XXXX 大学本科毕业论文（设计）任务书
编 号：
论文（设计）题目：论了不起的盖茨比中的象征主义
学 院： XXX院 专业： 英语教育 班级： XXXX级X 班
学生姓名： XX 学号： XXXXXX 指导教师： XXX 职称： XX
1、论文（设计）研究目标及主要任务 研究目标：能够了解到二十世纪的美国的时代背景，以及在时代背景影响下美国的社会风气在了不起的盖茨比小说中的体现，以及其象征主义的运用。
主要任务：了解了不起的盖茨比中象征主义的运用，以及其代表的事物，对二十
世纪美国主流思想和社会背景的反应。
2、论文（设计）的主要内容
在了不起的盖茨比这部小说中作者运用了很多象征主义，由于了不起的盖茨比中象征主义的成功运用在学术界引起了很大的反响，二十世纪的美国社会的背景和风气很形象的在了不起的盖茨比中得以映射，其对色彩背景以及动物的情节设置都对文章情节的发展起到了重要作用，本文主要意图在于，分析其象征事物的运用的含义及其作者。
3、论文（设计）的基础条件及研究路线
基于互联网、国家图书馆、河北省图书馆和师大连接图书馆，采集并收纳了多方资料，对了不起的盖茨比这篇小说能有了清楚的认识。 4、主要参考文献
常耀信，美国文学简史[M]，天津：南开大学出版社，1999 Zadeh, L. Fuzzy Sets. Fuzzy Sets and Application
Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One’s Own and Three Guineas[M].Oxford University Press, 1992.
指 导 教师： 年 月 日 教研室主任： 年 月 日
注：一式三份，学院（系）、指导教师、学生各一份
XXXX 大学本科生毕业论文（设计）开题报告书
XXXX 大学本科生毕业论文（设计）评议书
XXXX 大学本科生毕业论文（设计）文献综述
Literature Review
Critics have generally approved that The Great Gatsby, which was published in 1925, is the masterpiece of Fitzgerald’s literary c areer. It evokes not only the atmosphere of the jazz-age searching for the American dream of wealth and happiness, but also the deeper questions of the evaporation of traditional values in a society atmosphere where the people was dominated by increasing materialism and cynicism.
Early reviews of Gatsby were varied, and comparatively few copies actually had sold before the death of Fitzgerald in 1940. Many critics, most particularly Ernest Hemingway, were put off by the fact that Fitzgerald had been recognized as a writer of stories for fashionable magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post. It was not until a renewal of Fitzgerald’s works in the 1950s that the novel began to evoke serious criticism. For the five subsequent decades, Gatsby has continued to draw critical attention and reappraisal. Critics have praised Fitzgerald’s compactly woven narrative, and many have paying attention on the position of the narrator, Nick Caraway, and the subjective limitations of his interpretation of Gatsby’s saga. Altho ugh Gatsby was called “a novel of the Jazz Age” for many years, critics have generally acknowledged that it has a much more widespread meaning, not the least of which is a sharp critique to the society of materialist American much like T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land. The appearances of at least four biographies in the 1990s and early 2000s are an suggestion that interest in Fitzgerald’s novels still unabated. Earlier critics of Gatsby emphasized biographical and educational influences on the novel, and formalist approaches dealt with the novel’s composition, point of view, symbols, use of language, and so on. From the 1980s to the 200s, a diversity of approaches, both heavily theoretical and non-theoretical, has been evident in critics’ remarks. While many have continued to explore biographical power or comparisons with other writers, or to use New Critical analyses, other writers have increasingly used such techniques as deconstruction, feminist criticism, and discourse analysis to expose concealed meanings in the text.
Now people still keep reading the great Gatsby. Many people study it though different perspectives, such as the stylistic perception or structuralism,” By using these narrative techniques Fitzgerald makes the reader has the potential to keep some aesthetic distance from the events and the characters in the story.”
Most of the critical attention has been on the topic ―American Dream. “The American Dream has eventually becomes decayed with gradual overemphasis on the wealth. Fitzgerald intensely detects the trend of corruption in the 1920’s and gives serious reflection on in his novel The Great Gatsby”
“Binary oppositions underlie the content of The Great Gatsby, and the pattern of actions structures the narrative of each character. As one picture is seen and appreciated form different perspective, quite different sceneries would be enjoyed. Structuralism opens another window for us.”
Besides the excellent method and style in narrative form and arrangement, its marvelous imaginative merit also lies in Fitzgerald’s original and the symbolism was successfully used by author in the novel to depict his view, particularly of his own times. And this thesis studies the symbolism in The Great Gatsby. Symbolism, as a exclusive artistic method, has two vital meanings according to Webster: one is to clarify imperceptible things by using visible symbols; the other is the links and relationship between symbols and meaning. Therefore symbolism in novel aims to present the concealed things and thoughts under phenomena. The using of symbolism plays a important role in the story. The function of symbolism made this work exceed the narrow individual world, making a connection between subjective and objective. Symbolism exceeds the plot, the description and moral significance of the story. The application of symbolism brings the subject of the novels to a new altitude and contributes to its reputation. It was possible to see the connection between the symbols and themes, what the concealed meaning of the story is.
