An Analysis Of The Binary Oppositions In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby has been receiving worldwide popularity and numerous criticisms from readers and critics since it was published.This thesis intends to examine the binary oppositions in The Great Gatsby on the basis of previous studies and to further analyze the reasons and effects of the binary oppositions in the novel.This thesis consists of three parts:the introduction,the body and the conclusion.It first introduces the writer’s life and The Great Gatsby,the "Jazz Age" as the novel’s background.The first chapter provides the literature review on The Great Gatsby both at home and abroad,followed by the theory of binary opposition.The second chapter mainly discusses the embodiment of binary oppositions in the themes,including the binary oppositions within the American Dream:equality and inequality,virtue and evil,idealism and realism;how the binary opposition between dream and reality is represented in Gatsby and Myrtle;how the binary opposition between material affluence and spiritual decay is manifested in the upper class,the newly rich and the whole society;and the binary opposition between nature and civilization.The third chapter mainly analyzes the embodiment of binary oppositions within and between the characters.The binary opposition within the characters is exemplified by Gatsby,Daisy,and Nick,involving three pairs of binary oppositions:the binary opposition between Gatsby’s naivety and sophistication,between Daisy’s beautiful exterior and ugly interior,and the binary opposition of Nick’s involvement in and detachment from the story.The binary opposition between the characters includes the conflict and contrast between the emerging bourgeois class represented by Gatsby and the traditional aristocratic class represented by Tom;the binary opposition between Gatsby and Nick which reflects the opposition of self-deception and self-consciousness;the binary opposition between Tom and Wilson which represents the conflict and contrast between the upper class and the lower class.The fourth chapter mainly explains the binary oppositions in Fitzgerald,covering his contradictory attitudes towards wealth,his emotional yet rational personality and his writing with both Romanticist and Realist features.The thesis draws the following conclusion:the interpretation of the themes and characters in The Great Gatsby from the perspective of binary oppositions helps us to fully understand the novel and further explore its deep connotations.Besides,the novel is concerned with such social problems as class mobility and hedonism,which strengthens its realist significance and offers us enlightenment to face such problems.