Abstract Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby describes American’s phenomenon of society and life in the early 20th century, which also exposes human indifference and social malpractice. The heroine Daisy is remarked as a vulgar and shallow woman. However, The Butterfly lovers is under the background of feudal society. Zhu Yingtai is considered as a woman who is brave enough to pursue her love, against the feudalism. This thesis is a comparative study on the main female images in The Great Gatsby and The Butterfly Lovers, which is based on the theory of patriarchy and ecofeminism. The analysis shows Daisy and ZhuYingtai’s different behaviors who live in the context of patriarchy. According to their performance, Daisy is defined as a bender, and Zhu Yingtai as a fighter. The thesis also makes a comparison of their tragic fate. The thesis attempts to criticize the patriarchy, rebuild the society in accordance with principle of ecofeminism and warn us to establish the correct values. 62033

Key words: Daisy; Zhu Yingtai; patriarchy; ecofeminism

摘要菲兹杰拉德的《了不起的盖茨比》描绘了20世纪美国的社会气象和人生百态， 揭露了人情的冷漠以及社会的诟病，女主角黛西更是被人认为是个庸俗浅薄的女人，而《梁山伯与祝英台》中的祝英台则是一个敢于追求爱情，敢于反对封建主义的勇士。本文从男权主义和生态女性主义的角度来对比分析这两部作品中的主要女性人物，展现黛西和祝英台在男权压抑下的不同生活状态，并且根据她们的表现分为屈服者和反抗者，比较其悲剧命运，批判男权制世界观，呼吁人类应遵循生态主义女性原则，警示人们树立正确人生价值观取向。

毕业论文 关键词：黛西；祝英台；男权主义；生态女性主义

1. Introduction 1

1.1 About The Great Gatsby 1

1.2 About The Butterfly Lovers 2

2. Literature Review 3

3. An Introduction to Patriarchy and Ecofeminism 4

3.1 The Definition of Patriarchy 4

3.2 The Definition of Ecofeminism 5

4. Contrast in the Female Images in The Great Gatsby and The Butterfly Lovers 6

4.1 A Bender---Daisy 6

4.2 A Fighter---Zhu Yingtai 9

5. Comparison of the Female Images in The Great Gatsby and The Butterfly Lovers 12

5.1 Two Victims of Patriarchy 12

5.2 Reflection of Ecofeminism 12

6. Conclusion 13

Works Cited 15 

1. Introduction 

1.1 About The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the greatest American writers whose works were the typical writing of the “Jazz Age”, and he was widely remarked as a member of the “Lost Generation”. His works always described the American society, history and people’s life, and his masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, was the epitome of the American in the 1820s.(Gross and Mary, 2007:17) The young generation was more interested in his books because Fitzgerald paid more attention to the American dream. His light spot was that he was faced with the social problem directly. The richer material was, the more corrupted spiritual life was, especially the upper class. The Great Gatsby and his other works were related to his life experience. As an idealist, he considered the youth as the most interesting time of one’s life. It was a stage which was full of hope, challenge, possibilities and opportunities. What’s more, the attitude towards money also made a great influence on his books. In The Great Gatsby, he showed the two completely different people, one was pursuing the dream; the other was enjoying the extravagant life. The real description of Jazz Age made him as a representative of a filthy time in the 1820s. It is a time that American faced the great changes ---the economy, the culture and the society, and it was the richest country all around the world. Everyone had the chance to make a fortune, which resulted in the pursuit of the material and the wealth. With the growth of economy, the development of technology and the expansion of commerce, the entertainment colored richer people’s life, especially jazz music. Therefore, the period of 1820s was called “Jazz Age”.