ABSTRACT

The Great Gatsby is one of the Fitzgerald’s most representative works. This novel exposes the social reality of 1920s and the truth of “American Dream” by Gatsby’s love tragedy. The success of The Great Gatsby is not only for its unique writing techniques and rigorous structure, but also for the proper using of symbolism. Using lots of symbolism is quite a prominent feature of this novel. This paper aims to studies and analysis the symbolic meaning of “green light” which throughout the novel and the relationship between the green light and Gatsby’s dream. From this, intention of the author and the social meaning reflected in this novel can be further understood.

Key words:  The Great Gatsby  Symbolism  Green light  American Dream

摘  要
 
《 了不起的盖茨比》是菲茨杰拉德最具有代表性的作品之一。这部小说通过盖茨比个人的爱情悲剧揭露了20世纪20年代的社会现实以及“美国梦”的本质。《了不起的盖茨比》的成功不仅仅只是因为菲茨杰拉德独特的写作技巧和严谨的写作结构，也离不开小说中对象征手法的正确运用。使用大量的象征手法是这部小说中一个非常突出的特点，其中对“绿光”的象征意义的使用贯穿整部小说。本文旨在研究和分析绿光的象征意义以及其与盖茨比梦想之间的联系，从而可以进一步了解作者的写作意图和这部小说反映的深刻的社会意义。

关键词: 《了不起的盖茨比》  象征手法  绿光  美国梦

Chapter One    Introduction
1.1 Purpose and Significance of this Study
  Fitzgerald, F Scott(1896-1940) is an outstanding novelist in the American literature history. He owned the title of the spokesman of the Jazz Age and the laurel of the poet. In September 24, 1986, he was born in St Paul, Minnesota. When he was young, he tried to write the script. After he finished his high school, he was admitted to Princeton University. On campus, he organized a troupe and wrote for the school literary magazine. Unfortunately, he discontinued his studies due to poor health. In 1917, he joined the army and was busy with the military training. After he leaved the army, he still insisted on writing. In 1920, he became famous because of his novel This Side of Paradise. In 1925, Fitzgerald’s most famous novel The Great Gatsby was finished. It established his status in the modern American literature history, and became one of the most representative writers in the “Lost Generation”.