美国文学与美国梦

徐佩岚2012213068Since I took the English literature course last semester, I realize that to have a deep understanding of a work, one should know about the writer; and to understand the writer, one should look to a larger background--the history. Therefore, literature is to some extent connected with the history. In other words, literature reflects and sometimes reviews history.America is a country established after struggling for independence. At that time, they value private judgement on religious and political issues, and self-knowledge and self-expression. They want to get rid of Britain's governance, and they began to propaganda the value of freedom and individuality. In this way, an essential part of American Dream--individualism has been deeply rooted in their mind when the county was born. In American literature, one can always catch a swift of American dream, sometimes a bunch of. As American Dream changes from time to time, it has been reflected on American literary works. And of course, different writers have different understandings and attitudes towards American Dream. Here, I will primarily focus on three writters—Washington Irving, Walt Whitman, and Francis Scott Fitzgerald.In Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle, one can feel the embryo of American Dream and how it changed Americans. From the contrast of the village before and after the Independent War, the power of struggling for freedom and individuality is evident. "Instead of the great trees that used to shelter the quiet little Dutch inn of yore, there now was a naked pole, with something on the top that looked like a red night-cap, and from it was fluttering a flag, on which was a singular assemblage of stars and stripes- all this was strange and incomprehensible.”“‘What brought him to the election with a gun on his shoulder, and a mob at his heels, and whether he meant to breed a riot in the village?’- ‘Alas! Gentlemen,’ cried Rip,somewhat dismayed, ‘I am a poor quiet man, a native of the place, and a loyal subject of the king, God blesses him!’ Here a general shout burst from the bystanders- ‘A tory! A tory! A spy! A refugee! Hustle him! Away with him!’" what’s more, they regard General Washington as a kind of hero (this might be the starting point of their heroism). From those descriptions of the changed appearance of the hotel, the people in front of the hotel inspecting and talking austerely to Rip Van Winkle, and the beautiful picturesque village and tranquil life before the War, I feel that aspiration for freedom and individuality drove the establishment of America, and consequently, the establishment of America convinced them that their pursuit of freedom and individuality is the right path to go.American poet Walt Whitman is apparently a supporter of the American Dream. In the poem “I Hear America Singing”, he described the harmonious atmosphere in America—the carpenter singing, the mason singing… The theme of the poem is a eulogy to the thriving American nation, to the proud and strong love for country contribution, the laboring people and the poet’s optimistic attitude towards the world and life. In another poem “There Was a Child Singing”, the “child” in the title represents a young and growing America. “And the first object he look’d upon, that object he became, And that object became part of him for the day or a certain part of the day, Or for many years or stretching cycles of years.” In my opinion, this means that America is aa young and progressive country that actively learn things from the outside world. His admiration for American is most distinct in the poem “Song of Myself”. “I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.”This is a strong declaration of the value of individualism and democracy. He went through the Civil War, and experienced the nation hero Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. With the unity of the north and the south, and the liberation of the black convinced him “An individuality is as superbas a nation when he has the qualities which make a superb nation”. The concept America Dream has been explicitly advocated through his poem.In Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s the Great Gatsby, there was a different American Dream. It described the American society in the 1920s. Gatsby is not only the representative of the American dream, but also he is the representative of collapse of the American dream. Gatsby was born in a family that has nothing to do with power, money, and social status. However, he became an upstart from nobody by selling the wine. His existence verifies the American dream. The success of Gatsby pursuit American dream makes people believe that in the United States, even a civilian who is not born in eminent family can also become a millionaire and have fame, wealth, and happiness, as long as you work hard. However, he has nothing else to pursuit after becoming wealthy. He made parties very often, and he lived in the dream, seeking the unreal life and fantasy of love. All these lead to the irreparable tragedy the death of Gatsby.Unlike the Whitman, Fitzgerald criticized the decadent American dream that includes the pursuit of money and arbitrariness by unethical means. That reflect America’s situation at that time. After world I, America has entered the era of the unprecedented economic boom and rich material. With the economic prosperity, the American began to judge a person by his wealth, leading America to the collapse of moral system in the 1920s. Traditional moral standards confront challenges and the new moral system is not formed. Although America was wealthy, the people had no ambition. They were morally degenerate and sexually disordered. On the most beautiful time, there are the seeming social harmony and the spiritual crisis hidden behind the prosperous.As part of American culture, American Dream plays an important role in the prosperity of America, and it is also representations of American Dream in American literature. With awareness of this, readers can better understand the contents of some works and explore them in the perspective of American Dream.。