2020 Critique—Deep Dive into a Dream(高三·書評—深入幻想)-兒歌薈萃-萬維博客-萬維讀者網（電腦版）

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		2020 Critique—Deep Dive into a Dream(高三·書評—深入幻想)	2020-09-13 06:11:04

2020-08-23

【Aiden in English】

Staring out into the clear pool of the American conscience, 1920s America indulged in the idealistic belief of personal success and self-made wealth. In The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the corruption of the American Dream, investigating the darkness that lurks beneath the surface of fantasy. Through the descriptions of the Green Light, the Valley of Ashes, and the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, Fitzgerald analyzes the corrupt state of the once-glorious American Dream.

At the surface of a murky lake, the calm waters often attract viewers with deceptive beauty; dive deeper, and one uncovers the cold corruption beneath the dream. In "Deep Summer and in Front of Wayside Garages" (Fitzgerald 20), Nick finds Jay Gatsby reaching for "a single green light" (21) at the end of a dock. As a man of immense wealth and power, Gatsby should have everything he desires; however, the green light still entices him, symbolizing a prize he cannot obtain. Fitzgerald also implements descriptive imagery of verdant scenery, characterizing the night as filled with "wings beating in the trees and a persistent organ sound" (20). Emphasizing the world's natural beauty, Fitzgerald alludes to the green light's purity and simplicity, characteristics that make the light beautiful. In the eyes of Gatsby, the solitary light represents Daisy—a guiding light towards the East Egg society. From a broader perspective, it also epitomizes the unadulterated American dream—an unattainable treasure that Gatsby seeks but no longer deserves.

Introducing the idealistic American dream as the green light, Fitzgerald slowly builds corruption within the light itself. When Mrs. Wilson chants Daisy's name in Tom's presence, he brutally breaks "her nose with his open hand" (37). Later on, after Mrs. Wilson's tragic death and Tom and Daisy run away, Nick realizes that they were "careless people… they smashed up things and… retreated into their money or their vast carelessness" (179). As the living symbol of the green light, Daisy is revealed to be just as contaminated as the rest of Gatsby's world. Fitzgerald introduces the green light as Gatsby's dream, only to slowly twist its appearance into a nightmare. At a distance, Daisy appears to be the girl of these fantasies; the closer he steps, the more corruption he finds. The green light, reflecting the state of the American dream, is corrupt and murky below the surface. Wealth and money protect the immoral actions of the filthy rich— Gatsby being among that class. Through the idealization of Daisy's green light, Fitzgerald contrasts the surface of the American dream with its reality, establishing the corrupt nature of the fantasy.

While the green light symbolizes the beauty and superficial perfection of the American dream, the Valley of Asses mirrors the grimy industry underneath. When Nick catches Gatsby entranced by the light, Fitzgerald intentionally details the sights and sounds of a bustling summer evening. In stark contrast, the Valley of Ashes is described as "a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens" (23). Fitzgerald significantly contradicts the imagery between the ash and light, which at first appear to differentiate two distinct aspects of the American Dream, especially since the light and valley are introduced virtually simultaneously. Furthermore, while Daisy represents a verdant green light, ash symbolizes the gray decay of an industrial economy. Situated between the East and West eggs, the Valley of Ash is depicted in dark, gray images, featuring "ash-gray men," "rising smoke," and "powdery air" (23). Mr. and Mrs. Wilson reside within the valley. The couple, like their surroundings, is a product of commerce. Mr. Wilson is described as a "spiritless man" who appears bleached by the dull ask (25). Mrs. Wilson, on the other hand, is in an affair with Tom, desperate to escape her gray prison. As citizens of Ash, they embody the dark lifestyle of those who fail in the corrupted dream and instead are trapped in poverty.

No dream exists without a corresponding nightmare. The ideal American dream is filled with gold and glory; Fitzgerald portrays reality as polluted with foulness. The Valley of Ashes is a direct product of industry built from economic greed. In the 1920s, large corporations dominated the industrial landscape. Built by people who clawed their way up in any method, they completed their "American dream"; however, for everyday dreamers like the Wilsons, the dream drifts further and further out of reach. Mrs. Wilson cheats on her husband not in terms of love but for the opportunity to crawl out of the valley. Fitzgerald proposes the Valley of Ashes as a message that the new dream is neither obtainable nor glorious, as popular conception suggests. This idea is exemplified in the juxtaposition of gray and yellow. While the poisoned delusion is gray, it takes the form of "yellow dresses" (42) and Jordan's "golden arm" (47) in the presence of money. Fitzgerald almost personifies the American dream as a sleazy salesman who dons lovely attire but only appears well-cultured to sell counterfeit diamonds. Corrupt with greed, his usage of the Valley of Ashes and its inhabitants reflects the negative foundations of a fraudulent dream.

