다문화주의적 관점에서 살펴본 『위대한 개츠비』

Abstract

In the recent trend of literary studies, Multiculturalism has emerged as an important term. As Multiculturalism advocates minor cultures and literatures, it suggests that we rediscover the voice of ethnic writers and reconsider the canons from the de-centered point of view. Based on the latter point, this paper aims to examine Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (1925) in its relation with the American history of immigration. The time from the late 19th century to the early 1920s is a very interesting period in the American history of immigration. During this time, millions of immigrants from Europe surged into the United States, as the country needed a large workforce after the territorial expansion and the industrial development. This wave of immigration caused various reactions of Americans: some people called nativist racially discriminated the immigrants, and others tried to receive the different cultures of the immigrants into 'the melting pot' of America.The Great Gatsby reflects the social reality as such. The significant parts of the novel in this regard are the descriptions of New York as a gallery of race, Gatsby's identity, Tom's racist assertions, and Gatsby's parties. For example, Gatsby's identity is rendered in terms of ethnic Other; Tom's racist assertions show the widespread nativism of the time; Gatsby' parties serve as the setting for cultural pluralism. From this viewpoint, the novel is profoundly concerned with ethnicity and cultural pluralism.