Abstract

The Great Gatsby is a novel written by Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, the representative personage of Jazz Age, in 1925 on the background of the 1920s’ New York city and Long Island. In this novel, Gatsby is a typical chaser of the American Dream. He met his first lover Daisy after years of separation and took great efforts to pursue her. However, no matter how hard he tried, Daisy didn’t choose him at the end of the story. Fitzgerald revealed the society situation at that time by describing Gatsby’s chase of his American Dream and the disillusion of it.

Firstly, the paper will analysis the reasons of the rise of the American Dream by analyzing the historic background and the social environment since the historic background in The Great Gatsby was set in the 1920s.Then, it is to analyze the American Dream in The Great Gatsby and the disillusion of it, and make out the meaning of the American Dream and the meaning of its disillusion, gaining more understanding of the American society. In addition, the impact of the American Dream on the American society will be explored. At last, a summary will be made by having a second thought of reality. 

Key words: the American Dream; historic background; disillusion; impact

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1.Introduction ..1

2. The American Dream in The Great Gatsby ..2

2.1 The American Dream of Gatsby ...2

2.1.1  Dream of Fortune.2

2.1.2  Dream of Status  .4

2.1.3  Dream of Love ..6

2.2 The Disillusion of Gatsby’s American Dream  .7

2.2.1  The Disillusion of Status.8

2.2.2  The Disillusion of Love8

3.Effects of the American Dream on the American Society..  9

3.1 Effects on Economy .10

3.2 Effects on Policy ..11

4. Conclusion . .12

References..ⅴ