Linked closely to the Valley of Ashes are the eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleburg. Referring to a billboard advertisement for an oculist, these eyes resemble the role of God. "Blue and gigantic," the retinae look out over the valley through a "pair of enormous yellow spectacles" (23). Above the dull gray ash atmosphere, the blue color pierces through the image, while the yellow highlight connects T.J. Eckleburg to corrupt wealth. Later, Mr. Wilson sees T.J. Eckleburg's retinae on a billboard and reads, "God sees everything," to which Michaelis replies, "That's an advertisement" (160). This interaction establishes TJ Eckleburg as a divine figure—a deity casting its presence over the Valley of Ashes.

Fitzgerald creates this god-like persona to solidify that even the purest entities can be tainted in this new American dream. Contrary to the loving God preached in churches, T.J. Eckleburg reflects the idea of the American dream. Fitzgerald brands a new divinity to set apart the original dream's intentions of honesty and hard work from the mutated cult of backroom deals and illegal trading. Creating the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg also brings a manufactured quality to the setting. Because of God's pure image, the novel's counterpart reflects the growing trend that everything is profitable. The lack of morals displays America's deluded path; honesty no longer benefits anyone.

Furthermore, directly after Mr. Wilson witnesses the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg, he murders Gatsby and commits suicide. The brutal sequence of events emphasizes the new gods and society's inhumane principles. By creating the distant and alien eyes of T.J. Eckleburg, Fitzgerald claims the American dream has lost basic morals, dehumanizing the American people.

Fitzgerald emphasizes the corruption in American fantasy through three prominent symbols. Nothing is what it appears on the surface; the depths determine the true nature of any object. The American dream once stood for honesty and hard work. Now, the murky waters have clouded its clear message.

【紅霞譯】

天地良心，廿世紀廿年代美國沉迷於個人成功及白手致富的理想主義信念。中篇小說《了不起的蓋茨比》中，作者弗朗西斯·司各特·菲茨傑拉德着重探討變質的美國夢，並就幻想背後的黑暗進行調查研究，通過綠燈、灰谷以及埃克爾堡醫生三條主線，剖析了曾經榮耀美國夢最終走向幻滅的變化過程。

湖面上污漬漂浮，靜謐的湖水不時散發出誘人的光澤；透過現象看本質，夢幻已摻帶雜念。在“炎熱的氣息瀰漫到路邊車庫前”（20），尼克發現傑伊·蓋茨比在碼頭盡端找到了“一盞徹夜不滅的綠燈”（21）。蓋茨比有錢有勢，想幹什麼就幹什麼；然而，綠光始終吸引他，象徵着他追求虛無縹緲的東西。作者還描繪翠綠景色，刻畫夜晚“羽翼在林中撲騰和奏出經久不息的風琴樂聲”（20），通過勾勒自然美，暗指綠光單純清新，襯托美好憧憬。在蓋茨比眼裡，孤獨的光芒是黛西的化身──通往長島東蛋鎮上流社會的航標燈。從更廣泛的角度來看，它是純正美國夢的縮影──蓋茨比尋找從不屬於自己的財富。

作者將綠光引入帶有理想色彩的美國夢，然後再漸漸地籠罩腐敗陰影。當威爾遜太太在湯姆面前高呼黛西名字時，他殘酷地“動手打斷她的鼻子”（37）。不久，威爾遜太太慘死，湯姆和黛西出逃，尼克意識到他們都是“自私冷酷的人…砸碎了東西…退縮到自己的金錢或者麻木不仁”（179）。綠燈象徵着不切實際的幻想，那正是蓋茨比為黛西傾其一生的追求，作者將綠燈寫進蓋茨比幻想之中，慢慢地讓它變成夢魘。距離遙遠時，黛西是蓋茨比痴迷的女孩；重新見面後，蓋茨比發現黛西早已被金錢腐蝕。綠燈表面上是美國夢的化身，實際上卻是頹廢迷惘的代名詞。財富與金錢讓渾身銅臭味的人道德淪喪──蓋茨比自甘墮落。通過賦予黛西那盞具有象徵意義的綠燈，作者對比了美國夢的表象與現實，進而揭示幻想破滅的本質所在。

