了不起的盖茨比

OntheFemaleCharactersinTheGreatGatsby

人文学院汉语言文学2吕天云

【Abstract】TheGreatGatsbyisasignificantclassicinAmericanliteratureandFitzgeraldisalso

consideredasachroniclerofthe“JazzAge”.Thewomencharactersplayanimportantrolein

eranalyzesthewomencharactersandpointsouttheir

omenareallthevictimsofasocietyofwealthin

edtoFitzgerald’slife,hisattitudetowardwomenandloveis

rogressof

realizingourowndream,weshouldbeandcanbesobererthanthoprotagonistsinthenovel.

【KeyWords】TheGreatGatsbyAmericanliteraturewomencharacters

Tribes

howtheAmericanidealisticoutlook,thatis,itsbeliefinlifeandspiritualhappiness,contrastswith

raldsucceededindefiningnotonly

esntialqualitiesofhisownage,butalsoinproducingalyricalrenderingofaperceptioninto

tsby,asoneofFitzgeraldprotagonistsinthenovel,whohasbeena

typicalfigureintheworldliterarygalleryandrecordedintothewesternliteraryclassic.

The

ideaofitis“theunfairnessofapooryoungmannotbeingabletomarryagirlwithmoney”,as

rethreethreadsinthestorythe“loveaffairs”betweenJayGatsby

andhisformerloverDaisyFay,TomBuchananandhismistressMyrtleWilson,andNick

Carrawayandhis“girlfriend”ndofthisnovel,Gatsbywasshotinnsibly

hanan’s

DaisyandTom,asmurderersandconspirers,retreatedbackintotheirmoney,whileMyrtlewas

crushedunderthewheel’sofDaisy’arbythevalley

ofashesthatcomesthefinaldeath——ofGatsby,ofMyrtle,ofWilson—andthemoraldeathof

’sdreamofmoneyandlovewasshatteredtotally.

Thefemalecharacters,inTheGreatGatsby,areofimportancetorevealingthethemeofthe

,MyrtleandJordanhavetheirownroleandfunctioninthestoryofGatsbyand

Fitzgerald’and,theyfitintheironicdefinitionofthe

ntimentalbutesntiallydestructiveandparasiticromance;ontheotherhand,theyreprent

differentkindsofwomenandhavetheirownfeatures.

uchanan

DaisyBuchanan,ShewascalledDaisyFaywheninher“whitegirlhood.”Thename“Daisy”

matchestheflower-like,er

name“Fay”beingapunon“fey”,holdasuggestionofbeingfairy-like,thusstrengthenDaisy’s

magicappealtoGatsby.

Daisy,certainlyisasymbolicofAmericanDreamthroughoutthenovelandanobjectof

Gatsby’ewhodestroysGatsby’sidealandfinally“kills”him,so“Daisyindeedis

moreofawitchthanafairy”.ActuallyDaisy’scharacterisbuiltaroundtwoconflictingfactors.

First,thereisherphysicalappealwhichgoestocreateanimageofbeauty,wealthand

erybeginning,DaisyFayisa“goodgirl”.ForGatsby,whooriginallybelongs

toapoorbackgroundandalowersocialclass,therich,youthfulradiancethatsurroundsDaisy

containsapromiofperfectloveandhappiness:

“…Gatsbywasoverwhelmingawareoftheyouthandmysterythatwealthimprisonsand

prerves,ofthefreshnessofmanyclothes,andofDaisy,gleaminglikesilver,safeandproud

abovethehotstrugglesofthepoor”.

So,forGatsby,headmiresDaisymerelybecauDaisyreprentstheeleganceandvirtueof

odywiththelowerclass

background,GatsbyidealizestheimageofDaisy,“thebelleofLouisville”,andattemptstoreach

ile,Daisyfallsinlovewith

omanticloveandtheyhaveagoodtimetogetherinautumnnightfiveyearsago.

Asa“highinawhitepalacetheking’sdaughter,thegoldengirl”,DaisystillgivesGatsbyher

“tookDaisyonestillOctobernight,tookher

becauhehadnorealrighttotouchherhand”.Atthattimebothofthemwerenotawareofthere

wasanimpassablegulfbetweenthem.

Secondly,whateverDaisyFaylookslikeinhergirlhood,

otonlyflightyandtrivial,butalsolfish,ruthlessly

,Daisyismorallydestructivebecausheisirresponsible

ificialvoice,fickleloveandheartlessabandontoGatsby,all

hadprovedthefeaturesofhercharacter.

Asawomen,esadecisiontomarrytowealthand

position,notlove,ghforawhilesheis

happyaftershetransfersherfrustratedlovetoherhusbandinhoneymoon,shesoonrealizesshe

sagirlormistress,

andTomdoesn’tcareabouttheirbaby’sbirth…Apparently,Daisyhasliveda“noble”life,infact

she“havehadaverybadtime”,and“isprettycynicalabouteverything”,Daisycommentsherlf

likethis:

“…AndIknow,I’vebeeneverywhereandeneverythinganddoneeverything.”Hereyes

flashedaroundherinadefiantway,ratherlikeTom’s,andshelaughedwiththrillingscorn.

