嘉莉妹妹与美国梦 Sister Carrie and American Dream.docx

嘉莉妹妹与美国梦 Sister Carrie and American Dream.docx

《嘉莉妹妹与美国梦 Sister Carrie and American Dream.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《嘉莉妹妹与美国梦 Sister Carrie and American Dream.docx（19页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

嘉莉妹妹与美国梦SisterCarrieandAmericanDream

ha嘉莉妹妹与美国梦

SisterCarrieandAmericanDream

Abstract

 TheodoreDreiser,anAmericanwriter,showsthereadersanactualAmericansociety,whichismaintainedbymoneyinhisnovels.Ontheotherhand,Dreiseralsooffersamodeaboutstrugglethroughhisstoriesforthepoor.Hewantstoinspirethepoortostruggleforbettermateriallives,whichshowstheactivenessofDreiser’snovels.Inthisarticle,theauthorgivesabriefintroductionofDreiser’slife,introducesAmericandream,andexpoundthattheprocessofAmericandreamandtheAmericandreamwithadeepRootinAmerica .byanalyzythetwomaincharactersinSisterCarrie.Thearticleexplainsthatinthemoney-orientedAmerica,manwantstobetterhimselfinstinctivelyorisdrivenbytheenvironmenttorealizetheAmericandream,yettheresultsaretragic.FromtheanalysistheauthorillustratesfutilityoftheAmericandream.

ItisconcludedthatSisterCarrielightenthefutilityoftheAmericandream.Aswellasencourageforthepoortostrugglewealthandrankinsociety.

KeyWords:

SisterCarrie,theAmericanream,TheodoreDreiser

内容摘要

美国作家西奥多·德莱塞通过一系列作品向读者展示了一个充满赤裸裸金钱关系的美国社会。

德莱塞也通过小说故事为生活在社会底层的广大贫苦人民提供了奋斗的模式，带有一定的积极性。

本文通过简要介绍作者生平，介绍美国梦，阐述了美国梦的进程和美国梦在美国的根深蒂固。

以及对《嘉莉妹妹》中两位主人公的分析，说明在美国这个金钱至上的社会里，人在本能和社会环境的驱使下不可避免要向上爬，追求物质上的满足，去实现心中的美国梦，但是结局都是悲剧式的，从而揭示了美国梦的虚无。

关键词：

《嘉莉妹妹》；美国梦；西奥多·德莱塞

Contents

 Introduction

TheodoreDreiser,thetwelfthof13children,wasborninTerreHaute,Indiana,in1871.Hisfather,adevoutGermanimmigrant,losteverythingwhenhislargewoolmillburneddown.Bythistime,hisparentswerepoornomadicpreachers.TheirnomadiclifestylemeantthatDreiserdidnothaveanycompanionsoutsidehisfamily.Whiletraveling,hismothertaughthimtoavoiddegradinganddestructiveexperiences.Hisparentswerefailuresbecauseoftheirstrongmoralsandtheirconstantpreaching,herebelled.Dreiserhadnofriends,money,socialstatus,orsexlife,whichformostAmericans,wereincludedin"TheAmericandream."ForDreiserandhismostfamouscharacters,CarrieMeeberandClydeGriffiths,livingtheAmericandream—theevasivepinnacleofsuccess--becameanobsession.

Dreiserwasapoorstudentatthesuccessionofschoolheattended.However,hereceivedencouragementfromahighschoolteacherwhoofferedtopayhistuitionintheuniversityofIndiana.ThisexperiencewasnotabeneficialoneforDreiser.Hewasacutelyconsciousofdifferencesbetweenhimselfandwealthierbetter-lookingclassmates,heflunkedoutof.Insteadofpreaching,heinstantlyabandonedhisunsuccessfulfamilyforthepromiseofrichesandwomeninindustrialChicago.Afterlivinginabjectpovertyforyears,heworkedasajournalistforbothChicagoGlobeandSt.Louis’sGlobe-Democrat,whichgavehimaglimpseofhighsociety.Hisjournalistlifeprovidedhimendlesssourceofwriting.ItwasatthistimethatDreisergotcontactwiththehighersocietywiththerichandthepower.There,hemarriedSaraWhite.Withinmonths,thetwoseparatedpermanently,andDreiserbecameanomad.Whilewandering,hestudiedthewritingsofBalzac,Darwin,Freud,Hawthorne,Huxley,Poe,andSpenser,fromwhichhecreatedtwophilosophicaltheories:

socialDarwinismgovernssociety,andman’sgreatestappetiteissexual.Dreiserfollowedhisphilosophy;hetypicallyhadseveralaffairsatonce.SuchkindofopinioncanobviouslybedrawninDreiser’snovels.

InNewYork,DreiserstartedSisterCarrie,abrilliantnaturalisticpiece.Thebookwassoldonly500copies;itwasso"scandalous"thatitsownedpublisherscensoreditsprintingin1900.Dreiserwasnearlysuicidalforthisfailure.InSisterCarrie,Dreisershowedarealmoney-relatedAmericatotheaudience.Nobodydaredtoreportthetruesocialproblemsintheirownworksatthattimefortheywereafraidthattheirworkswouldn’tbeacceptedbymostreaders.SinclairLewis,thefirstAmericanNobelPrizewinnerforliteraturein1930,praisedDreiserduringhisNobelPrizeacceptancespeech,“Dreiser,morethananyotherman,ismarchingalone.Usuallyunappreciated,oftenhated,hasclearedthetrailfromVictorianandHowellsiantimidityandgentilityinAmericanfictiontohonestyandboldnessandpassionoflife.Withouthispioneering,Idoubtifanyofuscould,unlesswelikedtobesenttojail,seektoexpresslifeandbeautyandterror.”[1]Mostworksbefore1900wereservedforbeautifyingCapitalismandreligion,whichweretwomaintopicsforliteratureatthattime.

AfterpublishingSisterCarrie,DreiserresignedfromNewYork’smusicjournal,EveryWeek.Hethenworkedforaneclecticgroupofmagazines,includingthreewomen’smagazines,until1910,whenhisin-officeloveaffairwentpublic.Duringthenextsixyears,hegainedrecognitionforhiswritingandpublishedJennieGerhardtandthe"TrilogyofDesire”,storiesbasedontransportationmogulCharlesT.Jerkes’slife.Theserieswonhimnumerousacclaims.

Aftereightabysmalnovels,DreiserpublishedhisbestsellingnovelAnAmericanTragedy.Thenovel,lateradaptedtoBroadwayandthescreen,nettedhimhundredsofthousandsofdollars.Soon,heturnedtotheglitteringpromisesofcommunismtoescapehisfeelingsofinadequacy.Whenhiswifedied,hemarriedhiscousin,HelenRichardson,his"companion"offiveyears.HediedinHollywood,CaliforniaonDecember28,1945.

1TheHighprestigeofTheodoreDreiser

TheodoreDreiserwasbornonAugust27,1871inTerreHaute,Indiana.PartofalargeGerman-Americanfamily,andtheninthoftenchildren,hischildhoodwasmarkedbypoverty.Hisfather,JohnPaul,hadpreviouslybeenacottonmillmanager,butaseriesofunfortunateaccidentscausedhisfortunestodwindle.In1864thecottonmillburneddown,andduringthereconstructionJohnPaulwashitintheheadwithabeam.Heneverfullyrecoveredandasaresultbecomedeeplyreligious.Hefurtherwassooncheatedbyhisbusinesspartners.ThefamilywasforcedtomovefromoneIndianatowntoanotherinordertosurvive.TheodoreDreiserlaterresentedhisfatherforthefamily¹spoverty.

