thoughmarktwainandwilliamdeanhowellsthoughtthatamerica(编辑修改稿)

thoughmarktwainandwilliamdeanhowellsthoughtthatamerica(编辑修改稿)内容摘要：

o es from the Middle West. He has distinctive temperament and value standard. “„Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,‟ he told me, „just remember that all the people in this world haven‟t had the advantages that you‟ve had.‟” (Fitzgerald 2020: 1) He is also a sober, intellect and reflective one and makes the objective judgment and evaluation to the major characters. His final choice reflects the author‟s moral orientation. In The Great Gatsby, he does not share the American dream. But still he is striving for something, and he wants to be himself, as he sees himself, tolerant, objective and reliable. The money of the upper class is just a tiny bit of his dream together with his admiration for the rich East Eggers. Mainly, his dream consists of 8 mental values, of a pursuit of honesty. He praise highly of himself: “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.” (Fitzgerald 2020: 80). “That‟s my Middle West „ the street lamps and sleigh bells in the frosty dark„ I see now that this has a story of the West, after all — Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in mon which made us subtly un adaptable to Eastern life.” (Fitzgerald 2020: 235) The above sentences show that Nick realizes for the first time that though his story is set on the East Coast, the western character of his acquaintances (“some deficiency in mon”) is the source of the story‟s tensions and attitudes. He considers each character‟s behavior and value choices as a reaction to the wealthobsessed culture of New York. This perspective contributes powerfully to Nick‟s decision to leave the East Coast and return to Middle West in search of a less morally ambiguous environment. Though he gives up the opportunity to bee rich, he scrupulously abides by his moral criterion. . The Ugly Upperclass Tom Whilst Tom‟s interpretation of the American dream does involve money, it is not his prime concern as it is with many of the other characters. His dream also concentrates on power gained through the prestige that is associated with property. “His family were enormously wealth„„ but now he‟d left Chicago and e East in a fashion that rather took your breath away。 for instance, he‟d brought down a string of polo ponies from Lake Forest” (Fitzgerald 2020: 8) His selfconfidence and utter belief in his superiority are an example of how he thinks about himself in relation to all other people, especially to the lowclass man, Wilson. He uses his social status and physical strength to dominate those around him. For example, he subtly taunts Wilson while having an affair with his wife, experiences on guilt for his immoral behavior, and does not hesitate to lash out violently in order to preserve his authority over Myrtle in Chapter 2. He is so desperately an empty man that he consider himself as 9 exterior belongings. He is trying to find his identity by looking for happiness in nice cars (it is a ridiculous yellow luxury vehicle), money and a good woman. Tom‟s dream of power and superiority leads to his moral decline by ruining his marriage with Daisy and ultimately her wishes of having a truly happy marriage. Not only does his lack of morals affect Daisy and her happiness, it also fosters the situation of Gatsby‟s and Gee‟s death. “„I told him the truth, ‟he said. „He came to the door while we were getting ready to leave, „ He was crazy enough to kill me if I hadn‟t told him who owned the car.„ ‟ He broke off defiantly. „What if I did tell him? That fellow had it ing to him. He threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy‟s, but he was a tough one. „ ‟.” (Fitzgerald 2020: 239) Tom is the ultimate example of how the effect of the American dream caused the society to change their morals and exhibit action that is detrimental to society in general. 3. The Relationship Between the Male Characters and Daisy Buchanan Daisy Buchanan is a round (In fact, according to the novel‟s introduction, Zelda, the Fitzgerald‟s wife, is the model of Daisy.) and dynamic character with many different sides in her personality. Early in the book, she is described as a sweet and innocent young woman. She grows up as “the most popular of all the young girls in Louisville.”(Fitzgerald 2020:100) But, as the story develops, Daisy bees shallow, bored, and sardonic. She is in love with money, ease, and material luxury. So, when a wealthy, powerful young man named Tom asks her to marry him, Daisy decides not to wait for Gatsby. At the same time, the hearty love is far away from her. She is somewhat cynical and behaves superficially to mask her pain at her husband‟s constant infidelity and does not take care of her daughter. And the social standard of American femininity in the 1920s that she conforms to makes her avoid such 10 tensionfilled issues as her undying love for Gatsby. . Gatsby and Daisy’s Sweetheart Relationship In Gatsby‟s eyes, Daisy is his American Dream. Gatsby has made Daisy a symbol of everything he values. In order to be reunited with Daisy, he holds the lavish weekly party to draw Daisy‟s attention and gets help from Nick. Chapter 5 is the pivotal chapter of The Great Gatsby, as Gatsby‟s reunion with Daisy is the hinge on which the novel swings. Gatsby‟s character throughout his meeting with Daisy is the purest and most revealing, so is Daisy. “Daisy‟s face was smeared with tears, „ But there was a change in Gatsby that was simply confounding. He literally glowed。 without a word or a gesture of exultation a new wellbeing radiated from him and filled the little room. „ „I‟m glad, Jay.” Her throat, full of aching, grieving beauty, told only of her unexpected joy.‟ (Fitzgerald 2020: 119) Gatsby‟s love to Daisy is loyal, however, Daisy‟s love to Gatsby is still doubtful. Gatsby blinds himself to realizing that Daisy would never desert her own class background to be with him. In Chapter 7, Gatsby‟s obsession with recovering in a blissful past pels him to order Daisy to tell Tom that she has never loved him. He needs to know that she has always loved him, that she has always been emotionally loyal to him. But he is defeated, and his dream has been broken totally. Daisy finally chooses Tom. And, sy。