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1、安徽工贸职业技术学院 毕业论文. Introduction Theodore Dreisers Sister Carrie was published in 1900. The main character of this book was Carrie Meeber, who ran away from home at the age of eighteen. She had typical characteristics of the American middle class, demanding to change her economic situation and status,
2、pursuing the personality liberation. Sister Carrie remains vital for many reasons: as a historical marker for the turn away from sentimentality, romance, and moral rectitude in the American novels at the beginning of the twentieth century; as a text that influenced the succeeding American novelists
3、over the next several decades; and as a conundrum that never ceases to provoke debate for readers both general and professional. While the first half of the twentieth century produced a diverse range of critical opinions on Sister Carrie by reviewers and essayists, the second half witnessed an abidi
4、ng argument within academia regarding the quality, value, importance, and interpretation of the text. This novel made the volatility of the period concrete, vivid, and unforgettable by registering its effect on individual lives. The sweeping changes registered in the novel were the economys shifting
5、 from an agricultural to an industrial base, the erosion of traditional values following the Darwinian revolution, and the changing relations of men and women. This thesis reanalyzes Sister Carrie from a new angle, that is, the twisted American Dream and womens self-consciousness displayed in the no
6、vel, which will help invoke readers considerations over Dreisers naturalism. What is the twisted American Dream? How is Carries self-consciousness awakened? What is the inner relationship between American Dream, womans self-consciousness, and Dreisers naturalism?In American literature, there is a re
7、appearing theme, American Dream, with different manifestation in different periods of time. First of all, the writer will focus on the twisted American Dream, which is caused by the cruel social background at that time and the twist of Carries infinite desire and her wrong views of value. Then the t
8、hesis will proceed to expound the awakening womens self-consciousness in Sister Carrie. Carries selfconsciousness embodies the properties of New Woman, so the definition of New Woman must be introduced. The hard process of Carries awakening self-consciousness will be demonstrated after that. In the
9、course of pursuing the twisted American Dream, Carrie goes toward independence step by step. Finally, naturalism embodied by the twisted American Dream and womens self-consciousness will be set forth. Dreiser regards objectivity and reality as the best creative rule, gives prominence to living consc
10、iousness and desire instinct and emphasizes the decisive role of the environment. It is the relentless social environment that changes the pure American Dream into a twisted one. Struggle for survival is Carries basic demand. The conclusion will be drawn that it is essential for us to establish a ha
11、rmonious social environment, and erect view of world, view of life, and view of value. The Twisted American Dream 2.1The Evolving Process of the American Dream The history of the American Dream began with the “May flower” in 1620. The puritans from England, who wanted to escape from the political, e
12、conomic and religious persecution of the Old World, dreamed of building up a New World. Thats the beginning of the American Dream. America, a place where everyone had a fair chance in making it big; America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, set your sail and travel to the New World of
13、 wonder and where your wildest dreams come true. In the American Declaration of Independence, the founding father stated “old certain truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty
14、and the Pursuit of Happiness.” This sentiment was considered the foundation of the American Dream. Everybody tried to struggle for freedom and welfare. After the independence of the U.S, Benjamin Franklin, one of the drafters of the Declaration of Independence, became both a spokesman and a model fo
15、r the national character of later generations of Americans. He was the representative of the American Dream for his autobiography. Benjamin Franklin was often referred to as the First American and he was given this title with good reason and it proved him more as an American hero, especially a hero
16、for American youngsters.In the monopoly period, modern values had transformed the American Dreams pure ideals into a scheme for materialistic power, and further, the world of high society lacked sense of morals and consequence. The disparity between rich and poor being serious, hedonism and money wo
17、rship being overflowed, people would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. Benjamin Franklins way to wealth had been out of date. The American Dream had become the pursuit of material prosperity that people worked more hours to get bigger cars, fancier homes and the fruits of prosperity for their
