外国语学院07科英（2）班李晶 200730451387

Title: The Great Gatsby                  Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Summary:

The story is told by Nick. It is mainly about the love tragedy of his neighbor, Gatsby. He met a daughter of judge, Daisy, who is Nick’s cousin, and fell in love with her. But he couldn’t marry her because of his poor social position and Daisy married with Tom Buchanan. Later Gatsby got very rich through some unfair methods. He got a mansion where Daisy lived. He held parties a lot in order to win back Daisy’s heart. In a car accident, Daisy killed Tom’s lover, Myrtle Wilson. But Tom lied to Mr. Wilson that Gatsby did it. Then Mr. Wilson killed Gatsby. Nick hold the funeral for him, but to Nick’s sadness, those who frequently came to his parties never showed up.

Character analysis:

Gatsby is a representative of American young man of that time. Though his love with Daisy and the final depart, he deeply got a knowledge of the importance of money. So he determined to get into the upper class, in order to get “pure love” of Daisy. Finally, he realized his dream and hoped that someday she would show up at his party. But he never had a clear idea about Daisy. When he offered to take the crime for her, she accepted it without any guilty; when he lingered around her home being afraid of Tom’s punish on her, she was planning to run away with her husband; when he lied under ground coldly, she had already forgotten about him. When he held the parties, it was in summer; while he died, it was in cold autumn. This is a great joke the cold reality had played on Gatsby who is full of dream. He is luxurious but his love is true and loyal.

Theme:

It looks that this story is a love tragedy in Jazz Age; however, actually it is the reflection about the reality of America in 1920s, especially the reflection of the crush of “American dream” of American young after an age of superior flourish economy. “American dream” starts from 18 century when people put forward individualism and praised the power of human. That is to say, that anyone can get success through his own struggle and courage. But the blind pursue of money and the social view point had demolished the dream. Though the author himself is also one of fever pursuer of the way of life in Jazz Age, but he has the sharp eye to perceive the weakness of the age and uncovered it. It shows us the spiritual crisis and desperate thought under the cover of luxury life. But the author wanted to criticize is not the “American dream”itself, what he really pointed to is the twisted value point. The belief of relying on one’s own and hard work had changed into enjoy and the meaningless pursue for so-called success.