Abstract
                        
The Great Gatsby is one of the greatest novels in 1920s and it is also the most influential masterpiece of Fitzgerald. The story took place after the World War, the era which the United States entered a brief period of prosperity. The accumulation of capital was exacerbating. People run after substances. In the period of the transition from the old era to the new era, everything was to be undertaken, traditional ethical standards and social customs were shacked and impacted with tremendous change.
The thesis is divided into six chapters. The first chapter talks about the research background and the purpose briefly. The second chapter is the introduction of Fitzgerald’s life and his work, pointing out that the Jazz Age affects his works to a large extent. The third chapter is a concrete analysis of the female characters. The forth chapter analyzes the personal causes of the female characters’ tragedy, including their social classes, their family, their personal character and their marriage. The fifth chapter discusses the causes of the tragedy from social factors. In the circumstances of the Jazz Age, the female chase material marriage. The tragedy of female characters is due to the dependent social status, spiritual emptiness, and the economic dependence of men and their money worship and nihilism expansion. The women’s consciousness changed after the disillusionment of the American Dream. They obeyed men’s money and power and became the victims of the patriarchal society. The last chapter draws a conclusion that women as individuals should establish a correct concept of love and marriage and do not pursue money and enjoyment blindly.
This thesis analyses the female characters and the special historical background. It attempts to find out the defects showed on the three females as modern women. And through the thesis, the internal and external causes of the female characters’ tragic lives can be understood by readers, and a more objective appraisal of them can be given.

Keywords: Jazz Age; female characters; tragedy

摘要

《了不起的盖茨比》是19世纪20年代最伟大的小说之一，也是菲兹杰拉德最有影响力的代表作。故事发生在一战之后, 美国进入了一个短暂的繁荣时期, 在世界大战之后美国资本积累加剧, 人们沉迷于物质追求。而在这样一个新老过渡, 百废待兴的时代, 传统的道德标准和社会习俗都经历了强烈的摇晃和冲击, 产生巨大的变化与影响。
本文一共分为六个章节。第一章简单地阐述了研究背景与目的，旨在通过分析女性角色而找出其悲剧的原因。第二章介绍菲兹杰拉德的生平经历及其作品所代表的社会意义。他所在的爵士时代很大程度上影响着他的作品。第三章是对三个主要的女性角色的具体分析。第四章分析了造成女性角色悲剧的个人原因，包括她们各自所处的阶级地位，家庭环境的熏陶，受教育程度以及婚姻给她们带来的影响。第五章则从社会因素分析悲剧的原因。在爵士时代这样的大环境下，女性追逐物质的婚姻，她们的悲剧源于不独立的社会地位, 精神上的空虚，经济上的依赖以及她们的拜金主义和虚无主义的扩张。她们的意识在美国梦破灭后发生着变化。她们服从男性的权力，成为父权社会的牺牲品。第六章得出最后结论女性作为独立的个体应该建立正确的爱情和婚姻的概念, 不能盲目地追求金钱与享乐。
本文分析了小说中的女性角色以及其特殊的历史背景。文章阐述了三个女性作为新时代女性的性格缺陷。通过具体的分析，找出女性角色悲惨命运的内在原因与外在因素，使读者能够得到更好地理解女性角色，做出客观全面的评价。

关键词：爵士时代；女性角色；悲剧