本科生毕业论文设计
题目论《了不起的盖茨比》中的象征主义
作者姓名 XX 指导教师 XXX 所在学院 XXX学院 专业（系） 英语教育专业 班级（届） XX级英教X
完成日期 XXXX 年 5 月 8日
On Symbolism in The Great Gatsby
BY XX
Prof. XXXX, Tutor
A Thesis Submitted to Department of English
Language and Literature in Partial
Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of B.A. in English
At XXXXUniversity
May 8th ,XXX
摘要
弗•司格特•菲茨杰拉德是20世纪20年代美国杰出的作家，被誉为美国“爵士时代”的代言人和桂冠诗人。《了不起的盖茨比》是菲茨杰拉德的杰作，其巧妙地叙述技巧和结构方面的成就被读者所认同，并受到读者和评论家的广泛好评。
本文从象征主义的角度来分析本文，主要包括五部分。第一部是菲茨杰拉德和《了不起的盖茨比》的简介。第二部是介绍象征主义的具体含义，以及它在其他著名文学作品中的运用。第三部分论述象征主义在《了不起的盖茨比》中的运用。第四部分重点分析颜色、背景和事物的象征意义和作用。第五部分为总结，这一部分再强调出本小说的主题思想，并阐释了菲茨杰拉德批判美国梦的作品风格的与众不同。
笔者认为作者在小说中成功而广泛的运用了象征主义，并通过象征主义使其突出了主题思想，也使菲茨杰拉德批判美国梦的作品有别于其他作品、张弛有度, 合理恰当。因此本论文主要向读者阐述这些象征手法的深层含义，以便读者能全面而深刻的了解菲茨杰拉德笔下的《了不起的盖茨比》。
关键词：弗•司格特•菲茨杰拉德，《了不起的盖茨比》，象征主义
iii
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is extensively regarded as one of the twentieth
century ’s most important writers and known as a member of the“Lost Generation”of the Twenties. The Great Gatsby is widely acknowledged as a characteristic of American literature. It is not only a great narrative story, but an penetrating into the flows of real life during the“Roaring Twenties”.
This thesis analyzes the novel through the perception of symbolism. It consists of
five parts. The first part introduces Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby. The second part describes the symbolism of the exact meaning, and the use of it in literary works. The third part mainly discusses the function of symbolism in The Great Gatsby. The fourth part focuses on the effects of symbolism in The Great Gatsby . The fifth part is the conclusion; these parts stress the theme again, and explain Fitzgerald ’s particular writing style of criticizing American dream.
The writer thinks that beside the excellent method and style in narrative form
and formation, its excellent artistic merit also lies in Fitzgerald ’s original and successful use of symbolism in the novel to portray his view, particularly of his own times. Therefore this thesis will emphasize on clarify the indescribable meaning of these symbols to readers, so that readers can get a better understanding of The Great Gatsby .
Key words: Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, symbolism
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….. 1 Chapter One Symbolism of colors…………………………….. …………………5
A. Green………………………………………..………………………………7
B. White………………………………………..………………………………8
C. Red ………………………………………..………………………………8
D. Yellow………………………………………..………………………………9 E.blue ………………………………………..……………………………….10 Chapter Two Symbolism of Settings……………………………………………11
A. East Egg and West Egg………………………………………..……………15
B. The Valley of Ashes……..………………………………….……………….17
C. The Effect of Symbolism in Settings……. ..………………………………18 Chapter Three Symbolism of Animals……..……………………………………20
A. The Dog………………………………………..……………………………20
B. The Moth………………………………………..…………………………..21
Conclusion ………………………………………………………….….....................24
Notes...........................................................................................................................25
Bibliography………………………………………………………………………..26 Acknowledgement s…………………………………………………. ………….. …27
Introduction
Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was a writer of fictions and stories, whose works are the symbol of the jazz age ，He is widely regarded by people as one of the most important American writers of the 20th century，the great Gatsby published in 1925 is one of his greatest novel and most deliberate work，the postwar society of America can find finest expression in it, provided a vivid picture of American dream，the work contributes to his fame becoming an outstanding writer in America literary history。 Love tragedy is major plot of this novel ，made a clear judgment of contemporary America society and our fortune concept 。In the 20thcentury ，the main target of American was to wealthy and pleasure ，the heroine are this kind of person ，loneliness and emptiness can be found in the life of daisy ，With the women’s suffrage at its peak in the 1920s and the entrance of the flapper women began to make a statement within society and the Jazz Age was not immune to these new ideals. With women now taking part in the work force after the end of the First World War there were many more possibilities for women in terms of social life and entertainment。 In this novel，the author used a serious of symbolism to depict the characteristic of protagonist to deepening the them of this novel，this paper from concept of time figures and color to research the symbolism used by author ，and to explore its profound meaning in the novel。
F. Scott Fitzgerald are one of most significant and was adored author in America literature history，this representative of” lost generation “the Great Gatsby is a novel by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story of this novel takes place in 1922, during the Roaring Twenties, a time with most wealthy time in the United States after the first world war. The book received critical acclaim and is generally considered
Fitzgerald's best work. “It is also generally regarded as a "Great American Novel" and a literary classic”1, capturing the essence of an era. The Modern Library named it the second best English language novel of the 20th century，this laid the foundation of author in America literature ，the background is the postwar America society，a story about the lower classes Gatsby struggling to realize his dream，but eventually killed by his own “dream” tragedy. In this work ，in order to highlight the character and deepen the meaning theme of the novel，author use a serious of symbolism，and the author endow a lot of imply meaning in dialogue ，plot ，and figures，so make the work masterpiece in 20thcentury。
Time ，color ，figures ，are three symbolism theme penetrate in the whole work，most of plot in the novel are belong to the theme，therefore ，it is important that have a better understanding about these three theme in order to explore its profound meaning 。
Previous Research on The Great Gatsby
Critics have generally approved that The Great Gatsby, which was published in 1925, is the masterpiece of Fitzgerald’s literary career. It evokes not only the atmosphere of the jazz-age searching for the American dream of wealth and happiness, but also the deeper questions of the evaporation of traditional values in a society atmosphere where the people was dominated by increasing materialism and cynicism.