如果說綠燈象徵着美國夢的魅影魔力，那麼灰谷則是社會底層的垃圾場。當尼克遇到被綠燈吸引來的蓋茨比時，作者特意詳述夏日熱鬧夜景和聲音。與之形成鮮明對照的是，灰谷“是一個夢幻般的農場，這兒的灰沙像麥子一樣瘋長，長在山脊、山丘和奇形怪狀的花園裡”（23）。作者突出刻畫了灰沙和綠光之間的反差，乍看上去似乎把美國夢分成兩個不同方面，尤其因為同時引入灰谷和東蛋鎮。此外，黛西代表青翠的綠光，灰沙象徵工業化經濟的衰落。地處東蛋、西蛋兩鎮之間的灰谷荒涼蕭條，“人似土灰”，“裊裊炊煙”，“塵土飛揚”（23），威爾遜夫婦就住在灰谷里，如同周圍環境一樣，他們也是商品經濟的產物。一方面，威爾遜先生無精打采，百無聊賴（25）；另一方面，威爾遜太太與湯姆大搞婚外情，想要私通，作為灰谷一員，他們經歷的無外乎浮華背後上流階層的道德淪喪和中下層貧苦百姓的生活。

日有所思夜有所夢，做夢免不了做噩夢。理想的美國夢充滿黃金與輝煌，作者繪製出一幅被罪惡玷污的現實圖畫，灰谷就是建立於拜金主義之上資本主義工業化發展的直接產物。上個世紀爵士樂時代，大公司主導工業格局，那些不擇手段爬上去的人實現了“美國夢”，而對於像威爾遜夫婦這樣的普通幻想家來說，幻想越來越遙不可及。威爾遜太太並非出於愛，為了離開灰谷而不惜欺騙丈夫。作者把灰谷視為無夢可追無榮可求，融合了灰、黃兩種色調，儘管變態的社會環境自然灰暗無比，但有錢人卻身着“黃色禮服”（42），喬丹揮展“金臂”（47）。在書中，美國夢跟卑鄙的推銷員差不多──穿着體面且舉止得體，但卻干着掛羊頭賣狗肉的勾當。由於貪婪而腐敗，灰谷及其居民被寫成滋生邪念的對象。

艾克爾堡醫生的眼睛密切注視着灰谷，廣告牌上張貼的是這位眼科醫生那雙像上帝眼睛的照片，“藍色而巨大”，視網膜透過“一副碩大無比的黃色眼鏡”（23）朝灰谷望去。灰暗塵土上面，天空湛藍；這裡黃色成為連接艾克爾堡與不義之財的媒介。後來，威爾遜先生盯着廣告牌上艾克爾堡的視網膜自言自語地說：“上帝看見一切”，而米凱利斯回答道：“那不過是廣告”（160），由此說明艾克爾堡是神聖人物──灰谷上舉頭三尺有神明。

作者創造了艾克爾堡這個類似於上帝的角色，表明再純潔的地方都會被新生的美國夢蒙蔽，與教會中宣揚慈愛的上帝相反，埃克爾堡伸張的是“美國夢”思想，作者賦予人物以全新的神性形象，藉之區分美國夢所推崇的誠實勤奮與暗箱操作和非法交易所奉行的歪門邪道。藉助打造埃克爾堡雙眼，作者給情節增添了品質感；因為上帝聖潔，小說相關部分也要順應劇情發展，道德淪喪標誌着美國夢變質，誠實不再讓人受益。

此外，在親眼目睹埃克爾堡眼睛之後，威爾遜先生謀殺了蓋茨比，同時也結束自己的性命，一系列悲劇事件暴露了人的信仰危機，並折射出社會的世態炎涼。通過塑造埃克爾堡遙遠而陌生的眼睛，作者揭示美國夢已喪失基本道德，致使美國人喪失人性。

在三個突出代表中，作者強調幻想中的腐化貪婪，表面都是假象，透過本質才能看到真相。美國夢曾標榜誠實勤奮，如今早已變得含糊其辭。

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