The Hypocritical Human Nature Of The Money Supremacy

F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the greatest novelists in contemporary American literature. The Great Gatsby, his greatest novel published in 1925, painted a vivid picture of American society after World War I, provided a panoramic vision of the American dream, and was regarded as his most famous and deliberate novel by the critics. Its publication symbolized his becoming an outstanding writer in American literary history.The Great Gatsby took a love tragedy as the major plot, carried on clear judgment, and made public the American contemporary society. The story occurred in a society of conspicuous wealth. During this period, the sole target of living was to pursue wealth and seek pleasure. The novel, by way of such women as Daisy, Jordan, Myrtle and others in such society, depicted vividly women's loneliness and emptiness in the heart of the Jazz Age. But the root cause of their rot and parasitic life was to a great extent their own age― the"Century Age". The"Roaring Jazz Age"could only bring up a flock of such women, who abandoned ideals, pursued pleasure and fell back on the aristocratic circle. This mental state reflected the mentality and the ethical norms in the Jazz Age. They had abandoned their social role as traditional"true female", composed of four qualities― godliness, chastity, gentleness and household. They lost ration and sobriety, tasted the frenzied physical life, and took the money supremacy as the principle of living, only to become the sacrifice of the money society.Up to now, there have been many comments on this work, most of which surround the disillusion of the"American Dream", the symbols in the novel, the writing techniques and features. Few essays have ever analyzed deeply on the females in the text. This thesis takes text as fundamental, and tries to scoop out the root motives behind personal behaviors and to explore the mental factors in the depth of their hearts, from the socially critical view, so as to get a thorough understanding of the characters in the text. The thesis is also aimed at making a clear exposition of the contradiction between widespread material prosperity and spiritual emptiness in the then America, to further expose the greatness and eternity of the novel.The thesis falls into six parts. The preface part introduces the writer's contribution to American literature, the main plot of the work, the literature review, and the significance of this thesis. ChapterⅠdetails the background and women's position in the then society. ChapterⅡ, from the angle of the heroine's figure, voice and love, reveals her philosophy of life. In chapterⅢ, the images of other women are analyzed, in whom can be found the grossest aspects of selfishness, hypocrisy, and moral vacuum. ChapterⅣis a brief introduction of author's autobiography in the work and his views about women. The conclusion part summarizes the main idea.