Early reviews of Gatsby were varied, and comparatively few copies actually had sold before the death of Fitzgerald in 1940. Many critics, most particularly Ernest Hemingway, were put off by the fact that Fitzgerald had been recognized as a writer of stories for fashionable magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post. It was not until a renewal of Fitzgerald’s works i n the 1950s that the novel began to evoke serious criticism. For the five subsequent decades, Gatsby has continued to draw
critical attention and reappraisal. Critics have praised Fitzgerald’s compactly woven narrative, and many have paying attention on the position of the narrator, Nick Caraway, and the subjective limitations of his interpretation of Gatsby’s saga. Although Gatsby was called “a novel of the Jazz Age” for many years, critics have generally acknowledged that it has a much more widespread meaning, not the least of which is a sharp critique to the society of materialist American much like T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land. The appearances of at least four biographies in the 1990s and early 2000s are an suggestion that interest in Fitzgerald’s novels still unabated. Earlier critics of Gatsby emphasized biographical and educational influences on the novel, and formalist approaches dealt with the novel’s composition, point of view, symbols, use of language, and so on. From the 1980s to the 200s, a diversity of approaches, both heavily theoretical and non-theoretical, has been evident in critics’ remarks. While many have continued to explore biographical power or comparisons with other writers, or to use New Critical analyses, other writers have increasingly used such techniques as deconstruction, feminist criticism, and discourse analysis to expose concealed meanings in the text.
Now people still keep reading the great Gatsby. Many people study it though different perspectives, such as the stylistic percep tion or structuralism,” By using these narrative techniques Fitzgerald makes the reader has the potential to keep some aesthetic distance from the events and the characters in the story.”
Most of the critical attention has been on the topic ―American Dream. “The American Dream has eventually becomes decayed with gradual overemphasis on the wealth. Fitzgerald intensely detects the trend of corruption in the 1920’s and gives serious reflection on in his novel The Great Gatsby”
“Binary oppositions underlie the content of The Great Gatsby, and the pattern of actions structures the narrative of each character. As one picture is seen and appreciated form different perspective, quite different sceneries would be enjoyed. Structuralism opens another window for us.”
Besides the excellent method and style in narrative form and arrangement, its marvelous imaginative merit also lies in Fitzgerald’s original and the symbolism was successfully used by author in the novel to depict his view, particularly of his own times. And this thesis studies the symbolism in The Great Gatsby. Symbolism, as a exclusive artistic method, has two vital meanings according to Webster: one is to clarify imperceptible things by using visible symbols; the other is the links and relationship between symbols and meaning. Therefore symbolism in novel aims to present the concealed things and thoughts under phenomena. The using of symbolism plays a important role in the story. The function of symbolism made this work exceed the narrow individual world, making a connection between subjective and objective. Symbolism exceeds the plot, the description and moral significance of the story. The application of symbolism brings the subject of the novels to a new altitude and contributes to its reputation. It was possible to see the connection between the symbols and themes, what the concealed meaning of the story is.
Chapter One Symbolism of colors
A Green
People often associated the color green with youth ，spring ，hope ，however ，in this novel，the color green was shown by the author in a different meaning，the green light on another side of the seashore is the main symbolism in this novel ，Gatsby ’s faith is in the green light, it was his future wonderland and the biggest dream in his life. In the evening, Gatsby always stood by himself staring at the green light and open his arm to embrace the green light. The green light is youth and love for Gatsby ,as if the embodiment of Daisy. Although these things are beyond his ability to achieve ，Gatsby still put all his effort to pursue his unpractical dream. Gatsby hold parties every weekend in his cottage entertain those visitors with courtesy and warmth in order to catch the attention of Daisy. He wants to flaunt his wealthy and the high social position. He wants to prove that he has all the things Daisy want including wealthy and love, so he can flaunt his wealthy to catch the attention of Daisy. But Gatsby ignores the most important factor that the love established from money and high social status cannot last long , what he got nothing but hypocrisy from Daisy . the “American dream” of Gatsby is going into a wrung direction at the beginnin g of he started, and this mistake leads to Gatsby’s tragic fate. Finally ,he sacrifices his life for Daisy and his unpractical dream. At the end of this novel, nick remember the green light which Gatsby trusted, the light looks like not far to reach, but you cannot get it forever .his aim seems aspirational rather than feasible .his dream has gradually gone. Green usually stands for the warm spring, trust, and activity and young. American dollar bills are also Green. The green light also means expectation in this novel. It is closely associated with Gatsby and his unachievable
dream in the fiction. In our real life, green lamp is the symbol of money and power ，it seems like money and social position can do everything， which is also the hope of American in 20th century. In the fiction, green can be seen in every step in Gatsby’s life. The color green indicates money and power and social position also stands for his hope, trust and belief---all those things put together into one object: Daisy.
