Failure Of The American Dream In Fitzgerald's Novels From The Perspective Of Consumer Culture

The American Dream is an important theme of Fitzgerald's novels, a study of which, whether to the study of Fitzgerald and his contemporaries, or to that of the literature of the Jazz Age and the Lost Generation, is of great importance. This thesis, from the perspective of consumer culture, focuses on the social reality reflected in This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby and Tender Is the Night which are taken as examples of Fitzgerald's novels. Through the analysis of the consumption activities in these novels, the writer makes a close research about the failure of the American Dream.To start with, the thesis introduces the origin and development of the American Dream, Fitzgerald and the American Dream, and the basic characteristics of Consumer Culture. As the idealism of the Americans, the American Dream accompanies the whole process of the development of the American literature, which makes it have rich connotations. Fitzgerald is a writer grown up with the breeding of American culture and the American Dream. His writing creativity was mainly carried out in the 1920s when the old ideology was transforming to the new one, so the themes of his works vividly reflect the characteristics of that times. But at the same time, his novels are nostalgic to the past happy life. In his novels, we can find the typical social characteristics of the post-war America as a consumer society, including the hypocrisy of the upper-class, the wickedness of money, the damage of family relationships and the sick social phenomena.After a documentation about the American Dream and the characteristics of Consumer Culture, the thesis traces the reflection of consumerism in the themes of the above three novels. All of the three novels focus on the corruption of the American Dream, which is mainly caused by people's preoccupation with wealth— the central importance of money, the magical expectations, the "carelessness", the ideals and the illusions which both create and are created by wealth.Then through the analysis of Fitzgerald's criticism on consumerism in the three novels, a study is made about the male protagonists' characteristics and the failure of their dreams. An analysis of the effects of their life, love and war experience on their self-development can tell us that their confusion is egoism. The conflict between their characters, values, mentality and the social environment is the reason of their tragedy.And the direct cause of the failure of their dreams is the female protagonists, Fitzgerald's "golden girls".What follows is an analysis of the "golden girls" who are also the victims of consumerism. Knowing the value of money and the differences between the poor people and the rich, they make owning possessions and enjoying life the aim of their life. And to meet the demands of these "golden girls", those men regard money as their lifelong pursuit. The "golden girls" subjugate men in money and love and to some extent, cause their tragic life.Based on the analysis above, a summary is made about the importance of money in consumer society and the consumerist essentials of the American Dream. Consumerism corrupts the mind and spirit of the young Americans, and causes common corruptions and the loss of social morals. Under this social environment, the failure of the American Dream is inevitable.While criticizing the evil of consumerism, Fitzgerald also advocates people to avoid the trap of consumerism and to return to the traditional virtues of industry, discipline, responsibility and maturity. This directs a correct road leading to future for the lost young generation and also offers some reference to the rejection of the corruption of consumerism in our today's consumer society.