英文论文女性的成功历程.docx

英文论文女性的成功历程.docx

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英文论文女性的成功历程

ChapterOneIntroduction

1.1TheBriefIntroductionoftheNovelSisterCarrie

SisterCarrieisthefirstnovelwrittenbyTheodoreDreiser，wholivedattheturnof19thand20thcentury.InthehistoryofAmericanliterarynaturalism,TheodoreDreiserwasoneofthemostoutstandingnovelists.Comingfromthebottomofthesociety,hewasthefirstonetodescribetherealAmericancitizenlife.TheodoreDreiserwascalledthepioneerofAmericancontemporaryfictionandwasthoughttobethegreatmasterofAmericanrealism.

InDreiser’snovels,hediscarded“thegentletradition,whichwasverypopularatthattime.Onthecontrary,hedaredtodepictthelifeasitwasanddiscoveredthedarksideofthesociallife,bravelyattackingthetraditionalmoralstandardsofAmerica.Thecharactersinhisnovelsmostlycamefromthebottomofthesociety,andtheywerealsodeeplyinfluencedbytheprivilegesandlimitationsofthesocialclass.Thatleadedtotheirmisfortunesatlast.

SisterCarriewasaboutayoungcountrygirlwhomovestothebigcitywhereshestartsrealizingherownAmericanDream.Fromasimplegirltoanindependentwoman,SisterCarriecreatesthenewchapterofNewFemaleConsciousness.What’smore,italsohasbeencalledthe“greatestofallAmericanurbannovels”.

SisterCarrie,theheroineinthenovel,wasagirlwhowasnotsatisfiedherlifeinruralWisconsinhome.Therefore,this18yearsoldgirltookthetraintoChicago,abigcitywhichwasfullofattraction.Onthetrain,shemetCharlesDrouet,atravelingsalesman,whowasattractedbyhersimplebeautyandunspoiledmanner,andthemanalsohadgreatimpactonher.WhenSisterCarriearrived,shesoonembarkedonaquestforworktoliveandpayrenttohersister.Atfirst,SisterCarrieembodiednocouragetobeemployedforherunskilledandinexperienced.Shewanderedinthestreetforseveraldays.Finally,shetookajobrunningamachineinashoefactorywiththemeagerwage.Beforelong,shefounditwassoformidabletopaytheexpense,leavealonetobuysomebeautifulclothes.What’smore,shealsosensedMinnieandSven’sdisapprovalofherinterestinChicago’srecreationalopportunities.ThelifeofSisterCarrietendedtobesodespairingthatshecouldnotenduresuchpoorlifeanymore,notonlyhopeless,butloneliness.Atthistime,aftershemetCharlesDrouetbyaccidentinthestreet,themanboughtnewshoes,newcaps,andcomfortablelife,herlifetookanewlookgradually.Finally,shemovedoutofhersister’shousetolivewithCharlesDrouet.Ononeoccasion,shemetHurstwood,ahotelmanagerwhowaswell-dressedandcharming.SisterCarrieandhequicklyfellinlove.However,theaffairthatHurstwoodalreadygotmarriedwasuncovered.Afteranightofdrinking,anddespairedathiswife’sfinancialdemandsandCarrie’srejection,Hurstwoodembezzledalargeamountofcashintheunlockedsafeofhisboss’soffice.Andthen,heluredCarrietoescapewithhim.However,theycan’treturntoChicago,sotheyhadtomovetoamoreflourishingcity,NewYork.SisterCarriehadneverseensuchluxuriousspectacles.However,lifeisalwaysfullofdramatics.Hurstwoodlosthispositionandcan’tstandupanymoreinmind.Meanwhile,Carrie,thegirlwhoeverdependedonmen,becamethesuperstaroftheater.Finally,HurstwoodcommittedsuicideinaflophouseandCarriecanearnmoneybyherself.

1.2TheChangeofCarrieAfterSheWenttoChicago

ThewholestoryshowsahistoryofgrowinguponSisterCarrie.InthelittleandpoorWisconsinhome,shewasagirlthatfullofbeautifuldreams,andkeptasimplemind.Besides,sheneverknowhowflourishingofthebigcitieswere.Likestheauthorsaid:

“Whenagirlleavesherhomeateighteen,shedoesoneoftwothings.Eithershefallsintosavinghandsandbecomesbetter,orsherapidlyassumesthecosmopolitanstandardofvirtueandbecomesworse.”AftershewenttoChicago,drivingbytheAmericandreams,shebegantofindjobs.Atfirst,shewasveryexcitedtoseesuchabigplace.Eveneverycompanypublishedemploymentnews.Butquickly,SisterCarrielostcourageforhernoskillornoexperienced.Shewasrejectedbyseveralcompaniesthatmadehermoreself-abased.Finally,shefoundajobinashoesfactorywithfivepenniessalary.However,thelifewastoofarawayfromwhatsheexpected.Atthattime,SisterCarrieembodiedthefeaturessuchaspassive,afraidofsufferings,desireofmaterialthingsandlackofself-mind,likeallthegeneralwomen.