The image of green lamp showed in the novel three times correspondingly at the very important points of the plot’s development in this novel, and plays a vital and very function in the course of developing the protagonist Gatsby’s character. The green light stands for the expectation of Gatsby, and the most important object in this novel is also the color green, which stands at the end of the port of the Daisy’s house. Every time when he watches the green lamp, there is a aspiration in his deep heart that he can acquire the love of Daisy we need to discuss what is English learning ,English learning actually is a kind of ability ,not for exam ,is for society ,is for real life ,which is another way of saying we should regard English as a tool to help you express your thought ,you need to use the English ,so you can get a good score ,and listening is the most important part of English learning ,try to imagine how a newly born baby started to learn a language ,listening, right? at first a baby can hear some voice which is meaningless to the baby ,but with the same voice began to accumulate ,and thousands of time practice ,somehow the baby understand the meaning of the voice ,gradually a baby began to know how to use those meaningful voice !so we can get a conclusion that if you want learning English well you need pay great attention on listening ,because this is the most basic part ,and anther thing is accumulate ,that is the secret of English learning!
The light is so weak and can’t be seen easily almost imperceptible the week light just like his unachievable dream can never be powerful enough to exemplify Gatsby, but the light shines every night and every day, just like his dream for Daisy is never quenchable. It is appropriate to compare his action to a certain pilgrim.
At the end of this fiction, Nick thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the edge of Daisy’s port .”2 We can learn a lesson from failure of Gatsby, that is the essence of the American dream.
B White
When nick first met Daisy at Tom’s house, Daisy dressed a white skirt, the light color emitted from Daisy made the whole room warm . the white color definitely belongs to Daisy, just the beautiful, innocent, pour white of Daisy attract Gatsby so much, the image of Daisy dressed in a white skirt as a girl pressed in Gatsby’s deep heart, which has been the most impressive image in Gatsby’ heart and cannot be forgotten forever and ever, to pursue the image of that innocent beautiful girl became his lifelong dream, a dream in the wonderland, which is another way of saying the dream is a dream can’t be accomplished forever. But Gatsby try his best to pursue his dream, under the arrangement of Nick, Gatsby met Daisy in the house of Gatsby .what impressed Daisy are not the infatuation of Gatsby , in contrast, the luxury house and the wealthy and the luxury lifestyle of Gatsby was impress Daisy most , Daisy are not the girl dressed white skirt with innocent mind ,the background of her age has transformed her completely into another person. Daisy has became a person with greedy selfish and indifference under the effect of the material life in eastern. No matter how much wealthy does Gatsby possess still cannot fulfill the greedy desire of Daisy. To understand this idea from side, the white color also means that the ignorant shallow and sluggish thought of Daisy, that is the nature of Daisy. The American dream of Gatsby never can be integrity and satisfactory, for the love of Daisy, Gatsby earn money desperately, he got so much wealthy and money ,but the money and wealthy can never fulfill his lonely thought. To pursue the innocent and
beautiful Daisy became the spiritual brace of Gatsby to continue his life, however, Gatsby was struck by the ruthless reality again, and this make the broken of American dream.
C Red
The white and red are the basic color of the house of Tom and Daisy. Since the white stand for the innocent and beauty of Daisy, and the red color perfectly show the selfish, and brutal characteristic of Tom, superior family background made Tom proud and arrogant ，Fitzgerald wrote this in the novel this way：He always brutally push retaining everyone in front of him，A red rash bull image was described vividly in novel，Although he and Daisy married, but often date with others，Even after he was aware of the affair rof his wife and Gatsby, he even took his wife to the front of Gatsby ,to prove that Gatsby cannot hurt him . finally ,he knows that his wife drove car and kill his lover accidentally ,for the sake of be jealous of Gatsby ,and Tom told his lover’s husband that his wife was killed by Gatsby, so leads to the death of Gatsby, in essence, Tom are the men with blood on his two hands ,the color red is the color of Tom.
D Yellow
Among those symbolic color ,yellow is also play an important role In the novel, a symbol of the money, power, riches and wealthy in the novel always associated with death, the color of the car Daisy drove is yellow, and Daisy drove the car kill Tom’s lover, after Gatsby was killed by Wilson the moment he drop into water Fitzgerald described him as a yellow leaf fell into the jungle, Perhaps through this link, the author wants to tell the readers sometimes money is the source of evil leading us to the death..
