My thesis concerns the analysis of the protagonist – Jay Gatsby – in terms of his illusory greatness and pitiful pettiness as depicted in “The Great Gatsby” by Francis Scott Fitzgerald. There are 4 main parts in my study: Introduction, Development, Conclusion, limitation and suggestion for further studies and Reference. To begin with introduction, my thesis is clarified with a rationale for choosing the topic, the aims for my study, the methods of structuring the whole paper and the scope of my study. Secondly, the Development part includes 2 chapters. On one hand, chapter I present the overview of Literature with some literature knowledge of literature, its genre – novel. In addition, this chapter provides some brief historical background related to the novel to help reader have a general view. In this chapter, Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s life and career are also taken into consideration. Moreover, this chapter also devoted to a basis of the novel “The Great Gatsby”: Setting, plot overview, themes and the main characters. On the other hand, chapter II focuses on analyzing the main character Jay Gatsby into 2 different aspects: his illusory greatness and pitiful pettiness so that readers can recognize the ironic implication of the author, hence, have a more sympathy and tolerant opinion toward this character, who is just a victim of the decay of the American Dream as well as Jazz Age. The third part is the conclusion of my study which summarizes the issues addressed in the whole thesis, and points out some limitations as well as makes some recommendation for further study. Last but not least, I give out all the sources that I have used in the reference part.
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION GRADUATION PAPER THE ILLUSORY “GREATNESS” AND THE PATHETIC TRAGEDY OF JAY GATSBY IN “THE GREAT GATSBY” BY FRANCIS SCOTT FITZGERALD Supervisor: Văn Thị Thanh Bình, M.A. Student: Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Anh Course: QH2010.F1.E4 HÀ NỘI – 5/2014 ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP Sự vĩ đại ảo tưởng và bị kịch đáng thương của nhân vật Jay Gatsby trong tác phẩm “Đại gia Gatsby” của nhà văn Fransis Scott Fitgerald. Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Thạc sỹ Văn Thị Thanh Bình Sinh viên: Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Anh Khóa: QH2010.F1.E4 HÀ NỘI – 2014 34 ACCEPTANCE PAGE I hereby state that I: Nguyen Thi Quynh Anh, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirement of College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library. In term of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan, or reproduction of the paper. Signature: Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Anh Date: May 5 th , 2014 34 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS At the first place, I would like to express my gratitude to my beloved supervisor, Mrs. Van Thi Thanh Binh for her insights as a devoted professor, a mentor, and a guide. I am forever in your debt for the wealth of knowledge you have proved to be, and the encouragement I sometimes needed to feel that I would eventually “get it.” I thank you again thousands time for your enthusiastic guidance and encouragement throughout my graduate paper. Furthermore, I acknowledge my sincere appreciation to my family and friends for their continuous support without which I could not have accomplished. Therefore, I cherishingly dedicate this page to all of whom I am profoundly indebted. 34 ABSTRACT My thesis concerns the analysis of the protagonist – Jay Gatsby – in terms of his illusory greatness and pitiful pettiness as depicted in “The Great Gatsby” by Francis Scott Fitzgerald. There are 4 main parts in my study: Introduction, Development, Conclusion, limitation and suggestion for further studies and Reference. To begin with introduction, my thesis is clarified with a rationale for choosing the topic, the aims for my study, the methods of structuring the whole paper and the scope of my study. Secondly, the Development part includes 2 chapters. On one hand, chapter I present the overview of Literature with some literature knowledge of literature, its genre – novel. In addition, this chapter provides some brief historical background related to the novel to help reader have a general view. In this chapter, Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s life and career are also taken into consideration. Moreover, this chapter also devoted to a basis of the novel “The Great Gatsby”: Setting, plot overview, themes and the main characters. On the other hand, chapter II focuses on analyzing the main character - Jay Gatsby into 2 different aspects: his illusory greatness and pitiful pettiness so that readers can recognize the ironic implication of the author, hence, have a more sympathy and tolerant opinion toward this character, who is just a victim of the decay of the American Dream as well as Jazz Age. The third part is the conclusion of my study which summarizes the issues addressed in the whole thesis, and points out some limitations as well as makes some recommendation for further study. Last but not least, I give out all the sources that I have used in the reference part. 34 TABLE OF CONTENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………………………………… ABSTRACT…………………………………………………….… I. INTRODUCTION………………………………………… … 1. Rationale……………………………………………… ….…. 2. Scope of the study………………………………………………. 3. Working methodology………………………… ………………. II. DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW….…………………… …… 1.1. Literature background……………………………… …. 