Analysis of the Image of Sister Carrie论嘉莉妹妹的人物形象.docx

Analysis of the Image of Sister Carrie论嘉莉妹妹的人物形象.docx

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AnalysisoftheImageofSisterCarrie论嘉莉妹妹的人物形象

AnalysisoftheImageofSisterCarrie

Abstract:

SisterCarriewasthefirstlongfictionwrittenbynaturalisticAmericanwriterTheodoreDreiser.IthasprofoundhistoricandrealisticmeaningsanditalsotakesupagreatpositionintheAmericanliterature.Itisagreatfictionwhichsharplybrokeawayfromthetraditionalwritingstyleatthebeginningofthe20thcenturysothatSisterCarriebecameamilestoneinAmericanliterature.Eventoday,therearestillalotofscholarswhoarestudyingitcarefullyfromdifferentperspectives.Inthefiction,DreiserrealisticallydescribedhowaninnocentandnaivegirlCarrie,fromapeacefulvillage,climbedfromthebottomofthesocietytothetopoffameandwealthinNewYork.Thenovelincludedagreatamountofrealisticdescriptions.Thisthesis,basedonnaturalismliteraturetheoryandDreiser’snaturalisticwritingstyleinSisterCarrie,analyzestheuniquefemaleimageofCarrieMeeberandhercharacteristicsfromtheviewofcharacterimage.Intheend,thesespecialcharacteristicsbroughttheheroinetohertragicfate.Thoughsheobtainedwealth,Carriecouldneverbesatisfiedorfeelhappyforlong.Neversatisfied,shewouldonlydreamofthehappinessshecouldnevergot.Carrie’stragedyalsoillustratesthedisillusionmentofherAmericanDream,whichfurtherrevealsthatinAmericansocietywhichcentredonwealthandenjoyment,suchafigurelikeCarriewhowasbothconfusedanddesirouscouldneverobtaintruehappinessinrealworld.

KeyWords：

Naturalism;desire;rebel;disillusionmentofAmericanDream;tragedy

摘要:

《嘉莉妹妹》是杰出的美国自然主义作家德莱塞创作的第一部长篇小说，具有深远的时代意义和现实意义，在美国文学史上占有重要地位。

这是一部伟大的小说，它突破了20世纪初传统写作风格，成为了一块美国文学的里程碑。

直到今天，仍然有很多学者在从不同的角度仔细研究它。

小说主要讲述了一个天真无知的乡村姑娘嘉莉如何从社会的最底层一步步上升到名誉和财富的颠峰，其中有大量真实社会情景描写。

本文结合了自然主义文学理论及德莱塞《嘉莉妹妹》中的自然主义创作风格，从人物形象的角度入手，重点研究了嘉莉妹妹这一女性形象及她的独特性格特征，并阐释了这些性格特征最终带给女主人公的悲剧命运——尽管嘉莉获得了财富，但是她永远不会感到满足或幸福。

她永不满足，只梦想着永远不能得到的幸福。

同时女主人公的命运也昭示着其美国梦的幻灭，进而揭示出在当时以金钱、享乐为中心的美国社会中，像嘉莉妹妹这样一个既迷茫又充满欲望、永不满足的人物，是不可能在现实社会中获得真正幸福的。