XXXX 大学本科毕业论文（设计）任务书
编 号：
论文（设计）题目：论了不起的盖茨比中的象征主义
学 院： XXX院 专业： 英语教育 班级： XXXX级X 班
学生姓名： XX 学号： XXXXXX 指导教师： XXX 职称： XX
1、论文（设计）研究目标及主要任务 研究目标：能够了解到二十世纪的美国的时代背景，以及在时代背景影响下美国的社会风气在了不起的盖茨比小说中的体现，以及其象征主义的运用。
主要任务：了解了不起的盖茨比中象征主义的运用，以及其代表的事物，对二十
世纪美国主流思想和社会背景的反应。
2、论文（设计）的主要内容
在了不起的盖茨比这部小说中作者运用了很多象征主义，由于了不起的盖茨比中象征主义的成功运用在学术界引起了很大的反响，二十世纪的美国社会的背景和风气很形象的在了不起的盖茨比中得以映射，其对色彩背景以及动物的情节设置都对文章情节的发展起到了重要作用，本文主要意图在于，分析其象征事物的运用的含义及其作者。
3、论文（设计）的基础条件及研究路线
基于互联网、国家图书馆、河北省图书馆和师大连接图书馆，采集并收纳了多方资料，对了不起的盖茨比这篇小说能有了清楚的认识。 4、主要参考文献
常耀信，美国文学简史[M]，天津：南开大学出版社，1999 Zadeh, L. Fuzzy Sets. Fuzzy Sets and Application
Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One’s Own and Three Guineas[M].Oxford University Press, 1992.
指 导 教师： 年 月 日 教研室主任： 年 月 日
注：一式三份，学院（系）、指导教师、学生各一份
XXXX 大学本科生毕业论文（设计）开题报告书
XXXX 大学本科生毕业论文（设计）评议书
XXXX 大学本科生毕业论文（设计）文献综述
Literature Review
Critics have generally approved that The Great Gatsby, which was published in 1925, is the masterpiece of Fitzgerald’s literary c areer. It evokes not only the atmosphere of the jazz-age searching for the American dream of wealth and happiness, but also the deeper questions of the evaporation of traditional values in a society atmosphere where the people was dominated by increasing materialism and cynicism.
Early reviews of Gatsby were varied, and comparatively few copies actually had sold before the death of Fitzgerald in 1940. Many critics, most particularly Ernest Hemingway, were put off by the fact that Fitzgerald had been recognized as a writer of stories for fashionable magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post. It was not until a renewal of Fitzgerald’s works in the 1950s that the novel began to evoke serious criticism. For the five subsequent decades, Gatsby has continued to draw critical attention and reappraisal. Critics have praised Fitzgerald’s compactly woven narrative, and many have paying attention on the position of the narrator, Nick Caraway, and the subjective limitations of his interpretation of Gatsby’s saga. Altho ugh Gatsby was called “a novel of the Jazz Age” for many years, critics have generally acknowledged that it has a much more widespread meaning, not the least of which is a sharp critique to the society of materialist American much like T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land. The appearances of at least four biographies in the 1990s and early 2000s are an suggestion that interest in Fitzgerald’s novels still unabated. Earlier critics of Gatsby emphasized biographical and educational influences on the novel, and formalist approaches dealt with the novel’s composition, point of view, symbols, use of language, and so on. From the 1980s to the 200s, a diversity of approaches, both heavily theoretical and non-theoretical, has been evident in critics’ remarks. While many have continued to explore biographical power or comparisons with other writers, or to use New Critical analyses, other writers have increasingly used such techniques as deconstruction, feminist criticism, and discourse analysis to expose concealed meanings in the text.
Now people still keep reading the great Gatsby. Many people study it though different perspectives, such as the stylistic perception or structuralism,” By using these narrative techniques Fitzgerald makes the reader has the potential to keep some aesthetic distance from the events and the characters in the story.”
Most of the critical attention has been on the topic ―American Dream. “The American Dream has eventually becomes decayed with gradual overemphasis on the wealth. Fitzgerald intensely detects the trend of corruption in the 1920’s and gives serious reflection on in his novel The Great Gatsby”
“Binary oppositions underlie the content of The Great Gatsby, and the pattern of actions structures the narrative of each character. As one picture is seen and appreciated form different perspective, quite different sceneries would be enjoyed. Structuralism opens another window for us.”
Besides the excellent method and style in narrative form and arrangement, its marvelous imaginative merit also lies in Fitzgerald’s original and the symbolism was successfully used by author in the novel to depict his view, particularly of his own times. And this thesis studies the symbolism in The Great Gatsby. Symbolism, as a exclusive artistic method, has two vital meanings according to Webster: one is to clarify imperceptible things by using visible symbols; the other is the links and relationship between symbols and meaning. Therefore symbolism in novel aims to present the concealed things and thoughts under phenomena. The using of symbolism plays a important role in the story. The function of symbolism made this work exceed the narrow individual world, making a connection between subjective and objective. Symbolism exceeds the plot, the description and moral significance of the story. The application of symbolism brings the subject of the novels to a new altitude and contributes to its reputation. It was possible to see the connection between the symbols and themes, what the concealed meaning of the story is.