1.1.1. Definition of literature…………………………….……… 1.1.2. Literature genre: Novel…………………………….…… 1.1.2.1. Definition of novel………………………….…… 1.1.2.2. Main elements of novel………………… ……… 1.1.2.2.1. Plot……………………………………… ……… 1.1.2.2.2. Character…………………………………… …… 1.1.2.2.3. Theme…………………………………………… 1.2. Historical background……………………………….…… 1.2.1. American literature at the turn of the 20th century…….… 1.2.2. The American dream…………………………………… 1.3. Francis Scott Fitzgerald – life and career………………… 1.3.1. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life…………………………………. 1.3.2. Overview F. Scott Fitzgerald’s literary career…………… 1.4. The novel “The Great Gatsby”……………………… …. 1.4.1. Plot overview…………………………………………… 1.4.2. Themes ………………………………….………… …… 1.4.2.1. The American Dream………………….………… 1.4.2.2. Class (Old Money, New Money, No Money) 1.4.2.3. Past and Future…………………………….………. CHAPTER 2: THE ILLUSORY “GREATNESS” AND THE PATHETIC TRAGEDY OF JAY GATSBY…………………………. I. THE ILLUSORY “GREATNESS” OF JAY GATSBY…….… 1. Gatsby’s wealth…………………………………………………. 1.1. His extravagant parties …………………………….……. 1.2. His outstanding enigma property ……………………… 1.3. Gatsby’s illusory self - reputation…………………….…. 2. Gatsby’s social relations ………………………………………. ii iii 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 34 2.1. Party guests………………………………………….……. 2.2. Business acquaintances …………………………….……. 3. Gatsby’s persistent love for Daisy ……………………….……. II. THE PATHETIC TRAGEDY OF JAY GATSBY…….………. 1. Gatsby’s humble origin……………………………… ………… 2. Gatsby’s misdirected moral compass………… ………………. 2.1. His misconstrued perception of money value…… ……. 2.2. His blind love for Daisy………………………….………. 3. Gatsby’s meaningless and unremembered death…….…………. III. CONCLUSION, LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER STUDIES…….………………………………… ………. 1. Conclusion……………………………………………….……… 2. Limitations of the study………………………………… ……. 3. Suggestion for further studies…………………………… …… IV. REFERENCE………………………………………………… 10 12 12 12 13 13 15 17 17 19 21 24 25 26 27 28 31 34 34 35 35 36 34 INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale Literature is an important component of a total language arts program as well as the reflection of life through the subjective prism of the author. It is also the bridge connecting the real life and the imaginary world. Therefore, it is undeniable that literature enriches our spiritual life, nurtures our soul and improves our language competence, especially in writing skills, as my supervisor said. That is the reason researcher decided to conduct a research on literature as my Graduation Paper. As regards literature, the novel “The Great Gatsby” by Francis Scott Fitzgerald is appraised as one of the greatest pieces of art work of all time. The real – life reflective and artistic values of this novel has been proved for ages by a lot of literature critics. The researcher herself is profoundly impressed by the protagonist Jay Gatsby thanks to the author’s skillful narrative style. With clever narrative tricks, Gatsby is portrayed as a man who succeeds in all he does at the very beginning of the novel. It is likely that F. S. Fitzgerald wants all the readers to believe. However, at the end of the novel, Gatsby’s unremembered death, in common with the disappearance of his fame, shocks every single reader. Thus, although F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” has received extensive critical attention for ages, there remain some controversial questions that demand further exploration: what makes Jay Gatsby “great?”, and what makes him pathetic? What’s more, does this “greatness” is real or just illusory? All of them are clarified in this Graduation Paper. Hopefully, this thesis can contribute a little help readers comprehend and meditate more about one of the best literary works of human kind. 34 Interestingly, everytime researcher spends time studying her thesis, she listens to the song “Young and beautiful” by Lana Del Rey that is the original soundtrack of the movie - adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel of the same name, which provides her more energy and enthusiasm during her carrying out this study. 2. Scope of the study The thesis aims to give the readers a deeper understanding of the protagonist of the novel “The Great Gatsby” by Francis Scott Fitzgerald – Jay Gatsby – with relation to his illusory “greatness” as well as his pathetic tragedy. 3. Working methodology The method of analysis which is attached to this graduation paper consists of searching for materials, analyzing, giving final judgments and conclusion. 34 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1. Literature background 1.1.1. Definition of literature It is common knowledge to state that whether there appears a thing, it must be given a name and a fixed definition to distinguish that thing from others in the surroundings. Literature is the same in that case. However, up to now, writers all over the world have not shared the same definition of literature. A number of writers agree with Edgar Robert that literature is what “refers to just everything written”. There are many more definitions that cannot be counted exist somewhere in our life. And the fact is that no one can decide what is the best, the most acceptable because each of those definitions is created from its authors’ opinion and his or her chosen literary form that, in their turns, have their own views of art, life or everything else. Therefore, there is still no exact definition for this delicate kind of art that can satisfy everyone. People may create his or her own definition of literature based on their understanding about it. Researcher herself does agree with Edgar Robert that literature is what refers to just everything written, however, that written message must necessarily contain what they call the quiescence of human life. 1.1.2. Literature genre: Novel 1.1.2.1. Definition of novel A novel is a long work of written fiction in which a complex story is told with a number of different situations by a narrator. In a novel, the writer has the freedom to develop the story slowly, surround the main plot with subplots, and create numerous shifts in time, place and focus of interest. A novel may celebrate great event as well as details of everyday life. In a novel, the narrator can directly address the reader or stay outside to leave the events [...]