Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Contemporary Education, Social Sciences and Ecological Studies (CESSES 2019)

A Probe into the Dark Side of Human Nature Veiled in American Dream by Analyzing "The Great Gatsby"

Authors
Desheng Chen, Shuangchao Zhou
Corresponding Author
Desheng Chen
Available Online October 2019.
DOI
10.2991/cesses-19.2019.127How to use a DOI?
Keywords
The Great Gatsby; American Dream; dark side
Abstract

The Great Gatsby, being published in 1925, was written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story follows a cast of characters living in the fictional town of West and East Egg on prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922. This work laid the foundation for F. Scott Fitzgerald in the history of American modern literature. It shows people the voluptuous "Jazz Age" or the extravagant "roaring twenties" that has been described as a cautionary tale regarding the American Dream. The story, in the main, spotlights the young and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his ostentatious passion and obsession for the beautiful former lover Daisy Buchanan, which presents people the limits and realities of America's ideals of social and class mobility; and the inevitably hopeless lower class aspirations to rise above the station of their birth. In this whole story, people can clearly feel that it would be a successful story about human nature and reality rather than about love. And people can observe the dark side of human nature hidden in the American Dream which has been inspiring generations of Americans. With regard to this thesis, it focuses on the analysis of the dark side of the human nature laid down in the three lead characters: Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan and Tom Buchanan.

Copyright
© 2019, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Contemporary Education, Social Sciences and Ecological Studies (CESSES 2019)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
October 2019
ISBN
978-94-6252-816-1
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/cesses-19.2019.127How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2019, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

Cite this article

TY  - CONF
AU  - Desheng Chen
AU  - Shuangchao Zhou
PY  - 2019/10
DA  - 2019/10
TI  - A Probe into the Dark Side of Human Nature Veiled in American Dream by Analyzing "The Great Gatsby"
BT  - Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Contemporary Education, Social Sciences and Ecological Studies (CESSES 2019)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 563
EP  - 565
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/cesses-19.2019.127
DO  - 10.2991/cesses-19.2019.127
ID  - Chen2019/10
ER  -