英語(yǔ)本科畢業(yè)論文-The Specific Reflection of American Dream on Carrie’s View of Love.doc

1、. 第 The Specific Reflection of American Dream on Carries View of Love . Introduction Theodore Dreiser is one of the most influential authors in the history of American literature. His first work Sister Carrie, which is published in 1900, is considered to be a banned book because it exposes the polar

2、ization of rich and poor and anomic. Nowadays, the work is full of the tendency of naturalism, which is considered to be a classical one. The book describes the heroine who steps to the lips of lust and desire. As for her, human beings are the same as animals and pests who are driven by desire, and

3、unable to extricate from her plight. But only the word “desire” can not illustrate the motivation and driving force behind her in details. Therefore, my thesis would like to illustrate the process of being from a country girl to a famous star of Broadway and her view towards love and life. As for my

4、 part, her change is a specific reflection of American dream.Dreiser is born in 1871 and dies in 1945 during the period of Naturalism. He is the 12th child of the13 children, his parents being German immigrants. He is living in great poverty and misery, and being humiliated by the misbehavior of his

5、 brothers and sisters. Dreiser flees to Chicago at the age of 15, where he begins a series of menial jobs. Finally he gets a job on a newspaper and begins a career as a free-lance journalist and magazine editor. This helps him a lot for his future writing. He has ever visited Russia and has strong s

6、ympathies for communism for those people haunted by poverty. Then he joints the American Communist party before his death.He is the first outstanding author in the history of American literature during the 20th century. In 1930, Sinclair Lewis says that Theodore Dreiser can not receive others apprec

7、iation, instead, only hatred and envy. Compared with any American author, he develops a new style or a new method of his own, and takes his courage in both hands. In the field of American novels, he changes his writing style from gentle to loyalty, audacity and the passion of life. Many of American

8、critics believe that Dreiser is loyal to life, dauntless and creative, who breaks the durance of traditional literary world, liberate American novels and bring a literary revolution. Just as H.L.Mencken has ever said, Dreisers change of writing style is the same as Vincis change on biology. However,

9、 Theodore Dreiser is also a disputed writer. Since the publication of his maiden work, Sister Carrie, the comments on him has never been stopped. Sister Carrie is a novel written by Theodore Dreiser, which symbolizes that naturalism attains maturity. It plays a very important role in American litera

10、ture which is written during the period of American Naturalism. At that time, the spread of industrialization creats extremes of wealth and poverty. Farmers are still going westward, but frontiers are about to close, they have to depend on the transcontinental railway to transport their products. Th

11、e spread of Darwins theory of evolution changes peoples ideology.Sister Carrie has been called the elite modern American novel. Through its characters and their story, it illustrates the effects of the changing economic structure on American culture. The articles main objective is to analyze how Dre

12、isers Naturalistic styles to be exposed through the character Carrie Member in Sister Carrie. The novel seems to be the platform from which Dreiser explores his unconventional views of the genders. At the time of its publication, it is first rejected by publisher for its honesty in depictig American

13、 society, but enjoyed fame later on. In fact, it is so controversial; it almost misses being printed at all. The public dislikes the fact that Theodore Dreiser presents a side of life that proper Americans do not care to acknowledge. He writes about infidelity and prostitution as natural occurrences

14、 in the course of human relationships. Dreiser writes about his characters with pity, compassion, and a sense of awe. While the book appals Americans, the English appreciates it. William Heinemann publishes an English version of the book in 1901. While the book sell well in England. Sister Carrie do

15、n not enjoy much success in the United States. This is due to the blurred division line between good and bad in the plot. Although Dreisers moralizing narrator does assert that, despite the fame and the money she has amassed, Carrie will not be able to achieve peace of mind in her life, the apparent

16、 lack of poetic justice-the notion that immorality should pay in the end, even of only up to a point-is a concept the reading public are altogether unused to at the time. Carries Way to Success2.1 Carrie and Her SisterWhen Carrie just gets off the train, she finds the conditions totally change. And

17、in this tempting, noisy, and strange city, she feels that the cruel reality is catching her hand, which is not the bright and happy world, but a world full of entertainments and refreshment. Compared with her, her sister goes to work every day and experiences the hardship of life. She feels lost whe

18、n Drouet melts gradually from her life. And she feels solitary when he totally disappears from her life. Though she stays with her sister, she feels lonelier. It seems as if she is patched into the sea that is surf and merciless.Carrie does not stay too long at her sisters, but through her careful o

19、bservation, she finds that her elder sister lives a humble life, accumulates money by hard-working, and even obtains extra income from renting houses. Her brother-in-law gets up early on the second morning when she reaches Chicago. However, her elder sister gets up much earlier in order to prepare b

20、reakfast for her husband. Carrie is eager to get a job for living, but she gets up around 8 oclock in the morning. On contract, her elder sister gets up earlier. When money is mentioned, Carrie earns money for shopping in commercial centre, for nice clothes, and for the pleasure in the cinema. And h

21、er elder sister makes money for accumulation. All in all, she is greatly different from her elder sister who toils and sacrifices herself for her husband and family. Her elder sisters life to her is monotonous and water-like. However, she is attracted by an alien man, especially by his beautiful clo

22、thes. And he is the man who is the object Carrie desires to pursuit. At last, she leaves only a note to her sister and moves out of her sisters house, because the space there is not roomy, and the life there is meaningless. She personally is believes that she could find happiness and interesting eve

