| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立中山大學 === 外國語文學系 === 84 === This thesis is a sociological study of the contradictions
inherent in capitalism and the American dream of success. It
deals primarily with The Great Gatsby, Poor White, and Babbitt,
three important American novels of the twenties. The reason
why I choose them is that they exhibit a marvelous concurrence
of dreams, fears, hopes, and frustrations caused by the
compelling cultural myth. The first chapter introduces the
contemporary social and cultural backgrounds that have inspired
the writers of this time. It emphasizes the contradictory
strands intrinsic both in the success myth and capitalist
system. The second chapter shows the way Fitzgerald portrays
the beautiful and the ugly aspects of the success dream. It
points out his ambivalent attitude toward money and
particularly the American dream. The third chapter examines
how the technological progress engenders the chasm between the
country and the city. America, as Anderson shows, is
transformed into a land awash with the machines. The fourth
chapter demonstrates how the life of a successful man is
reduced to pettiness and insignificance. The pursuit of
success, as Lewis displays, is poignantly rediculed and
satirized. The fifth chapter is a theoretical review of the
cultural contradictions. It shows that the doubled-edged
success myth, in fact, echoes the central characteristics of
capitalism: rationality and irrationality. It is probably this
tension-filled myth that leads the three novelists to respond
ambiguously to the material success.
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