关键词：

自然主义；欲望；反叛；美国梦幻灭；悲剧

Ⅰ.Introduction

TheodoreDreiserwasanoutstandingnaturalisticwriterinAmericanliteraturewhileSisterCarriewashisfirstlongfiction.TheappearanceofthenovelmeantgreattoAmericanlierature.Italsotookanimportantplaceinliteraryhistory.Inthebeginningofthe20thcenturyinAmerica,thefashionabletrendwastowriteaboutthe“smiling”sideoflifebymoldingbeautiful,faithfulcharacters.Buttheauthordaredtobreakthroughtraditionandcreateafictionwhichclearlyandcruelyshowedthemiserylowerclasssufferedandtheemptinessandvanityupperclassexperienced.Rightafterthepublication,itreceivedastormofcriticismandscoldingmadebytraditionalcriticsandarisednumerouscommentsandarguments.Tosearchforareason,thecontroversyattributedtoDreiser’sunusualethics.HeshowedarealisticandpeacefulstyleinwritingCarrie’sprivatelife,whichcausedgreatcriticismbytraditionalmoralityguards.Hisethics,thoughviolatingtraditionalmorality,wasshapedbysocialbackgroundandhisownexperience.Itisatruefeelingfromheart.Later,SisterCarriebecameahistoricallymeaningfulmilestoneandinfluencedreader’sstandards.Thus,SisterCarriewasofgreatimportance.Itisalsomeaningfultostudythisfictioncarefully.

Sinceitsimportantstatusinliteraryhistory,scholarshavemademanydifferentcommentsonit.Theearliestcommentscouldbedividedintwobranches:

oneapprovedthisnovelandthoughtSisterCarriebroughtgreatsurprisetoAmericanliterature;theothercriticizedthatDreiserdidn’ttellthetruthandnegatedthewholenaturalisticliterature.Afteracertainperiod,almostallthecriticscriticizedthenovelbyequalingthisworktosocietyandlife.Meanwhile,thereappearedsomeextremeappreciationwhichdepartedfromtherelationshipbetweenhistoryandsociety.Moderncommentshavebeendiversified,includingpsychologicalanalyseofSigmundFreudandfeministcriticism.Besides,manyresultsofresearchintheauthorandtheoriginappeared.Criticsmainlyanalyzedthefictiononitsnaturalism,feminismandthesocialscenes.MouYingofNanjingNormalUniversityhascommented“thedescriptionofheroinelifeandfatewastoshowthatfatedecidespeople’spower,andnaturalpowerleadshumanlife.”AnotherscholarWangYulianalsocomments“Carriegrewfromaruralgirltoaeconomicallyindependentwoman,sherealizedherpotential.”Commentsassuchhavebeenmanymore.

Withcommentsabove,IwillanalyzeSisterCarriefromtheviewoffigureanalysis.Attheindependentwoman,sherealizedherpotential.”Commentsassuchhavebeenmanymore.

Withcommentsabove,IwillanalyzeSisterCarriefromtheviewoffigureanalysis.Atthebeginningofthefiction,Carriewasaninnocent,naivegirlwhowasfullofimagination.Shehadnotmucheducationnoranyskilluniqueenoughtomakealiving.Ithinkitisrightto

analyzethenovelbyanalyzingthemainfigurebecausethenovelwasaroundCarrie.Dreiser’snaturalisticviewshowedonCarrie——shewascontrolledbynaturalpower,andshecouldnotpressherdesire,whichwasatypificationofherosandheroinesinnaturalisticworks.ButtofindCarrie’scharacteristics,firstIwillintroduceNaturalism,thetheorywhichinfluencedDreisergreatly.

Ⅱ.AnalysisoftheImageofSisterCarrie

Carriewasinfluencedbyenvironmentalfactorsandherowndesires,whichgaveherfourtypicallycharacteristicss:

unsatiabledesires,violationoftraditionalmorality,changingfromdependencetoindependence,anddisillusionmentofherAmericanDream.

2.1Unsatiabledesires

DreiseradvocatedDarwinism.Heregardedthesocietyasahugejungle,wherepeopleseekforsurvivallikeanimals.Peoplewerenotfreebecauseoftheirdesire’scontrol.Hethought,“Everyone’sactionisthedirectreactionofaseriesofinternalrushesandexternalattraction.Environmentnolongerlimitsdesire,butitexpressesdesirefully,andfinallyprovesthatdesireitselfcanneverbesatisfied.”（EmoryElliott443）

Carrie’sconstantlyupgradingdesiresandherunsatiableattitudeareseenthroughoutthebook,whichhadbeenshownbytheauthorinCarrie’spsychologicalmovements.Mostofherdesiresarematerial,whileattheendsheturnedtospiritualpursuit.

