张运良
云南省昆明市禄劝县九龙中学 651511
ABSTRACT：In Fitzgerald’ s novel,Tender Is the Night,the phenomenon of consumption alienation is mainly reflected in the relationship between consumers and objects and between the upper class and the lower class.First of all,the value of things no longer depends on whether they can meet people’ s needs or have use value,but it depends on the value of the identity symbol as a consumer.Next,members of the lower class have been “materialized” and have been purchased and even wasted as “goods” by high-level consumer.Finally,the choices of the social high-level consumer tend to be imitated by the lower class to obtain “promotional symbols” to move closer to the high-level.By studying the phenomenon of consumption alienation in Tender Is the Night,let people discover the presence of consumption alienation in modern society and among college students.
KEY WORDS: Consumption Alienation, Consume, Tender Is the Night, Symbol, Value
一、Introduction
（一） Introduction of Author
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald,an American novelist,who was born in Minnesota,Saint Paul in September 24,1896.His father was an upholsterer.He had tried to write play,when he was young.After finishing senior high school,he entered into Princeton University.He had organized theatre company by himself at school, and written for the school literary magazine.
（二） Introduction of Works
Tender Is the Night was published in 1934.It was the last novel written by Fitzgerald before his death. It describes the story of a young,humble but talented young man’s pursuit of dreamlike ideals and how he eventually failed and became decadent and depressed.
（三）Introduction of Consumption Alienation
Consumption Alienation is a new category that uses the idea of alienation to analyze the phenomena of human consumption.Marx did not explicitly point out the concept of consumption alienation,but his text has been strewn with the idea of consumption alienation.In particular,the work alienation theory has profound implications for later scholars’ understanding and definition of consumption alienation.
二、Consumption Alienation in Tender Is the Night
（一）The performance of consumption alienation between people and things
1、Consumption alienation manifests itself in the use of purchased items
Taking possession as a pleasure is one of the expressions of Fromm' s consumption alienation. This performance thinks that some people buy goods not for consumption, but to satisfy possessiveness and show off as capital.
2、Consumption alienation dominates people's arrangements for leisure time
In the novel the Nicoles hardly engage in productive work.In addition to tourism and other leisure activities, Nicole's most important job is to look after her garden that is lovely, without any weeds , she always chatter about it, for fear of its disease.
（二）The performance of consumption alienation between upper class and lower class
1 .The social lower class is materialized into "goods"
When the relationship between people and things changes, the relationship between people has also undergone important changes and has been distorted.
2. High-level consumer's choice becomes the object of imitation of the lower class
The choice of high-level social classes tends to be the trend and orientation of society, and members of the lower social strata often need to obtain “promotional symbols” through imitation consumption in order to move closer to the higher classes.What a person consumes and the method of consumption depends on the quantity and structure of the assets he owns, that is, the total number of symbolic signs in his hands and the composition of the symbols.
三、The Enlightenment Brought by Consumption Alienation in Tender is the Night
(一)The Enlightenment to the Contemporary View of Social Consumption
1.The Cause of Consumption Alienation in China
China has a corresponding economic foundation and a social environment that breeds consumption alienation.The progress and development of science and technology is the root cause of consumption alienation.
2.The contemporary society goes out of the path of consumption alienation
Since consumption alienation has already manifested itself in every aspect of our lives, and it has eroded all influence and seriously affected our current life, then we should also start from many aspects of life. Individuals, families, and countries should make corresponding efforts. The whole society together to actively overcome and eliminate consumption alienation.
(二)The enlightenment to contemporary college students' consumption concept
1.Reasons for the Alienation of University Students' Consumption Concept
There are many reasons that lead to the alienation of college students' consumption behaviors and consumption concepts. The main reasons for this are divided into four aspects.First, the influence of western consumerism.Consumerism originated in Western developed countries and is one of the weapons that the capitalist countries have been expanding in the ideological field.Consumerism is prevalent in the market economy.
2. Contemporary college students have stepped out of the path of consumption alienation
Unhealthy consuming behavior has affected the establishment of students' outlook on life and values, which is not conducive to the growth, success, and success of college students. We should do something about this.
Conclusion:
Modern society also has similar “consumption pathology” as in the novel.By studying the phenomenon of consumption alienation in the novel,let us know what is consumption alienation and what is the performance about it.After knowing what is consumption alienation,people will be alert to consuming behavior in daily life,and discover this phenomenon that exists incessantly but is the easiest forgot.So that people will start from the root to find the original problem , solve the problem in the most effective way and create a green and healthy consumption environment.