Abstract: The American dream has long been deeply rooted in American culture and literature. It was during the period when the American dream had gone through the process from emergence to maturity that Fitzgerald grew up to become a great novelist. He had a profound experience about the pursuit of the American dream. His masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, vividly presents readers the American society of this period. Combining the novel with his own experiences, he revealed both his American dream that had been hidden in the depth of his heart and his loss at the disillusionment of the American dream. Through the analysis of the inevitability of the withering of Gatsby’s American dream, this paper aims to reveal the merciless upper class as well as the distorted social values in the 1920s. The first part discusses Gatsby’s American dream, including his dream of love, money, career and social status. The second part focuses on the personal causes of the withering of Gatsby’s American dream. The third part analyzes the social causes of the disillusionment of Gatsby’s American dream.

Key Words: Gatsby; American dream; Withering; Inevitability

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 F. Scott. Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby

1.2 The American Dream 

2. Gatsby’s American Dream-2

2.1 His Dream of Love 

2.2 His Dream of Money

2.2 His Dream of Career and Social Status  

3. Personal Causes of the Withering of Gatsby’s American Dream-4

 3.1 His Pursuit of Pure Love

 3.2 His Blind Worship of Money

 3.3 His Lack of Rational Attitude towards Wealth

4. Social Causes of the Withering of Gatsby’s American Dream-5

 4.1 The Contradiction Between the New Rich and the Noble

     4.1.1 Different Economic Status

     4.1.2 Social Conflicts

 4.2 The Cruel Social Persecution from the Upper Class 

5. Conclusion-7

Bibliography-8

Acknowledgments-9