18、 families, but they had less time to enjoy their prosperity. In Dreisers times, the content of the American Dream was to pursue more money and higher rank in society and it brought great hazards to the American society.2.2The Causes of the Twisted American Dream 2.2.1 The Cruel Social Background in
19、Sister CarrieThe city has its cunning wiles, no less than the infinitely smaller and more human tempter. There are large forces which allure with all the soulfulness of expression possible in the most cultured human. In his first novel, Dreiser opted to paint a realistic portrait of America for what
20、 it really wasmaterialistic (Gerber 52). “The money ideal would be exposed as the great motivating purpose of life in the United States: ones relative affluence at any level of society determining the degree creature comfort one might enjoy, the measure of prestige one might own, and the extent of s
21、ocial power one might command” (ibid. 52-53). Sister Carrie completely reiterates Americas obsession with money because there is not one character whose own status symbol isnt determined economically (ibid. 53). At the end of the Civil War, big business boomed and there was a preoccupation with “con
22、spicuous consumption” (Ward 33). Capitalism roared and consumers began to see each other for what they thought they really were: money. Dreiser first describes his Carrie Meeber not by her opinions or actions, but by what she owns “a small trunk, a cheap imitation alligator-skin satchel . and a smal
23、l yellow snap purse” (Dreiser 54). Although Carrie cannot afford a real alligator-skin satchel, she owns an imitation so that she appears to be something she is not (Ward 70). False appearances are a reiterated theme throughout Sister Carrie. Contrary to the model of stay-at-home wife and mother ass
24、ociated with the Victorian era through much of the twentieth century, in the early economy, the labor of women was central. Women canned the family crops, spun cloth and crafted it into clothing and linens, made soaps and candles, and produced other essential goods. The transition from an agricultur
25、al economy centered in the family to an industrial order characterized by managerial capitalism depended on the development of factories throughout the nineteenth century.When Carrier entered Chicago and met Drouet, the readers became attentive to her fascination with the upper class. “In addition t
26、o representing consumerism, Carrie also serves as a symbol of the American middle class. Carrie is “ambitious to gain material things” (ibid 64). Entering a department store to find a job, Carrie leaves with an unsatisfied desire to own things that she cannot. Carrie sees how much the city has to of
27、fer her. She longs for the luxury and wealth of the other shop dwellers (Balling 23). All of the fancy items tempt Carrie although she cannot manage to pay for any of them; “thus a capitalist economy manipulates the desire of the consumer without ever completely satisfying it” (Ward 56). This unfulf
28、illed yearning compels the consumer to work long hours just to struggle to buy more items (ibid 85). With each purchase, the need for material things grows while never completely satisfying the consumer. Carries dream of satisfaction is hastily broken when she realizes she must work in an unpleasant
29、 job to get what she wants. In Sister Carrie, money is a main objective. Carries fascination in Drouet is instigated by his money. “Handing her the money gives him the opportunity to touch her hand, the first step of physical intimacy with her” (ibid. 47). In a society in which wealth is associated
30、with individual merit, Drouet begins to stir up another person into materialism. Through this, he can “conduct his life on a splendid basis” (Balling 25) because Carrie looks to him with desire. A world of possibilities is opened to Carrie through Drouet. She has now become an “insider” (ibid. 29) t
31、o the world of prosperity, excitement, and satisfaction. With such debatable surrounding, the novel can really only prove one point “it is a story of real life, of their lives” (Norman 474). All of these situations materialism, seduction, adultery, bigamy, and theftwere actually occurring in real li
32、fe. Unable to assert his characters will against natural and economic forces，Dreiser rarely passes judgment on them. These litigious circumstances created by Theodore Dreiser demonstrate the ironies within an emergent American culture after the Civil War. Materialism and capitalism in a booming econ
33、omy, conventional standards of men and womens roles, and the denial of the American public in response to the novel all prove that Sister Carrie was ahead of its time in portraying the authentic and pessimistic view of real existence. 2.2.2 The Unquenchable Desire of Carrie Carrie, a poor country gi
