The Lost

黄笑笑

【Abstract】The Great Gatsby is a world famous fiction and the representation of the Lost Generations works in literature. With Nietzsche and Byron， in different eras， various writers show their thoughts about “The Lost”.

【Key Words】The Great Gatsby； the Lost Generation； Nietzsche； Byron

The Great Gatsby is one of the representation of the lost generation of America， and there are still many other classics focusing on “The Lost”. I would like to elaborate on the phenomenon of the lost generation and associate other classics themes with The Great Gatsby.

The lost generation， definitely， was the generation that came of age during World War I. In literature， it names a group of writers who express disappointment and discontentment towards the development of American society after World War I. During that period， money was beyond everything. People did not focus on mental development but chased for the enjoyment of material. And the reason why they are lost is that the traditional view in their minds could not adapt to the after-war society while they can not find out a new life principle. The American dream was much more fragile.

In The Great Gatsby， from my perspective， there are two leading characters showing the theme of the lost. The most obvious one is Daisy. Daisy is a dream for Gatsby and her symbolic meaning is the American dream. Gatsbys love towards Daisy is an unrequited love.Trying his best to serve for Daisy and entertain Daisy， Gatsby immersed himself in an imaginary dream. And actually， he died for the imaginary dream willingly as he was the scapegoat of Daisy who killed her husbands mistress. However， Daisy， the most perfect woman in Gatsbys mind and the symbol of youth and beauty， is a false lady. She just made fun of him and never truly loved him. After that crime， she even went to Europe to travel with her husband instantly. Her life seemed not change a little bit， still chasing money and entertainment. How cruel and indifferent the false lady was！ The traits of Daisy are like characteristics of the American dream after World War I. It is false， unbelievable， cruel but attractive. People were lost. They could not find out a new principle or a new life value to fit the totally fresh society. The real thing they could catch was just money， nothing else. Another one showing the lost is Nick. He， as an onlooker， observed the cruelty of the celebrity. The upper classes at that special period had already lost their morality and became much more indifferent than before， which can be shown on Gatsbys being abandoned by Daisy. He was just a funny toy or a clown on Daisys hands. Nick used to own fantasy towards the rich， but after observing all the dramatic and hurtful events， he changed into being annoyed about the celebritys loss but could do nothing. Thus， he decided to return to his hometown， which is a metaphor showing the failure of achieving the American dream.

Fitzgerald， the author of The Great Gatsby， uses metaphor to show us the lost generation failure of achieving the American dream and their torture of loss of morality and life values. However， in different eras， there are still many excellent writers and philosophers trying to express their sensitive about the lost.

Just decades before the lost generation， in German， Nietzsche shouted suddenly ” God is dead！” to help people escape from the shackles of religion. He was willing to be the first man who spoke out the problem of the society that the development of economy must avoid the serious control of religion， though he may be punished. Just decades before the lost generation， in England， Byronic Heroes chased for freedom and equality crazily. They were willing to help England keep pace with the social trend of emancipation， though they did not figure out the true way. They are the same to Fitzgerald or， in a sense， the lost， trying to express their discontentment and disappointment towards the present society and wanting to find a new way to rebuild the popularly moral value. No matter whether they succeeded or not， they are one of the most honorable and bravest heroes in the history of human thoughts.

The lost， from my perspective， exist in every special era of social changes. It is known to all that during every huge transformation， there are lots of problems which are hard to cope with in a short time as the pace of development is too fast. Therefore， writers of the lost show people their consciousness towards the whole nation even the whole worlds development. More than that， they show people their willing to help them get rid of the social problems. They even wanna be the mental heroes who change the values of the whole society. They are a group of writers， but more than that， they are a group of heroes to help society go fast and also correctly.