“Sophisticated—God,I’msophisticated!”

ThatisDaisyBuchanan,anempty,hypocriticalandflirtatiouswoman,butGatsbynever

d,asawoman,tects

herlfin“whiteplace”atpriceofkillingherromanticloverandtotallylosingtheremnantofher

conscience.

Wilson

MyrtleWilsonlike“Daisy”,thesame“Myrtle”alsoreprentsakindofflowerswithmuch

rFitzgeraldgivesthemparticularnamesdeliberately,itwouldbehardto

ually,contrasttoDaisy’sdignifiedbearing,Myrtleisablood-richandfull,loudand

ntimentalphilistine,withludicrousmannerismsofborrowedrefinement.

Myrtle’woaspectscanbeanalyzedfromherattributes:a

lowerclasswoman.

Firstly,comparedhermid-classbackgroundwiththeup-classthattheBuchanan’sbelongto,

thetruthisthatsocialdiscriminationstillexistsandthedivisionsamongtheclasscannotbe

uchanan’sreprentthehereditarycapitalists,Myrtleandherhusband,apale,

timidmechanic,isapoorcouplewhoclassstatusemstobelongtotheproletariatinAmerican

post-wartime(theFirstWorldWar).LikeGatsby’sadmiretoDaisy’legantlife,Myrtlealso

ikeGatsby’sdesireis

moretohisidealism,hisfaithinlife’spossibilities,Myrtle’sdesirespringsfromhersocial

andGatsbyallattempttoescapefromtheirownclass,but

theirfatearealsoverysimilar,tragicanddoomedtofail.

Secondly,likeDaisy,Myrtleisalsoavictimofthesociety,anhonest

husband,

isntiallycommonplaceanddown-to-earth,wantingherlovertobuyherthings(theyarenice

tohave—adog).Whatafunny!Shehaslostherlfinkindofworldofwealthanddesire.

Baker

TheNick-JordanrelationshipprovidesasubplotthatparallelstheGatsby—Daisy’

fromthefactthattherearetwomaingroupsofcharacters,thatis,GatsbyandtheBuchanan’s,

Nan,asNick’s

girlfriend,herroleinthenovelisacomplexone.

First,sheiscondnarratorwhodescribesGatsby’

account,sheobviouslymocksDaisy’sficklebehaviorandherfluctuatingrelationshipwithher

earsinthenoveloftenasanoutsider,ly,sheisaparticipant

inthepursuitoffameandwealth.

Elwhere,lsoalovelygirlinwhite(likeDaisy)and

alwaystobe“cool”.

cheatingatgolf,hercarelessdriving,andherquickdeparturefromDaisy’shoraftertheaccident,

allthecharacteristicssharethesamekindofirresponsibilityandcarelessnesswithDaisy’s.

sion

FromtheanalysisofthewomencharactersinthenovelTheGreatGatsby,itisclearthat

Fitzgerald’sattitudetowardswomenisveryambivalent:hecombinesanextremedistrustof

them—adistrustwhichapproachesactualfear—withadeepsympathyandhopelessonthem.

eanalysisofwomen

charactersinthenovel,thispointisobvious.

ricanDreamdescribesanattitudeofhope

inallyrelatesto

ppenedwasthatthematerialaspectofthe

dreamwastooeasilyandtooquicklyachieved,withtheresultthatitsoonoutpacedandeven

itzgeraldproducedGatsby,modelednodoubtonthe

writer’sownfaithinlifeandhetriedtocreateacharacterwholooks“fromwithinandwithout”in

’

happenstoGatsbyisawarningfortherestofthomen,whostillareonthewaytotheirdreams;

whilewhathappenstoDaisy,MyrtleandJordanisalsoasignificantwarningfortherestoftho

women,whoarehavingthesamedream.

References

[1]Cooperman,Stanley:itzgerald’nLanguageTeachingand

RearchPress,1996.

[2]Fitzgerald,:TheGreatGatsby.(1)notedbyZhouDunren,ShanghaiTranslationPress,

1994(2)TranslatedbyWuRan,PLACultureandArtsPress,Beijing,1997.

[3]Fitzgerald,:ai

TranslationPress,1988.

[4]el,nInc,1982

[5]Handley,’itzgerald’kLtd,

U.S.A,1978.

[6]O’Connor,WilliamVan(ed.).gtonSquarePress,NewYork,

1978

[7]tein,Annette:AmericanliteratureRootandFlower,g:Foreign

LanguageTeachingandRearchingPress,1988.

[8]TangSooPing:ng:(Long-man)SheckWahTongPrinting

PressLtd,1980.

[9]gedyofGatsbyandFitzgerald’sProvement;JournalofHenanUniversity

(soci.)No.2,1994.