34、rl, arrives in Chicago, filled with the expectations of acquiring the finer things in life. She imagines the elegant clothes she will wear, the exciting places to which she will go, and the fashionable people with whom she will associate, thinking that everyone who lives beyond the boundaries of her
35、 Midwestern state has achieved that higher status. She is a creature of yearning. A woman should some day write the complete philosophy of clothes. No matter how young, it is one of the things she wholly comprehends. There is an indescribably faint line in the matter of mans apparel which somehow di
36、vides for her those who are worth glancing at and those who are not. Once an individual has passed this faint line on the way downward he will get no glance from her. There is another line at which the dress of a man will cause her to study her own (Dreiser 234).We can not say that she is a woman of
37、 calculation who makes others degenerate. It is the instinct of yearning that pushes her toward something better. At first, Carrie leaves her hometown and her parents without any regret. She breaks all ties with them easily and seeks her happiness. When she lives in her sisters house, she realizes t
38、hat she must look for a job to support her. After that, she loses her job because of her illness. It is Drouet who wears fine clothes, and has much money that helps her get rid of the trouble. Carrie finds her life with Drouet quite pleasing, he buys her new clothes and takes her to the theatre. Whe
39、n Carrie hears Drouets laudatory opinion of her dramatic ability, her body tingles with satisfaction. Like the flame which welds the loosened particles into a solid mass, his words units those floating wisps of feeling which she fells, but never believes, concerning her possible ability, and makes t
40、hem into a gaudy shred of hope. Like all human beings, she has a touch of vanity. She fells that she can do things if she has a chance. How often she looked at the well-dressed actresses on the stage and wondered how she would look, how delightful she would feel if only she were in their place. The
41、glamour, the tense situation, the fine clothes, and the applause have lured her until she fells that she, too, can actthat she, too, can compel acknowledgment of power. Soon she sees Drouets shortcoming, until she meets the pub manager. Hurstwood who stands at a higher level and much more elegant th
42、an Drouet, she becomes engaged to Hurstwood. She wants better and better, then by chance, she becomes the famous theoretical actress and discards Hurstwood. She is satisfied with herself for a time until she sees she can get more and therefore wants more. In an article entitled “Desire as Hero”, Ran
43、dolph Bourne concluded, “The insistent theme of Mr. Dreisers work is desireperennial, unquenchable . His hero is really not Sister Carrie, or the Titan or the Genius, but that desire within us which pounds in manifold guise against the iron walls of experience” (Bourne 245). Irving Howe observed tha
44、t the central characters in the early novels were “harried by a desire for personal affirmation, a desire they can neither articulate nor suppress” (Howe 109). Donald Pizer was more specific about what Sister Carrie wanted. “Of the major forces in her life, it is primarily her desire for objects tha
45、t furnish a sense of physical and mental well-beingfor fine clothing and furniture and attractive apartments and satisfactory foodwhich determines much of her life”(Pizer 231).These various readings underline the importance of desire in Dreisers work, particularly in Sister Carrie, where desire is p
46、erceived as an unfathomable and irrepressible force. The characters seem so helpless that desire, according to Lawrence E. Hussman, has become the novels new protagonist. This subordination of characters to desire is also what Richard Poirier suggests, when describing what he thinks characterizes mo
47、st American novelists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, “their vision often moves panoramically across the massed phenomena of social and economic structures, and it is only within these that they can see the hero at all”(Poirier 143). The Awakening Womens Self-consciousness 3.1
48、The Definition of New Woman Most women stayed at home to take care of her children, make meals, keep house, and to care for the sick in the late nineteenth century. Only five percent of married women held jobs outside the home in 1900.But some did go out looking for work in order to help their famil
49、y out as much as possible with their bills. Carrie wanted to go out and make something of herself. As the emergence of a new social and political phenomenon, evoking the image of female independence and rebellion, the term New Woman became popular during the 1880s and the 1890s. In the course of the nineteenth century women had increasingly challenged their subordinate social and political position. They had a radical inherita