ABSTRACT
Martin Eden is one of the most representative works of Jack London and is regarded as the most leading work on social ideological content at the beginning of the twentieth century in America. This semi-autobiography creates the tragic image of a striking personality in Martin Eden’s short life. From the tragedy study of Martin Eden, the thesis probes into the hidden image behind his tragedy. This thesis makes a research on Martin Eden as the superman image, the individualist image and the victim under the background of American Dream, which demonstrate that Martin Eden’s tragedy is inevitable. At the same time, it is the reflection of the philosophy of Jack London. It also reveals what is hidden behind the smiling American society.
Keywords: Martin Eden; tragedy; Superman; Individualism; American Dream
Contents
1. Introduction 1
1.1 Brief Introduction of Jack London and Martin Eden 1
1.2 The Moral of Eden 2
2. An Analysis of the Tragic Image of Martin Eden 2
2.1 A Tragic Story 2
2.2 The Main Causes of the Tragic Ending 3
3. An Analysis of the Deep Image behind the Tragedy 5
3.1 An Analysis of the Superman Image of Martin Eden 5
3.2 The Analysis of the Individualist Image of Martin Eden 8
3.3 The Analysis of the Victim under the Background of American Dream 9
4. The Significance of the Image of Martin Eden 11
4.1 The Reflection of the Thoughts of Jack London 11
4.2 The Social Meaning of the Image of Martin Eden 13
5. Conclusion 14
Acknowledgements 14
References 15
