An Analysis of the Female Characters in The Great Gatsby_英语论文

摘要

《了不起的盖茨比》是弗·斯科特·菲茨杰拉德的代表作，也是美国文学的经典之作。菲茨杰拉德被公认为二十世纪美国最伟大的作家之一。作为“爵士时代”的代表人物，他逼真地再现了当时的社会和生活方式，结合了他在上世纪二十年代的亲身经历，展示了美国梦的幻灭和战后一代的状况。书中，他描绘了三个令人印象深刻的女性角色：黛西·布坎南, 乔丹·贝克和默特尔·威尔逊。她们来自不同的阶级，对事物有着不同的看法，也有不同的结局，但同时她们也都是时代的受害者。本文结合二十世纪二十年代的社会背景，分析书中三位女性人物所遭到的压迫，自身的迷失，以及她们不同形式的反抗、顺从和逃避，指出这样的女性形象既是时代（父权制社会和拜金主义）的产物，也体现了菲茨杰拉德对女性深切的同情。 

关键词: 女性 《了不起的盖茨比》 社会背景 女性人物

Abstract

The Great Gatsby is the representative work of Francis Scott Fitzgerald and is also a classic in American literature. Fitzgerald is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers in the twentieth century. As a representative of “the Jazz Age”, he reproduced social style and life style with his own experiences in the 1920s, showing the disillusionment of the postwar generation of American dream. In the book, he described three impressive female characters: Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker and Myrtle Wilson. They come from different classes, have different views on things, and have different endings, but they are all the victims of the times. This paper analyzes the oppression of the three women, their own lost, and their different forms of resistance, obedience, and escape based on the social background of 1920s. It is pointed out that the female image was the product of the times which was a patriarchal and material society, and it also reflected Fitzgerald’s deep sympathy for women.

Key words: Female; The Great Gatsby; Social Background; Female Characters

Contents 

1  Introduction 1

2  Social Background for Women 3

2.1 Politics 3

2.2 Economy 4

2.3 Gender 5

3  Women’s Oppression 6

3.1 Male Gaze 6

3.2 The Lost Self 7

3.3 The Victim of the Transitional Decade 9

4  Women’s Attitudes toward Their Fate 11

4.1 Rebellion 11

4.2 Compromise 13

4.3 Escapes 14

5  Conclusion 15

Bibliography 16

Acknowledgements 17