Herfirstdesirewastogetastablymateriallife.WhenCarriehadnottakenasteponChicago,shehadbeendreamingofawonderfulworld.Shecametofindwhatshecouldget.Shedidn’twanttobepooranylonger.Whenshesteppedonthetrain,shewasfullofinnocenceandignorance,withherticketandjustfourdollars.Shedidn’tknowwhatshewouldfindinherdreamedcity.DrouetwasastimulustoariseCarrie’smaterialdesire.Fashionableclothesheworeandluxuriouslifeheenjoyedarisedherendlessdesire.Drouet,likethesnakeinEdenwhoenticedEve,usedhiswonderfulwordstoariseCarrie’sdesireforgoods.DrouetdescribedChicagoasashoppingmallwhereadazzlingarrayofbeautifulexhibitswereshowing.Hisexteriorappearancewasalsoagoodadvertisement.

Hissuitwasofastripedandcrossedpatternofbrownwool,newatthattime,butsincebecomefamiliarasabusinesssuit.Thelowcrotchofthevestrevealedastiffshirtbosomofwhiteandpinkstripes.Fromhiscoatsleevesprotrudedapairoflinencuffsofthesamepattern,fastenedwithlarge,goldplatebuttons,setwiththecommonyellowagatesknownas‘cat's-eyes’.Hisfingersboreseveralrings--one,theever-enduringheavyseal--andfromhisvestdangledaneatgoldwatchchain,fromwhichwassuspendedthesecretinsigniaoftheOrderofElks.Thewholesuitwasrathertight-fitting,andwasfinishedoffwithheavy-soledtanshoes,highlypolished,andthegreyfedorahat.（Dreiser13）

Hisappearanceshowedheranew,richworld.AsCarriesawtheluxurioussightofChicago,shecouldn’tpressherdesireformaterial.Thecoldrealityinhersister’sflatbrokeherdreamwhichwascausedbyDrouet.TheHansonswereonlyabletomeettheirbasicneed,andtheyevencountedonCarrietohelpthemfinancially.TheshortencounterwithDrouetmadeherunderstandthatDrouetneededherinacertainway,andthelifeinHanson’swasnotwhatsheliked.Shequicklycametoknowwhatshewanted.Shebegantofindajobandshefoundoneinashoefactory.Butduetosickness,shelostitsoon.Thentherecameanothercoincidence,shemetDrouetagainonthestreet.Hehelpedhertoachievehergoal,meanwhileshegottohavemoredesires.

DuringhercompanyingwithherneighborMrs.Hale,shesawmuchmorebeautifulbuildings,wideprivategrassland,andluxuriouscarriages.Herdesirewasagainarised.She’ssurethatherhappinesswasrightoverthere.Shewantedmorematerialwealth.However,Drouetcouldnotsatisfyheranylonger.

Then,anothermancametoherandattractedher.ThatwasHurstwood.HeattractedCarriejustasDrouethadbeentoher.Hehadmuchmorewealthandpersonalcharm,andhistasteandexperiencewerebetterthanDrouet.ThereasonHurstwoodtouchedherwasthatheneededhereagerly.ToCarrie,Hurstwoodwasnotonlyawonderfullover,butalsoanobjectofwichshetookadvantagetoachieveherchanginglifeandideal.Shebecamehislover,andenjoyedmorehappiness.Butfateteasedhim.OnthetraintoNewYork,aftersheknewshewascheatedbyHurstwood,shestillhesitatedwhethertogetoffornot.Shedidn’tgetoffforshehadn’tmadeherdecision.Herhesitationjustshowedshewantedtogetonanotherstep.

InNewYork,HurstwoodfelllittlebylittlewhileCarriewasbecomingfamous.Carrienolongervaluedhim.Shegainedgreatsuccessinhercareer,andhermoneyincreased.Comfortablelifean