Themes The Great Gatsby 《了不起的盖茨比》主题分析.pptVIP

Themes ofThe Great Gatsby Dream -the bankruptcy of American Dream Change (past) Rationalism vs. Irrationalism Dream Gatsby wealth, love Wealth inherited a large amount of money, and made money on illegal business Love failed reuniting with Daisy The American Dream Materially - wealth Spiritually - happiness The writer embodied on Gatsby the feature of typical Americans. Thus, the failure of Gatsby symbolizes the confusion of Americans and the bankruptcy of American Dream. Change past so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. I wouldnt ask too much of her, I ventured. You cant repeat the past. He looked around him wildly, as if the past were lurking here in the shadow of his house, just out of reach of his hand. He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something (chapter 6, p68~69) Gatsby lives in the shadow of the past (dreaming of reunion with Daisy; He retraced the places where he and Daisy had once stayed together.) and wants to get some things back to former states. In the whole story, Gatsby is the only person who still looks backwards and pursue ideal love despite of material factors. Daisy - She abandoned the past. She now is merely a typical vanity worshiper, no longer the girl whom Gatsby has been fancy of. Through Nicks narration of the whole story and reveal of the change.The writer called for the regression of humanity and morality. Rationalism vs. Irrationalism The Americans lived under the influence of rationalism brought by technology break-through and the theory of God is dead. Fitzgerald showed the contrast and conflict between rationalism and irrationalism. He showed preferance to irrationalism and emotion. Gatsbys Idealism He pursued unpractical love. The failure of Gatsby symbolizes the prominence and tendency of rationalism. His being about “the service of a vast, vulgar and meretricious beauty”(Chapter 6, P