浅析《了不起的盖茨比》中主人公的爱情观

2019-03-20王晔翟艳娇

西部论丛 2019年9期

王晔　翟艳娇

摘要：菲茨杰拉德是美國二十世纪二十年代重要的作家，《了不起的盖茨比》是他的代表作。小说以美国二十年代奢侈主义和享乐主义盛行的社会为背景，讲诉了主人公盖茨比在追求美国梦与爱情的过程中，一步步走向悲剧的故事。盖茨比的爱情悲剧对我们有着重要的警醒和启示作用。这篇文章结合时代背景和社会状况，对主人公盖茨比和黛西的爱情观进行了分析，探讨在物欲横流的社会背景下爱情的缺失，他们的爱情观对人们情感问题的取舍和社会的和谐发展都有重要的参考意义。

关键词：盖茨比爱情观黛西菲茨杰拉德

Abstract： Fitzgerald is an important writer in the United States in the 1920s. The Great Gatsby is his masterpiece. The novel is based on the background of the prevailing society of luxurism and hedonism in the 1920s in the United States. It tells Gatsbys tragedy story in the pursuit of American Dream and love. Gatsbys love tragedy has an important enlightenment to us. This article analyzes Gatsbys and Daisys love views in the context of the background of the times and the social situation， and discusses the lack of love in the materialistic society. Their love views provide an important reference for peoples emotional problems and the harmonious development of society.

Key words： Gatsby， Love views， Daisy， F. Scott Fitzgerald

I.Introduction

Fitzgerald is a shining star in the American literary world and is known as the representative of the Jazz Age. Although he has only 20 years of creative career， he has written more than 100 novels. The Great Gatsby is not only his masterpiece， but also has an important position in the history of American literature. The novel vividly reflects the disillusionment of the American Dream in the 1920s and the spirit of the “barren era” of the upper class.

This novel has two main protagonists that are Gatsby and Daisy. Daisy was an elegant girl .Gatsby was young when he first met Daisy. At that time， they were very pure. He loved Daisy at first sight. After the outbreak of the First World War， Gatsby was sent to Europe.q When Gatsby went to the army， Daisy chose to marry Tom who was born in a rich family. When Gatsby came back， he was very sad. He believed that poverty caused him to lose love， so he was determined to become a rich man. In his efforts， he finally became a rich man. Gatsbys wealth really helped him regain the heart of Daisy. One day， Daisy had a conflict with her husband and drove in a moody state， crushed her husbands mistress. To help his goddess escape culpability， Gatsby took the responsibility for driving. Gatsby exhausted his feelings and money， but did not get Daisys love， finally he died in the plot of his beloved woman.

II. The Love Views of Gatsby

2.1 Gatsbys Greatness in Love

Gatsbys love aspects of Daisy， it can be said that he shows all the perfect manner of human being in love. First of all， Gatsbys attitude towards love is single-minded. Gatsbys love to Daisy was too seriously ill to be cured， even Daisy loved another people. In order to acquire Daisys love， he did not care about anything， this kind of unreserved treatment of love is very great. Secondly， Gatsby has a complete devotion to love. He had no intention of receiving any admiration from anyone and dedicated his time and patience to the attention of the goddess in his heart. When his goddess was in trouble， he even stood up to take the blame， regardless of the consequences of himself. Gatsby showed a complete disregard for Daisys love.

2.2 Gatsbys Flaws in Love

In Gatsbys love views， it could be said that Gatsby himself had lost his moral integrity. And there is no good morality in his choice of love objects. In terms of Gatsby， his origin motives for love are certainly not the pursuit of soul mate， what he was infatuated with was her appearance. His standards of love are completely out of love. It is just a superficial feeling. Gatsby was confused about the relationship between love and money. His belief that money can be exchanged for the perverse moral values of the relationship made him sell private wine to become rich. He longed for money and attempted to gain love on the basis of money. This had lost the basic concept of love ethics. Secondly， from the perspective of psychological， Gatsbys tragic ending is inevitable. Because Gatsby has lost his independent personality in the pursuit of love， he is in complete altruism. Love should be equal， but Gatsby completely lost himself. Gatsbys homicide can also be understood as a love funeral. These are fatal to Gatsby. They decide the inevitable of Gatsbys love tragedy.

