兩個意象兩個夢

姚啊沙++劉彩莉

【摘要】將美國夢展現的淋漓盡致的文學作品和電影《了不起的蓋茨比》中貫穿始終的意象綠光，被賦予了蓋茨比對自己理想至死不渝的追求，而當理想遭遇現實時，夢想破碎，綠光背后的意義也在那一刻消失了。同樣是追夢，中國影片《煎餅俠》卻與其不同。2012年中國夢被提出，在數億中國人為之奮斗的同時，2015年上映的影片《煎餅俠》講述了主人公大鵬在人生低谷時期帶著夢想和一同追夢的伙伴圓夢的故事。煎餅俠戰服在片中的出現寓意了夢想的開始到遭受挫折直到大鵬英雄夢的實現。本文對《了不起的蓋茨比》和《煎餅俠》兩部影片中蘊含深刻寓意的兩個意象進行比較分析。通過夢想與意象的結合，兩個主人公不同的追夢歷程、不同的命運歸宿，折射出美國與中國不同的歷史文明進程、不同的夢想觀念和理想追求。

【關鍵詞】美國夢 中國夢 綠光 戰服

【Abstract】The famous American literature work and movie The Great Gatsby shows American Dream perfectly. Throughout the whole work， the image Green Light is endowed with the crazy pursuit of his ideal. Unfortunately， his dream is broken， so the deep meaning of Green Light disappears. For the pursuit of dream， Chinese movie A Hero or Not has difference. China dream was put up in 2012， and billions of Chinese use their strength to go for China dream. In the meanwhile， the movie A Hero or Not came out in 2015. The movie tells about a Chinese young man， Dapeng who conquers many difficulties with his partners and finally makes the dream come true. The appearance of Battle Dress means dreams beginning， troubles in the low period of his lifetime， and the realization of his dream. This paper makes a comparison between the images in The Great Gatsby and A Hero or Not. By the combination of dreams and images， two protagonists ‘different progresses in the pursuit of their dreams and their tragic or comic life， these all reflect the different dream concepts， history of civilizations， ideals and pursuits between America and China.

【Key words】American dream； China dream； Green Light； Battle Dress

1. Introduction

American dream has been known all around the world， and it plays an important role in America literature. It has been a long time that many immigrants in America see American dream as their beliefs， and they deeply believe America is a wonderful place： it is full of opportunities， everyone is equal and free， and anyone can make success in America.

China dream symbolizes stronger nation and people get richer and happier. This dream is not only about the country but also involves all Chinese people who go for their individual dreams. Under this background， more and more literature works， art works and movies show the reality.

In The Great Gatsby， what the protagonist Gatsby pursues is American dream. The pursuit of rich and happy life and the fantasy of love reflect Gatsbys American dream. But the truth shows that this dream is so wonderful that it cannot be realized in such a society which is full of mammonism， apathy and discrimination.

A Hero or Not shows differently—China dream is all Chinese peoples dream. Dapeng and his partners stick together and defeat so many difficulties in their way to pursue dreams. China dream gives them the powerful strength to challenge themselves and they realize their dreams.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse these differences， and by the comparison of two important images and the protagonists dreams the paper shows distinct aspects of American dream and China dream.

2. Comparison between Two Images and Dreams In The Great Gatsby and A Hero or Not

This part makes a comparison between two images and dreams in The Great Gatsby and A Hero or Not， and it has three aspects： comparison between two images； comparison between American dream and China dream； combination of dreams and images.

2.1 Green Light in The Great Gatsby and Battle Dress in A Hero or Not

Green Light appears three times in the movie. At the beginning Green Light shines again and again just like the hope and desire of unknown life. For the second time， Green Light just like a light， it lights up Gatsbys life but it is too far to reach. In the end of the movie， Green Light symbolizes American dream， so close to peoples lives but also harmful， so far but they all follow it. Battle Dress is not only the clothes， and every time when it appears， Dapeng reaches his dream closer and closer. Battle Dress is dressed and at the moment， the dreams are held in everyones hands； everyone is proud of themselves.

To compare the two images， the obvious difference is that Green Light is just a light like a star in the sky； one cannot touch it really. Battle Dress is such a real thing that one can touch and feel； it can be dressed in and give people the real feeling and power.

2.2 American dream and China dream

The first colonists come to America， which is an uncultivated land. The colonists are European pilgrims who have not been respected and they want to be free and go for their happiness. So at the beginning， American dream is to achieve self-pursuit with self-hard work. In 1920s， after WWI， Americas economy developed so fast when money and wealth went through all society. Gatsby is just the one to go for the upper status， and he has money， but his dream is also broken.

China dream is to make the country rich and strong， and make people get more and more happiness. In the movie A Hero or Not， what Dapeng and his partners pursue is also the China dream. It makes all the people become brave and do their best to make the dream come true. The combination of the countrys and the individuals dream is the difference between American dream and China dream.

2.3 Green Light and American dream vs Battle Dress and China dream

It uses the combination of two images and two dreams to compare two works.

2.3.1 Green Light and American dream

Green Light in The Great Gatsby symbolizes American dream. It shines just like a star in the sky， looking so close and so far. American dream gives people direction but they also get lost on the way to pursuing it.

In the end of Gatsbys life， his American dream does not come true. And in the end of the movie， Green Light has been shining； it shines again and again. The American dream is just like that， like the Green Light which gives people the hopeful and rich imagination， but it is too hard to reach.

2.3.2 Battle Dress and China dream

China dream is to make China become stronger and stronger； it also can make everyone get happiness. Every Chinese persons dream is China dream.

Battle Dress is a real thing that people can touch， feel and see. China dream is taken into Battle Dress； it can come true and it can lead everyone to realize the dream-pursuers desire as long as one has courage and confidence to defeat the difficulties.

This part gives a clear comparison between two images and two dreams in The Great Gatsby and A Hero or Not. It can be seen that two dreams are taken into two images. The images， one is not a real thing just like a star in the sky， but one is just the clothes that people can touch and feel. These decide the protagonists destiny.

3. Conclusion

The Great Gatsby and A Hero or Not tell about the story of how their protagonists pursue their dreams. These two works use the countries dreams as their themes. They also use two images to express two dreams， and show them vividly to make readers understand them well.

Gatsby uses all his life and strength to make his dream come true， but his dream is broken in such a society which is full of money worship. Green Light is an important image in this work， and it stands for Gatsbys American dream. Dapeng completes his China dream with his partners. The image Battle Dress stands for China dream， and it gives Dapeng and his partners courage to pursue and realize their dreams.

American dream is an individuals dream， but China dream is not only about the country but also involves every Chinese family， every Chinese person. American dream is to make one go for his happiness， equality， freedom， wealth and so on. China dream is to make the country become stronger， to make Chinese people get more happiness and feel safe.

The two images express two dreams. They have similarities and differences； they stand for their countrys beliefs， represent their writers thoughts and tell people the important difference between American dream and China dream.

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