本科生毕业论文设计
题目论《了不起的盖茨比》中的象征主义
作者姓名 XX 指导教师 XXX 所在学院 XXX学院 专业（系） 英语教育专业 班级（届） XX级英教X
完成日期 XXXX 年 5 月 8日
On Symbolism in The Great Gatsby
BY XX
Prof. XXXX, Tutor
A Thesis Submitted to Department of English
Language and Literature in Partial
Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of B.A. in English
At XXXXUniversity
May 8th ,XXX
摘要
弗•司格特•菲茨杰拉德是20世纪20年代美国杰出的作家，被誉为美国“爵士时代”的代言人和桂冠诗人。《了不起的盖茨比》是菲茨杰拉德的杰作，其巧妙地叙述技巧和结构方面的成就被读者所认同，并受到读者和评论家的广泛好评。
本文从象征主义的角度来分析本文，主要包括五部分。第一部是菲茨杰拉德和《了不起的盖茨比》的简介。第二部是介绍象征主义的具体含义，以及它在其他著名文学作品中的运用。第三部分论述象征主义在《了不起的盖茨比》中的运用。第四部分重点分析颜色、背景和事物的象征意义和作用。第五部分为总结，这一部分再强调出本小说的主题思想，并阐释了菲茨杰拉德批判美国梦的作品风格的与众不同。
笔者认为作者在小说中成功而广泛的运用了象征主义，并通过象征主义使其突出了主题思想，也使菲茨杰拉德批判美国梦的作品有别于其他作品、张弛有度, 合理恰当。因此本论文主要向读者阐述这些象征手法的深层含义，以便读者能全面而深刻的了解菲茨杰拉德笔下的《了不起的盖茨比》。
关键词：弗•司格特•菲茨杰拉德，《了不起的盖茨比》，象征主义
iii
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is extensively regarded as one of the twentieth
century ’s most important writers and known as a member of the“Lost Generation”of the Twenties. The Great Gatsby is widely acknowledged as a characteristic of American literature. It is not only a great narrative story, but an penetrating into the flows of real life during the“Roaring Twenties”.
This thesis analyzes the novel through the perception of symbolism. It consists of
five parts. The first part introduces Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby. The second part describes the symbolism of the exact meaning, and the use of it in literary works. The third part mainly discusses the function of symbolism in The Great Gatsby. The fourth part focuses on the effects of symbolism in The Great Gatsby . The fifth part is the conclusion; these parts stress the theme again, and explain Fitzgerald ’s particular writing style of criticizing American dream.
The writer thinks that beside the excellent method and style in narrative form
and formation, its excellent artistic merit also lies in Fitzgerald ’s original and successful use of symbolism in the novel to portray his view, particularly of his own times. Therefore this thesis will emphasize on clarify the indescribable meaning of these symbols to readers, so that readers can get a better understanding of The Great Gatsby .
Key words: Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, symbolism
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….. 1 Chapter One Symbolism of colors…………………………….. …………………5
A. Green………………………………………..………………………………7
B. White………………………………………..………………………………8
C. Red ………………………………………..………………………………8
D. Yellow………………………………………..………………………………9 E.blue ………………………………………..……………………………….10 Chapter Two Symbolism of Settings……………………………………………11
A. East Egg and West Egg………………………………………..……………15
B. The Valley of Ashes……..………………………………….……………….17
C. The Effect of Symbolism in Settings……. ..………………………………18 Chapter Three Symbolism of Animals……..……………………………………20
A. The Dog………………………………………..……………………………20
B. The Moth………………………………………..…………………………..21
Conclusion ………………………………………………………….….....................24
Notes...........................................................................................................................25
Bibliography………………………………………………………………………..26 Acknowledgement s…………………………………………………. ………….. …27
Introduction
Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was a writer of fictions and stories, whose works are the symbol of the jazz age ，He is widely regarded by people as one of the most important American writers of the 20th century，the great Gatsby published in 1925 is one of his greatest novel and most deliberate work，the postwar society of America can find finest expression in it, provided a vivid picture of American dream，the work contributes to his fame becoming an outstanding writer in America literary history。 Love tragedy is major plot of this novel ，made a clear judgment of contemporary America society and our fortune concept 。In the 20thcentury ，the main target of American was to wealthy and pleasure ，the heroine are this kind of person ，loneliness and emptiness can be found in the life of daisy ，With the women’s suffrage at its peak in the 1920s and the entrance of the flapper women began to make a statement within society and the Jazz Age was not immune to these new ideals. With women now taking part in the work force after the end of the First World War there were many more possibilities for women in terms of social life and entertainment。 In this novel，the author used a serious of symbolism to depict the characteristic of protagonist to deepening the them of this novel，this paper from concept of time figures and color to research the symbolism used by author ，and to explore its profound meaning in the novel。
F. Scott Fitzgerald are one of most significant and was adored author in America literature history，this representative of” lost generation “the Great Gatsby is a novel by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story of this novel takes place in 1922, during the Roaring Twenties, a time with most wealthy time in the United States after the first world war. The book received critical acclaim and is generally considered
Fitzgerald's best work. “It is also generally regarded as a "Great American Novel" and a literary classic”1, capturing the essence of an era. The Modern Library named it the second best English language novel of the 20th century，this laid the foundation of author in America literature ，the background is the postwar America society，a story about the lower classes Gatsby struggling to realize his dream，but eventually killed by his own “dream” tragedy. In this work ，in order to highlight the character and deepen the meaning theme of the novel，author use a serious of symbolism，and the author endow a lot of imply meaning in dialogue ，plot ，and figures，so make the work masterpiece in 20thcentury。
Time ，color ，figures ，are three symbolism theme penetrate in the whole work，most of plot in the novel are belong to the theme，therefore ，it is important that have a better understanding about these three theme in order to explore its profound meaning 。
Previous Research on The Great Gatsby
Critics have generally approved that The Great Gatsby, which was published in 1925, is the masterpiece of Fitzgerald’s literary career. It evokes not only the atmosphere of the jazz-age searching for the American dream of wealth and happiness, but also the deeper questions of the evaporation of traditional values in a society atmosphere where the people was dominated by increasing materialism and cynicism.
