Abstract

Sister Carrie, as Dreiser’s first and the most important novel, is set against the backdrop of Chicago and New York City in the late 19th century. It tells the story about Carrie who pursues wealth and happiness in the big cities in order to get rid of poverty. Since its publication in 1900, the novel has aroused great controversy among the critics at home and abroad. This thesis attempts to interpret the American Dream as reflected in Sister Carrie, with a view to revealing Dreiser’s concern over human beings in the industrialized society. The thesis first gives a brief account of the American Dream. The focus is on Carrie’s pursuing her American Dream. Although she has attained material success, she is still confronted with a wasteland of spirits. Her American Dream is actually distorted in the industrialized society, where human beings worship money and material things.
 
Key Words: Sister Carrie; American Dream; industrialized society

摘要

《嘉莉妹妹》是德莱塞的第一部重要作品，小说以19世纪末的芝加哥和纽约为背景，讲述了农村姑娘嘉莉为摆脱贫困在大城市中谋生追求幸福的故事。自1900年在美国出版以来，该小说就引起了批评家们广泛的争议。本文试图解读这部小说体现的美国梦，以揭示德莱塞对生存在工业化社会的人们的关注。本文首先简要介绍美国梦，重点分析嘉莉妹妹追寻她的美国梦的过程。尽管嘉莉妹妹取得了物质成功，但是她的精神世界仍是片荒原。她的美国梦在崇拜金钱和物质的工业社会严重扭曲。

关键词：嘉莉妹妹；美国梦；工业社会

1. Introduction
Theodore Dreiser is considered as one of the most outstanding naturalistic writers in American literature history. With the publication of Sister Carrie in 1900, both the novel and Theodore Dreiser drew attention from critics and reviewers at home and abroad. Sinclair Lewis, the first American Nobel winner, speaks highly of him, “he (Theodore Dreiser) broke the timid and genteel tradition of Victoria and Howells, and opened a door to an honest, daring, and zesty field; without his exposedness, later writers would not have described life, and horror as they do today.”(Hutchisson & Pastore, 1999: 89)Throughout his life, Dreiser wrote news, poetry and novels. However, it was the novels---the focus of critical inquiry that earned Dreiser everlasting reputation in the literary circle (Jiang, 2003: 78). In his works, he criticized the futility of the American Dream and described the 20th America realistically, vividly and profoundly. Dreiser has been recognized as “a profound and prescient critic of debased American values and as a powerful novelist.”(Baym, 1985: 85) Sister Carrie, published in 1900, is the first novel written by Dreiser. It tells the story of a fallen woman who actually prospers from her sexuality. When most novels deal only with the smiling and beautiful aspects of society and life, Dreiser gives a full picture of reality in his fiction. Based on intensive reading of the novel and relevant materials, the thesis attempts to interpret the American Dream reflected in the novel.