necessary for man to figure out ways to minimize the contradictions between man's social development and the worldof nature, materialistic abundance and spiritual pursuit, idealism and reality.