Early reviews of Gatsby were varied, and comparatively few copies actually had sold before the death of Fitzgerald in 1940. Many critics, most particularly Ernest Hemingway, were put off by the fact that Fitzgerald had been recognized as a writer of stories for fashionable magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post. It was not until a renewal of Fitzgerald’s works i n the 1950s that the novel began to evoke serious criticism. For the five subsequent decades, Gatsby has continued to draw
critical attention and reappraisal. Critics have praised Fitzgerald’s compactly woven narrative, and many have paying attention on the position of the narrator, Nick Caraway, and the subjective limitations of his interpretation of Gatsby’s saga. Although Gatsby was called “a novel of the Jazz Age” for many years, critics have generally acknowledged that it has a much more widespread meaning, not the least of which is a sharp critique to the society of materialist American much like T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land. The appearances of at least four biographies in the 1990s and early 2000s are an suggestion that interest in Fitzgerald’s novels still unabated. Earlier critics of Gatsby emphasized biographical and educational influences on the novel, and formalist approaches dealt with the novel’s composition, point of view, symbols, use of language, and so on. From the 1980s to the 200s, a diversity of approaches, both heavily theoretical and non-theoretical, has been evident in critics’ remarks. While many have continued to explore biographical power or comparisons with other writers, or to use New Critical analyses, other writers have increasingly used such techniques as deconstruction, feminist criticism, and discourse analysis to expose concealed meanings in the text.
Now people still keep reading the great Gatsby. Many people study it though different perspectives, such as the stylistic percep tion or structuralism,” By using these narrative techniques Fitzgerald makes the reader has the potential to keep some aesthetic distance from the events and the characters in the story.”
Most of the critical attention has been on the topic ―American Dream. “The American Dream has eventually becomes decayed with gradual overemphasis on the wealth. Fitzgerald intensely detects the trend of corruption in the 1920’s and gives serious reflection on in his novel The Great Gatsby”
“Binary oppositions underlie the content of The Great Gatsby, and the pattern of actions structures the narrative of each character. As one picture is seen and appreciated form different perspective, quite different sceneries would be enjoyed. Structuralism opens another window for us.”
Besides the excellent method and style in narrative form and arrangement, its marvelous imaginative merit also lies in Fitzgerald’s original and the symbolism was successfully used by author in the novel to depict his view, particularly of his own times. And this thesis studies the symbolism in The Great Gatsby. Symbolism, as a exclusive artistic method, has two vital meanings according to Webster: one is to clarify imperceptible things by using visible symbols; the other is the links and relationship between symbols and meaning. Therefore symbolism in novel aims to present the concealed things and thoughts under phenomena. The using of symbolism plays a important role in the story. The function of symbolism made this work exceed the narrow individual world, making a connection between subjective and objective. Symbolism exceeds the plot, the description and moral significance of the story. The application of symbolism brings the subject of the novels to a new altitude and contributes to its reputation. It was possible to see the connection between the symbols and themes, what the concealed meaning of the story is.
Chapter One Symbolism of colors
A Green
People often associated the color green with youth ，spring ，hope ，however ，in this novel，the color green was shown by the author in a different meaning，the green light on another side of the seashore is the main symbolism in this novel ，Gatsby ’s faith is in the green light, it was his future wonderland and the biggest dream in his life. In the evening, Gatsby always stood by himself staring at the green light and open his arm to embrace the green light. The green light is youth and love for Gatsby ,as if the embodiment of Daisy. Although these things are beyond his ability to achieve ，Gatsby still put all his effort to pursue his unpractical dream. Gatsby hold parties every weekend in his cottage entertain those visitors with courtesy and warmth in order to catch the attention of Daisy. He wants to flaunt his wealthy and the high social position. He wants to prove that he has all the things Daisy want including wealthy and love, so he can flaunt his wealthy to catch the attention of Daisy. But Gatsby ignores the most important factor that the love established from money and high social status cannot last long , what he got nothing but hypocrisy from Daisy . the “American dream” of Gatsby is going into a wrung direction at the beginnin g of he started, and this mistake leads to Gatsby’s tragic fate. Finally ,he sacrifices his life for Daisy and his unpractical dream. At the end of this novel, nick remember the green light which Gatsby trusted, the light looks like not far to reach, but you cannot get it forever .his aim seems aspirational rather than feasible .his dream has gradually gone. Green usually stands for the warm spring, trust, and activity and young. American dollar bills are also Green. The green light also means expectation in this novel. It is closely associated with Gatsby and his unachievable
dream in the fiction. In our real life, green lamp is the symbol of money and power ，it seems like money and social position can do everything， which is also the hope of American in 20th century. In the fiction, green can be seen in every step in Gatsby’s life. The color green indicates money and power and social position also stands for his hope, trust and belief---all those things put together into one object: Daisy.
