Abstract The paper focuses on analyzing the metaphorical meaning in Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby to show the characters’ personality and fate, and indicating social contradictions and class structure of America in 1920s。 The paper is constituted of two parts。 The first part suggests the metaphorical meaning of the houses are implication of the corrupted American Dream。 At first, this part gives a brief introduction to the American Dream, and then describes Gatsby's mansion as a castle。 Next, the thesis proves that extreme selfish materialist, represented by Tom, is the real owner of the American Dream。94330

The second deals with the metaphorical meaning of the females’ cages。 This part begins with introducing historical background of Jazz Age and women’s living state。 For Daisy, the house is equal to golden traps to control her freedom and thought。 And for Myrtle who is motivated by vanity, the house means prison of death。

Key Words: metaphor; house; the American Dream; female; cage

摘要本文致力于分析菲茨杰拉德的小说《了不起的盖茨比》中意象的隐喻意义，展示人物的性格和命运，描绘社会矛盾和阶级结构。本文分为两个部分。第一部分指出房子暗指破碎的美国梦。首先，这个部分对何为美国梦做了阐释，然后说明盖茨比的大厦如空中阁楼。接着，本文指出以汤姆为代表极端自私的实利主义者才是美国梦的真正拥有者。

第二部分指出房子暗指女性的牢笼的隐喻意义，首先介绍爵士时代女性的生存状态。对于黛西，房子如金丝笼一样困住了她的自由和思想。对于充满虚荣心的莫特尔，房子意味着死亡的牢笼。

毕业论文关键词：隐喻；房子；美国梦；女性；牢笼

Contents

1。 Introduction 1

2。 Literature Review 1

2。1 Metaphor 1

2。2 The history of study on The Great Gatsby 3

3。 The metaphorical meaning of the house 4

3。1 Metaphor of the American Dream 4

3。2 Metaphor of females’ cages 9

4。 Conclusion 12

Works Cited 14

1。 Introduction

F。 Scott Fitzgerald, who gains a reputation as the symbol of the Jazz Age, is an outstanding writer in American literary field。 His first novel, This Side of Paradise, which was published in 1920, earned both money and fame。 The ensuing works earned him great celebrity。 For first publication in 1925, The Great Gatsby was a devastating portrait of the so-called America Dream, which measured success and love in terms of money。 More than eighty years after its publication, The Great Gatsby seems as fresh and pertinent to American life as it did in the 1920s。 The social, cultural, and historical milieu of the 1920s reflected in its pages is not so very different from our own。 Dos Pasos declared Gatsby was“one of the few classic American novels” (Bruccoli, 1985: 5)。 Fitzgerald’s writing explores the poignant dilemma of the young man who is neither poor nor rich but falls in love with a golden girl, wealthy, beautiful, and often cruel。 He is best known for his novels The Great Gatsby and Tender Is the Night, both of which depict disillusion with the American dream of self-betterment, wealth, and success through hard work and perseverance。 

The thesis aims to give a detailed study about house in the novel, and points out the metaphorical meanings of that。

Metaphor in literature can be traced as far back as the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is an ancient poem from Mesopotmia (present day Iraq) and which historians have dated to the eighteenth or seventeenth century BC。 As a special language tool, metaphor is often used in literary works to express the author’s underlying meanings as it may provide clarity or identify hidden similarities between two objects。