미국문화 속의 아메리칸드림과 자본주의:<파 앤 어웨이>, 『위대한 개츠비』, 그리고 <월스트리트> (American Dream and Capitalism in American Culture: Far and Away, The Great Gatsby, and Wall Street)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 문학과영상학회
· 수록지 정보 : 문학과 영상 / 14권 / 4호 / 947 ~ 987페이지
· 저자명 : 김현옥

초록

This paper examines how Protestant Ethic has contributed to shape the American Dream and capitalism in American culture through three texts: Far and Away (1992), The Great Gatsby (1925), and Wall Street (1987). These three texts respectively represent 1870’s through 1890’s, 1920’s, and 1980’s of American culture, in which they successfully illustrate the socio-historically changing visions of American Dream and even corrupted individuals of capitalistic society.
With reference to Marx Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905), this paper reads the three texts closely to figure out what motivates the main characters’ pursuit of financial success and even excessive accumulation of money. Weber’s work provides an invaluable clue to trace the spirit of American Dream, since it is a close study of Benjamin Franklin’s writings which have shaped the backbone of American Dream. In Far and Away, Joseph Donnelly successfully claims his own land in the historic event of Oklahoma Land Rush, through which he not only fulfills his American Dream but also wins the heart of his goddess, Shannon Christie. As a hard-working individual, Joseph’s success highlights the spirit of American Dream. In The Great Gatsby, however, both Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway are the dreamers of financial success, believing that money can fulfill their dreams: achieving their masculine power by having a golden girl like Daisy and Jordan. In the novel, New York of 1920’s is a heart of financial capitalism, in which Jay and Nick cannot reach the size of Tom Buchanan’s wealth. Nick, a bondman, witnesses how trivially and cruelly the rich treat the poor. Disillusioned by the rich, Nick leaves New York. He later realizes the tragic consequence of Jay Gatsby’s dream to be a part of the world where Daisy belongs is as vain as moths consume their lives by running into the fatally attractive lights. Similarly, in Wall Street, Bud Fox, a struggling bond salesman, dreams to be a part of the world of multi-billionaire Gordon Gekko. Initially he thinks his hard work can pave the way to his financial success in Wall Street, which is already full of cheaters like Gekko. Replacing his father’s Protestant work-ethic with Gekko’s greed, Bud eagerly enters into Gekko’s financial empire. He soon, however, witnesses Gekko’s inhumane corporate liquidation, and realizes that the rich, like Gekko, never care for the poor like him, his father and many other innocent workers. Gekko represents the evil pursuit of greed in the financial capitalism society whereas Bud’s father stands for hard-working protestant ethic.
Every individual hero of the three texts is a dreamer to achieve his goal through the financial success: Farming land for Joseph, Daisy/money for Gatsby, and Gekko’s financial empire for Budd. In each of their American dreams, Protestant value of abstinence, hard-work, and wealth as a sign of salvation is strongly reflected and embeded.

영어초록

This paper examines how Protestant Ethic has contributed to shape the American Dream and capitalism in American culture through three texts: Far and Away (1992), The Great Gatsby (1925), and Wall Street (1987). These three texts respectively represent 1870’s through 1890’s, 1920’s, and 1980’s of American culture, in which they successfully illustrate the socio-historically changing visions of American Dream and even corrupted individuals of capitalistic society.
With reference to Marx Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905), this paper reads the three texts closely to figure out what motivates the main characters’ pursuit of financial success and even excessive accumulation of money. Weber’s work provides an invaluable clue to trace the spirit of American Dream, since it is a close study of Benjamin Franklin’s writings which have shaped the backbone of American Dream. In Far and Away, Joseph Donnelly successfully claims his own land in the historic event of Oklahoma Land Rush, through which he not only fulfills his American Dream but also wins the heart of his goddess, Shannon Christie. As a hard-working individual, Joseph’s success highlights the spirit of American Dream. In The Great Gatsby, however, both Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway are the dreamers of financial success, believing that money can fulfill their dreams: achieving their masculine power by having a golden girl like Daisy and Jordan. In the novel, New York of 1920’s is a heart of financial capitalism, in which Jay and Nick cannot reach the size of Tom Buchanan’s wealth. Nick, a bondman, witnesses how trivially and cruelly the rich treat the poor. Disillusioned by the rich, Nick leaves New York. He later realizes the tragic consequence of Jay Gatsby’s dream to be a part of the world where Daisy belongs is as vain as moths consume their lives by running into the fatally attractive lights. Similarly, in Wall Street, Bud Fox, a struggling bond salesman, dreams to be a part of the world of multi-billionaire Gordon Gekko. Initially he thinks his hard work can pave the way to his financial success in Wall Street, which is already full of cheaters like Gekko. Replacing his father’s Protestant work-ethic with Gekko’s greed, Bud eagerly enters into Gekko’s financial empire. He soon, however, witnesses Gekko’s inhumane corporate liquidation, and realizes that the rich, like Gekko, never care for the poor like him, his father and many other innocent workers. Gekko represents the evil pursuit of greed in the financial capitalism society whereas Bud’s father stands for hard-working protestant ethic.
Every individual hero of the three texts is a dreamer to achieve his goal through the financial success: Farming land for Joseph, Daisy/money for Gatsby, and Gekko’s financial empire for Budd. In each of their American dreams, Protestant value of abstinence, hard-work, and wealth as a sign of salvation is strongly reflected and embeded.

참고자료

· 없음