... types of wealth 34 CHAPTER 2: THE ILLUSORY “GREATNESS” AND PATHETIC TRAGEDY OF JAY GATSBY I THE ILLUSORY “GREATNESS” OF JAY GATSBY 1 Gatsby s wealth 1.1 His extravagant parties Throughout the procession of the 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, readers are exposed to Gatsby' s excessive wealth through elaborate parties that Jay Gatsby throws most nights throughout the summer At these parties, he has the best... “The Great Gatsby and “The Last Tycoon”, and short stories like “Head and Shoulders”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Crazy Sunday” 1.4 The novel “The Great Gatsby 1.4.1 Plot overview In the novel, Fitzgerald presents the rise and fall of Jay Gatsby, as related in a first – person narrative by Nick Carraway Carraway reveals the story of a farmer’s son – turned racketeer, named Jay Gatz His... which is shattered along with Gatsby s dreams in the end The talent for self-invention is what gives Gatsby his quality of “greatness”: indeed, the title “The Great Gatsby is reminiscent of billings for 34 such vaudeville magicians as “The Great Houdini” and “The Great Blackstone,” suggesting that the persona of Jay Gatsby is a masterful illusion (Sparknote.com, p.1) 2 Gatsby s social relations Party... weighs down on Nick When Nick tells Gatsby that you can't repeat the past, Gatsby says "Why of course you can!" Gatsby has dedicated his entire life to recapturing a golden, perfect past with Daisy Gatsby believes that money can recreate the past Fitzgerald describes Gatsby as "overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and preserves." But Gatsby mixes up "youth and mystery"... impression that the source of Gatsby s wealth might be unsavory, and that Gatsby may even have ties to the sort of organized crime with which Wolfshiem is associated He tries to worsen Nick's opinion of Gatsby by suggesting that Gatsby acquired his fortune in a dishonest way The truth reveals that it is Wolfshiem who helps Gatsby make illegal money in the bond business when Gatsby first comes to New York... longer tangible Finally, the dream is dead Jay Gatsby is dead Gatsby is defeated once and once only, and from this one defeat, he loses the entire game Jay Gatsby is a bad player in the game of life and a pitiful human being He keeps his illusions till the end, even as they blind him to the way his futile pursuit of Daisy is eroding his life Conclusion: All of Gatsby' s mistakes can be traced back to his... will in the end always be disparaging 1.3 Gatsby s illusory self – reputation The following part is what shatters the glimmering illusion and ultimately conveys that Jay Gatsby, contrary to the book's title, is not great after all On one hand, in order to execute his plan to reunite with Daisy, Gatsby intentionally gives an explanation to his personal background Gatsby spins a series of tales about his... on the writers place in the American society The theme of disillusionment, along with the downfall of some American certain ideals and values, is successfully depicted in “The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald “The Great Gatsby is set on Long Island of New York, in two areas called “West Egg” and “East Egg” known as place of the rich and fabulous people Nevertheless, nobody seems particularly interested... celebrities, known for their extravagant lifestyle In 1924, the Fitzgeralds moved to France and traveled Europe, where he wrote “The Great Gatsby Likewise, Scott 34 became part of the circle of literary expatriates in Paris He died at the age of 44 1.3.2 Overview F Scott Fitzgerald’s literary career Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are paradigm writings of the... narration of Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby s business acquaintance - Meyer Wolfsheim - plays a fundamental role in Gatsby s misleading moral ethic Wolfsheim who likely to prefer being off the social mainstream is a business associate of Gatsby which is first introduced in the lunch scene with Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway Fitzgerald gives the character a number of stereotypical physical features of a mysterious, . hướng dẫn: Thạc sỹ Văn Thị Thanh Bình Sinh viên: Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Anh Khóa: QH2010.F1.E4 HÀ NỘI – 2014 34 ACCEPTANCE PAGE I hereby state that I: Nguyen Thi Quynh Anh, being a candidate for the degree. FITZGERALD Supervisor: Văn Thị Thanh Bình, M.A. Student: Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Anh Course: QH2010.F1.E4 HÀ NỘI – 5/2014 ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP Sự. Signature: Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Anh Date: May 5 th , 2014 34 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS At the first place, I would like to express my gratitude to my beloved supervisor, Mrs. Van Thi Thanh Binh for her insights