Ⅲ. The Love Views of Daisy

In the beginning， Daisy was a good girl. Daisy gave Gatsby love and warmth without reservation. When Gatsby went to the battlefield， Daisy lost her courage and strength. Her confused heart became more confused. After some ideological struggles， she married the illustrious nobleman Tom. However， the marriage between Daisy and Tom was not so satisfied. Daisy quickly realized that after she got married， she didnt go well and her husband did not love her so much. Tom has a mistress. He doesnt even notice the birth of their daughter. For Daisy， she and Tom were not only husband and wife， but also the same social group. No matter how rich Gatsby was， there was always a class difference. Even if Tom had a mistress， Daisy quietly endured and did not take action， because she was reluctant to give up the extravagant life brought by money. Her marriage to Tom is not a continuation of love， but a material satisfaction. The reappearance of Gatsby not only satisfied her vanity on her female charm， but also brought a romantic hope to her empty world. She wanted to seek a spiritual comfort on Gatsby to make up for her long-term neglect from her husband. But when the disaster came， she did not hesitate to abandon Gatsby and chose Tom. Daisy was constantly drawing money from Gatsby， but she was unable to achieve a truly solid emotion. The transformation of Daisy is a true portrayal of the dark side of the material society. It is a true reflection of the psychological process of the upper-level female in the Jazz Age.

Ⅳ. The Causes of Different Love Views

Gatsby and Daisys love views are totally different. Their love views are influenced by many factors， mainly including social class and the disillusion of the American Dream.

4.1 Different Social Class

Most of the wealth in society is in the hands of the upper classes， and their position is unshakable. Gatsby and Daisy are from different social classes. The upper class did not allow the middle and lower classes to enter their territory. Their success is not recognized， only the wealth itself. When Daisys husband， Tom， debunked Gatsbys real identity as a humble poor boy who made a fortune selling illicit liquor， Daisy left Gatsby without hesitation and ended the boring game.

4.2 The Disillusion of the American Dream

The reality of American Dream is manifested in peoples life， and this illusory vision becomes an ideology which is deeply rooted in peoples mind. People think the American Dream is so close to them. It was in the context of the American Dream that Gatsby wanted to make up for what he had lost through money. And Daisy was the key to his dream. Gatsby chose to use money to get what he wanted.

Gatsby did not see the social reality and he regarded Daisy as the key to his American Dream. His social identity guides him in his constant self-reform， allowing himself to approach his ideals step by step. He believes his money can help him to win back Daisys love. In the 1920s， the whole society has a pursuit of pleasure.

Ⅴ. Conclusion

Love is pure， but under the influence of material society， love is gradually associated with the social status and wealth. In the pursuit of love， Gatsby completely lost his independent personality. In order to seek the love， he uses up his youth and money. The character in Daisy is complicated. When she was still a girl， she had an innocent and romantic imagination of love and was willing to find a person of the same interest for a lifetime. Under the influence of money worship society， Daisy became a superficial selfish woman. In order to save Daisy， Gatsby ended his young life. His tragedy was not totally caused by a person Daisy， but was the result of the combined of the times， “American Dream” and personal defects. The Great Gatsby is not simply describing love stories， but exposing the hidden issues behind love. The love that only pays attention to material enjoyment， or the love that only focus on spiritual communication is not a complete love. In todays China， where material civilization is highly developed， the love stories of Gatsby and Daisy have alerted us. The younger generation should have the correct views of the love， and calmly face the social reality.

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作者简介：王晔，河南渑池人，1979.6，副教授，研究生导师，研究方向为应用语言学、外语教学。通讯地址：河南省新乡市河南师范大学