Abstract

 “Martin Eden” by Jack London is often seen as a novel about the collapse of America Dream. American dream, for individuals, is mostly about ascending to success and prosperity. And it emphasizes more on achieving abundant material than on moral development. Many great works such as “Sister Carrie”, “The Great Gatsby”, “On the Road” and so on expressed criticism on the negligence of moral aspect in American  dream. Superficially, Martin Eden seems to be the same as his contemporaries who, in the economic boom then, acted on their strong desire for wealth. But this essay is going to proclaim that Martin is not a henchman of wealth and American dream, but a faithful follower of Beauty, a purely spiritual goal. And it is because of the disillusion of Martin Eden’s spiritual world that he chooses to suicide to end his life.   

    This essay consists of four parts. The first part is “Introduction”, which is mainly about the background information and literature review of this novel. The second part is construction of Beauty, which will trace the development of Martin’s sense of Beauty and explain Beauty in Martin’s eyes in different periods. The third parts is Martin’s devotion to Beauty, which talks about how Beauty weighs in Martin’s mind. The fourth part brings the essay to a conclusion.

Key Words: Martin Eden, Disillusion, Beauty, Love, Bourgeois.

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1.Introduction.4 

2.The development of Martin’s idea of Beauty6

  2.1.The construction of Beauty6

    2.1.1.Beauty in Love.6 

2.1.2.Beauty in Bourgeois class.7

2.1.3.What is Beauty9

  2.2.Reestablishing Beauty.9 

    2.2.1.The contention at the Mr Morse’s Table9

2.2.2.Love Against Beauty.10

2.2.3.What is Beauty12

3.The devotion to Beauty and Martin’s suicide13

   3.1.Beauty outweighs love.14

   3.2.Responsibility of Beauty14

4.Conclusion.16

5.References17