Abstract

The famous novel The Great Gatsby which is written by Fitzgerald, who is known as “Poet laureate of the Jazz Age”, tells a love tragedy which happened under the time when everyone pursued money. All the love which Gatsby gave to Daisy broke just like foam. Another tragic protagonist, Heathcliff, who was a century older than Gatsby and the main character of Wuthering Heights, which is the only novel of the British female writer Emily Bronte. The extreme love between Heathcliff and Catherine also ended with tragedy. However, these two love tragedies are not the same. Gatsby lived in a society where most people were pursuing money while Heathcliff was under pressure of hierarchy system. Gatsby was a persistent romanticist while Heathcliff was an extremist. Also, the female protagonist Daisy was an external pure and internal dissolute heroine while Catherine was spiritual and material heroine. Therefore, this paper will analyze their love tragedy from the society in their time and the character of both the male and female characters, in order to give some good love advice to people nowadays.

Key words: Love; Tragedy; Gatsby; Heathcliff

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction1

2 Two victims of the specific social background .2

2.1 The crazy pursuer of money3

2.2 An outcast of the hierarchy syste5

3 Character determines destiny6

3.1 Gatsby—a persistent romanticist.6

3.2 Heathcliff—a radical extremist8

4 Two nontaditional female protagonists with dual personality9

    4.1 Daisy—an external pure and internal dissolute heroine9

    4.2 Catherine—a spiritual and material heroine .10

5 Conclusion11

References 13