Abstract

American dream is a special product of American civilization and has always been one of the most recurring topics in American literature. It mainly refers to everyone’s right to pursue equality, freedom and happiness. However in details, it has different connotations in different times. In this paper, it is divided into three periods: American dream around the War of Independence, American dream around the Civil War and American dream around World War One. The story of Gatsby happens during the 1920s after World War One.
The great Gatsby is the masterpiece of Scott Fitzgerald, who is one of the most famous American novelists in the 1920s. Through analysis of Gatsby’s American dream, we will have a better understanding of American Dream in different social and historical backgrounds. Gatsby’s American dream consists of two complementary aspects, the material aspect and the spiritual aspect. The material aspect of his dream is his pursuit of wealth while the spiritual aspect of his dream is to get back his lost love. Gatsby spares no effort to realize his dream, especially to regain Daisy’s love. However, because of their different family backgrounds and social status, Gatsby is doomed to fail and becomes a tragic case of the American dream from the very beginning.

Keywords: American dream, The Great Gatsby, tragedy

摘    要

美国梦是美国文明的特殊产物，一直是美国文学中最常见的话题之一。它主要是指每个人追求平等、自由和幸福的权利，然而，它的具体内容在不同的时代有不同的内涵。在本文中，美国梦分为三个时期：独立战争时期，南北战争时期和一战前后的美国梦。盖茨比的故事就发生在第一次世界大战后的二十年代。
《了不起的盖茨比》是20世纪20年代美国最著名的小说家菲茨杰拉德的杰作。通过分析盖茨比的美国梦，我们将会更好地了解不同社会历史背景下的美国梦。盖茨比的美国梦主要包括物质和精神两个相辅相成的层面，物质层面是追求巨额的财富而精神层面则是重新夺回他失去的爱，他不惜一切代价去实现他的梦想，尤其是重新获得黛西对他的爱，然而由于两人不同的家庭背景和社会地位，他从一开始就注定要失败而成为一个美国梦的悲剧。

关键词：美国梦；《了不起的盖茨比》；悲剧

1. Introduction
American dream is a special product of American Civilization and has always been one of the most recurring topics in American literature. Its original meaning is to have religious and political freedom, freedom to develop everyone’s innate abilities. This kind of spirit encourages American people generation after generation and prompts America into the most developed country in the world. Through analysis of Gatsby’s American dream, we will have a better understanding of American Dream in different social and historical backgrounds.