Nevertheless,citieswereabiglectureroom.Hisscenery,hisbuildingsofocean,crowdedstreet,andeveneveryurbanpeoplewereallSisterCarrie’steachers,whoteachhertotastethesoulofflourishingcities.“Thestreetwasfullofcoaches.Pompousdoormeninimmensecoats,shinybrassbeltsandbuttons,waitedinfrontofexpensivesalesrooms.Coachmenintanboots,whitetights,andbluejacketswaitedobsequiouslyforthemistressesofcarriageswhowereshoppinginside.Thewholestreetboretheflavorofrichesandshow.”Allofthese,eitherthebusinessdistrictunderthesunorthesupermarketwithgallantbuildings,attractedSisterCarrie’sattentionandmotivatedherpossessive.Generally,shewasboringtolivewiththeparasiticlife,especiallyHurstwood,themanwholosthisdignityafterbeinganunemployed.SisterCarriegrewintoayoungladytobeindependentbyherself,ratherthanliveonotherperson.

ChapterTwoTheInfluenceoftheExternalandInternalFactorsonCarrie

Asweallknow,one’sdestinyisboundtobedecidedbyone’spersonalcharacter,apartfromtheinfluenceoftheexternalfactors.Mostoftime,weprefertobelievethatitdependsontheexternalfactorstoalargeextent.ThissectionwillanalyzeexternalinfluencefactorsonSisterCarriewithrespecttoAmericandramandthestimulationofhigh-consumption.Besides,theinternalfactorsmainlyinvolveherpersonalcharacterandherdesiresdriven.

2.1TheAmericanDream

SisterCarrierepresentedtherealityofAmericanlifeinthelatenineteenthandearlytwentiethcentury.Inthepostcivil-waryears,Americafocuseditsattentionondomesticdevelopmentsandwasintheunprecedentedindustrialexpansion.PresidentCoolidgeexpressedthesituationwhenhesaid:

“thechiefbusinessoftheAmericanpeopleisbusiness.”Atthattime,Commercetooktheleadinthenationaleconomy.Machinestooktheplaceofthetraditionalhandlaborinfactoriesandonfarms.Everypersonbelievedthateverythingwasgoinginthebesttrend.Thatistheso-calledAmericanDream.ItisabeliefthataslongaspeopleintheUnitedStatescanendureahardstruggle,theywillbeabletoachievetheidealofabetterlife,thatis,peoplehavetoworkthroughtheirownhardwork,courage,creativityanddeterminationtomovetowardsProsperity,ratherthanrelyonspecificsocialclassesandotherassistance.Thiswasusuallyonbehalfofthepeopleintheeconomicsuccessorentrepreneurialspirit.ManyAmericancitiesdevelopedinarapidspeed,needingforcheaplaborsfromruralareasandprovidinglargejobopportunities,whichattractedboysandgirlsfromdiversedirectionstopourintocities.Themetropoliswastolotsofpeopleslikealightedcandletothemoth.Itattractedtheminswarmsthatcameyearafteryearwiththevagueideathattheycouldgetalonghere.

DespitesomecriticismoftheAmericandreamofexcessiveemphasisonmaterialwealthandhappinessinthemeasureofvictoryontherole,butmanyAmericansreallybelievethatthesuccessofsuchanopportunityintheworldisnotfoundinothercountries.BecausetheUnitedStateshasconsiderableeconomicfreedom,andtheroleofgovernmentislimited,makingtheU.S.agreatsocialmobility,apersonmaygothroughtheirowneffortstowardsthepeak.IndependencefromtheUnitedStatesuntiltheendofthe19thcentury,largeareasoflandareuninhabitedandnopeoplecanbeoccupiedandinvestmentandlandreclamation.BythetimeoftheIndustrialRevolution,hugenaturalresourcesandadvancedindustrialtechnologyintheUnitedStatesweremakingrapidsocialmobilityandchanges,andthistrendisstillincreasingdaybyday.Quickly,Americahadtransformedfromalargeagriculturalcountrytoindustrialandurbanone.Therefore,althoughThomasJeffersonhadhopedthatthemajorityofAmericanpeople,inevengreatnumbers,ceasedto“laborintheearth”andmovedtotownsandcitiestolaboronthemachinesofnewindustries.Asaresult,everywhere,peoplecouldseefactorysmokeandheartheclangofmanufacturing.Industrializationwasinfullswinginacertainway.ThisislargelyreflectedinSisterCarrie:

"thesoundofthehammerengagedupontheerectionofnewstructureswaseverywhereheardandGreatindustriesweremovingin”（Dreiser,12）.

Meanwhile,Darwinismwasprevailingandexertingastrongimpactonwesternthought.Therefore,severalkeywordsonpeople’slipsatthattimewere“struggleforexistence”,“naturalselection”.Peoplebegantobelievethatsocietiesgrewanddevelopedinthesamewayasanimalclassandspecieshaddevelopedandthattherewasastrugglewithsocietytoperfectitself.Therefore,Americanpeoplethoughtthesociety,whichhaddevelopedsincethemid-19thcentury,wasthemosthighlydevelopedsocietyeverexisted,becausesurvivalofthefittestimpliedthatthingswerealwaysimprovingandgettingbetter.ThewholesocietywereinterestedinDarwinianthought,andtendedtobesatisfiedwithwhattheyhadcreatedandachievedinthesociety.

2.2StimulationofHigh-consumption

Ontheturningfrom19thcenturyto20thcentury,Americaunderwenthugesocialreformandexperiencedgreatchangesanddevelopmentinalmos