The writing background of Heaven on Earth

The theme of "Heaven on Earth" is undoubtedly related to "the American Dream and its disillusionment". As the American ideal, American myth and American spirit, the "American Dream" has a long history along with the development of the entire American national literature. history and rich connotations. People began to pursue the "American Dream" as early as Columbus discovered the American continent. The early United States was full of romance and attracted thousands of Puritans and immigrants from Europe. It was a holy land that Europeans yearned for. For their ideal dream of freedom and secular dream of prosperity, they traveled across the ocean and came to the desolate and inhabited American continent. Among these immigrants were the British Puritans who were persecuted by the church at home. In order to escape the exploitation of the British church, they traveled thousands of miles to the American continent, looking for opportunities to survive, and dreaming of building a new Jerusalem on this barren wasteland. —God’s Kingdom on earth. For them, they can enjoy full personal freedom in this uncultivated land. “The Puritans, represented by Winthrop, considered themselves God’s ‘special people’ and felt they had an unshirkable responsibility and obligation to fight against all unholy things in the world.” Their dream is to build a "city on a hill", that is, a model nation, a nation that the world can admire and emulate. For this purpose, they work hard and exercise strict self-discipline. The Puritans were the first to incorporate the traditions of liberal democracy and individualism into the "American Dream", and to this day, this tradition is still respected by most Americans. At the same time, through their endless struggle generation after generation, they transformed the wilderness of America into the prosperous capital of the world, created the American myth, and effectively promoted the development of social material civilization.

However, after entering the 1920s, the American economy was basically in a period of high development and prosperity, but great economic development did not mean that the people lived and worked in peace and contentment and the society developed stably. The huge changes in material life have brought about a series of spiritual confusions that are difficult to resolve. Economic power has not brought prosperity and prosperity to the people, but has destroyed the political, moral and value dams of society. The "American Dream" that once served as a sincere belief that inspired the American people to strive for life has suffered an unprecedented impact in the face of this social reality. Grand ideals such as "democracy, freedom, and equality" gradually lose their holy brilliance, and the entrepreneurial spirit of enterprising is slowly replaced by unscrupulous plunder. Americans' belief that everyone can get rich is beginning to collapse, and the "American Dream" is facing the crisis of complete disillusionment.

The theme of disillusionment inevitably appears in literary works: Hemingway used his popular anti-war novels to fully express the pessimism and despair of American youth; Eliot used his famous poem "The Waste Land" "" depicts the post-war civilization that turned into a spiritual wasteland; Fitzgerald used his short life experience and careful observation of society to provide people with examples of the disillusionment of the "American Dream". Fitzgerald focuses on personal experience, which itself is a microcosm of the American national experience. In this sense, Fitzgerald's works, although clearly "autobiographical" in their overall framework, transcend the personal and become dramatic symbols of human and cultural reality. "Heaven on Earth" is one of the more typical examples.