The image of green lamp showed in the novel three times correspondingly at the very important points of the plot’s development in this novel, and plays a vital and very function in the course of developing the protagonist Gatsby’s character. The green light stands for the expectation of Gatsby, and the most important object in this novel is also the color green, which stands at the end of the port of the Daisy’s house. Every time when he watches the green lamp, there is a aspiration in his deep heart that he can acquire the love of Daisy we need to discuss what is English learning ,English learning actually is a kind of ability ,not for exam ,is for society ,is for real life ,which is another way of saying we should regard English as a tool to help you express your thought ,you need to use the English ,so you can get a good score ,and listening is the most important part of English learning ,try to imagine how a newly born baby started to learn a language ,listening, right? at first a baby can hear some voice which is meaningless to the baby ,but with the same voice began to accumulate ,and thousands of time practice ,somehow the baby understand the meaning of the voice ,gradually a baby began to know how to use those meaningful voice !so we can get a conclusion that if you want learning English well you need pay great attention on listening ,because this is the most basic part ,and anther thing is accumulate ,that is the secret of English learning!
The light is so weak and can’t be seen easily almost imperceptible the week light just like his unachievable dream can never be powerful enough to exemplify Gatsby, but the light shines every night and every day, just like his dream for Daisy is never quenchable. It is appropriate to compare his action to a certain pilgrim.
At the end of this fiction, Nick thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the edge of Daisy’s port .”2 We can learn a lesson from failure of Gatsby, that is the essence of the American dream.
B White
When nick first met Daisy at Tom’s house, Daisy dressed a white skirt, the light color emitted from Daisy made the whole room warm . the white color definitely belongs to Daisy, just the beautiful, innocent, pour white of Daisy attract Gatsby so much, the image of Daisy dressed in a white skirt as a girl pressed in Gatsby’s deep heart, which has been the most impressive image in Gatsby’ heart and cannot be forgotten forever and ever, to pursue the image of that innocent beautiful girl became his lifelong dream, a dream in the wonderland, which is another way of saying the dream is a dream can’t be accomplished forever. But Gatsby try his best to pursue his dream, under the arrangement of Nick, Gatsby met Daisy in the house of Gatsby .what impressed Daisy are not the infatuation of Gatsby , in contrast, the luxury house and the wealthy and the luxury lifestyle of Gatsby was impress Daisy most , Daisy are not the girl dressed white skirt with innocent mind ,the background of her age has transformed her completely into another person. Daisy has became a person with greedy selfish and indifference under the effect of the material life in eastern. No matter how much wealthy does Gatsby possess still cannot fulfill the greedy desire of Daisy. To understand this idea from side, the white color also means that the ignorant shallow and sluggish thought of Daisy, that is the nature of Daisy. The American dream of Gatsby never can be integrity and satisfactory, for the love of Daisy, Gatsby earn money desperately, he got so much wealthy and money ,but the money and wealthy can never fulfill his lonely thought. To pursue the innocent and
beautiful Daisy became the spiritual brace of Gatsby to continue his life, however, Gatsby was struck by the ruthless reality again, and this make the broken of American dream.
C Red
The white and red are the basic color of the house of Tom and Daisy. Since the white stand for the innocent and beauty of Daisy, and the red color perfectly show the selfish, and brutal characteristic of Tom, superior family background made Tom proud and arrogant ，Fitzgerald wrote this in the novel this way：He always brutally push retaining everyone in front of him，A red rash bull image was described vividly in novel，Although he and Daisy married, but often date with others，Even after he was aware of the affair rof his wife and Gatsby, he even took his wife to the front of Gatsby ,to prove that Gatsby cannot hurt him . finally ,he knows that his wife drove car and kill his lover accidentally ,for the sake of be jealous of Gatsby ,and Tom told his lover’s husband that his wife was killed by Gatsby, so leads to the death of Gatsby, in essence, Tom are the men with blood on his two hands ,the color red is the color of Tom.
D Yellow
Among those symbolic color ,yellow is also play an important role In the novel, a symbol of the money, power, riches and wealthy in the novel always associated with death, the color of the car Daisy drove is yellow, and Daisy drove the car kill Tom’s lover, after Gatsby was killed by Wilson the moment he drop into water Fitzgerald described him as a yellow leaf fell into the jungle, Perhaps through this link, the author wants to tell the readers sometimes money is the source of evil leading us to the death..