AttheageoffifteenDreisermovedtoChicagoandheldjobswashingdishes,clerkingahardwarestore,andtracingfreightcars.DreiserfortunatelywasabletoescapewhenaformerteacherofferedtosendhimtoIndianaUniversityatBloomingtonforayear.Hesoonbecameinterestedinjournalism,butreturnedtoChicagoandworkedasabillcollector,realestateclerkandlaundry-truckdriver.

DreiserfirstenteredthenewspaperworldbydispensingtoysfortheneedyatChristmasfortheChicagoHerald.HesubsequentlygothiredasacubreporterwiththeChicagoGlobeandlaterwenttoSt.LouisasafeaturewriterfortheGlobe-Democrat.ThingstookaturnfortheworsewhenDreiseraccidentallyreviewedatheaterperformanceinabsentiaeventhoughitturnedouttheshowwasneverperformed.HeleftSt.LouisandmovedtoPittsburgh,workingwiththeDispatch.Withasecurejobagain,DreisermarriedSara;WhiteaftermeetingherattheChicagoWorld¹sFair.ThecouplemovedtoNewYorkwherehereceivedajobasamagazineeditor.AtthesuggestionofhiseditorfriendArthurHenry,Dreiserbeganwritinghisfirstnovel,theresultofwhichwasSisterCarrie.

DreisercontinuedhiscareerbypublishingTheFinancier（1912）andTheTitan（1914）,bothofwhichbeganhistrilogyabouttheriseofatycoon.FamearrivedwithhisAnAmericanTragedy（1925）,astorybasedonnewspaperaccountsofasensationalmurdercase.ThisnovelwasturnedintoaBroadwaydramaandlatersoldtoHollywood.

Withhisnewsuccess,DreisertookatriptoRussiabutcameawayunimpressed.HechronicledhisobservationsinDreiserLooksatRussia（1928）.Dreiserbecameacommunistinlateryears,causinghistofocushisattentionofwritingpoliticaltreatisessuchasAmericaisWorthSaving（1941）.Unabletowritewelltowardstheendofhislife,hemovedtoHollywoodin1939andsupportedhimselfbythesaleoffilmrightsofhisearlierworks.Hediedtherein1945attheageofseventy-four

2AnalysisoftheAmericanDream

WhenAmericandreambegan,duringthatperiod,theAmericanwarmarhedachange,inthewordsoflionelTrilling,inthequalityofAmericanlife,adeterioration,infact,ofAmericanmoralvalues.TheworthoftheAmericandream,theidealized,romanticliewofmanandhislifeintheNewWorld,begantoloseitsholdontheimaginationofthepeopleBeneathTheglitteringsurfaceofprosperitytherelaysufferingandunhappiness,Disillusionmentandfrustrationwerewidelyfelt.Whathadbeenexpectedtobea"GoldenAge"turnedouttobea"Gilded"one.

2.1TheprocessofAmericanDream

 ThehistoryoftheAmericandreambeganwiththe“Mayflower”in1620.ThepuritansfromEngland,whowantedtoescapefromthepolitical,economicandreligiouspersecutionoftheOldWorld,dreamedofbuildingupaNewWorld.That’sthebeginningoftheAmericandream.America,aplacewhereeveryonehadafairchangeatmakingitbig;America,thelandofthefreeandthehomeofthebrave,setyoursailandtraveltotheNewWorldofwonderandwhereyourwildestdreamscometrue.IntheUnitedStates’DeclarationofIndependencethefoundingfatherstated:

“eldcertaintruthstobeself-evident,thatallMenarecreatedequal,thattheyareendowedbytheirCreatorwithcertainunalienableRights,thatamongthesearelife,libertyandthePursuitofHappiness.”ThissentimentwasconsideredthefoundationoftheAmericandream.Everybodytriedtostruggleforfreedomandwelfare.AftertheindependenceoftheU.S,therewasagreatman–BenjaminFranklin,oneofthedraftersoftheDecla