23、nts elsewhere.In Carries inner world, she is just like the ordinary people. Intuition, desire and the awakenings are constantly fighting. And to Carrie, intuition and desire are the winners. She is totally in obedience of her desire. Through her whole life she is pursuing her American Dream. She dev

24、otes all she can do to help herself realize her dream. Indeed she is supported by her inner desire. And she gets to her destination finally.2.2 Carrie and Charles DrouetThe first time when Carrie encounters Drouet, she finds that she is so poor compared with Hurstwoods whose appearance gives her a v

25、ery deep expression. And when they met the second time, Drouet also finds that Carrie has few new clothes and he buys some for her. And from then on Drouet begins to get Carries heart.After the night snack, both of them feels enthusiasm in their heats, Drouet loves Carrie which can see from his eyes

26、. The delicious night snack and the luxurious life all of these make Carrie stop to be careful; she listens to every word of Drouets. And she becomes the Sacrifice of the Metropolis.When Carrie begins to live together with Drouet, all the things, new clothes, house, car make her a little content. If

27、 see from some of the social classes Carrier has lived very comfortable life. In the poor peoples eyes Carrie is the queen. Where Carrie lives is the most beautiful place, no one can find another place can exceed hers. She gets away the difficulties in the past. But new difficulties have to appear i

28、n her heart. When she looks at the mirror she sees a more beautiful Carrie. But when she hears the evaluations from the outer she finds a worse Carrie. Maybe she can overcome the difficulties given by hard life, but if someone lets her wear the poor, old clothes again, she cannot bear. She likes the

29、 luxurious life; she wont let the poor clothes to match her beautiful face. She has used to the rich life. She concerns with the way of the other rich women, she learns to be like them.Seeing from Drouets personal character, he is nearly perfect, and he thinks every way to make Carrie happy, he spen

30、ds more money on Carrie and takes her to travel. But Carrie in fact she dosenot love Drouet only, because when they live together she finds that she is cleverer than Drouet, she begins to find that there are many demerits in him, and just at this time comes and she finds that she find a man better t

31、han Drouet in every aspect. Drouet dose not have the demeanor that Hurstwood has. So she has made some decision in her heart. Because Drouet cannot help Carrie to realize her dream, she must find another man who is available. And then she meets Hurstwood, but finally she deserts him too.2.3 Carrie A

32、nd HurstwoodFor Hurstwood has a higher social status than salesman, Drouet, and treat Carrie affably, so Hurstwood is the best object for Carrie to work off her desire. And that night when Carrie sits in her room, she feels her body hot. She feels glad for she lays her passion on Hurstwood, and vice

33、 versa. Carrie is excitedly expecting next meeting with Hurstwood on Sunday night. In fact, she has placed herself in a desperate situation. She loves man so much; his influence on her causes her to deem that she is in love with him. Carrie is conquered by his demeanor and nice clothing. She is witn

34、essing that Hurstwood, who is gentle and polite begins to show all his love to her.As the growth of Hurstwoods love on Carrie, he deserts his family with no any care on it. Every morning when he is enjoying his breakfast with his wife and children, what he thinks about is his own private affairs, an

35、d is far from what he and his wife are interested in. He always low his head reading newspaper. Maybe the childrens topic is too shallow to attract him from reading newspaper. And there is a huge gap between his wife and him. Now Carrie comes into his life, so he feels pleased with hopes to be toget

36、her with her. At last, he elopes with Carrie. In New York, Hurstwood steps to failure gradually. H pays off most of money he steals. Hurstwoods business breaks and stays at home with no job. He becomes slack, when Hurstwood has no more than a cent with him, Carrie starts her business as an actress a

37、t Broadway. And one day, Carrie moves out of the apartment in which she lives with Hustwood. The rich Hurstwood had ever been Carries ideal lover, but when he suffers poverty, he has no differences with the other poor workers in the factory. Living with Hrustwood cant make her content; she thinks Hu

38、rstwood cant compare with the other workers of the factory. Because in the end, Hurstwood has to live with the help of Carrie, which make Carrie leave this man ,but she doesnt go to another man, Instead she begins to make her own fortune, and becomes a successful actress and climbs to the peak of he

39、r fortune. Although she succeeds in the end, she finds that she is, in some way, wrong, she dose many immoral thong to others. She is a successful woman, but she feels lonely and depressed.2.4 Carrie and Mrs.VanceDuring the second year of Carrie residence in New York with Hurstwood, the flat across

40、the hall from her becomes vacant and it moves a pretty young woman through whom Carries achievements can be evaluated. The woman, Mrs. Vance, is a beautiful brunette of perhaps twenty-three married to a wealthy man a few years younger than Hurstwood. Through Mrs. Vances marriage to an elder, wealthy

41、 man, Dreiser acknowledges that the easiest way for a nineteenth-century woman to get ahead is to attach herself to the right man. This is something that Mrs. Vance has apparently been quite willing to do. She is described as a woman who loved” dressiness, jollity metropolitan life, crowds, theatres

42、 and gentlemen companions”Like Carrie, Mrs. Vance leaves home when she is young. But unlike Carrie, whose flight from home emanates from a curiosity about life, Mrs. Vances departure is engendered by a “runaway match” with a young student. She seems to have resolved that a young student is incapable

43、 of keeping her in an appropriate style: hence the marriage “turned out badly”. The present keeper of her “honor” is Mr. William B. Vance, “the secretary of a large tobacco company whose general office was in New York”. Because Mrs. Vance owes “his seemingly comfortable matrimonial state much more t

44、o his money than to his good looks”, Dreiser implies that Mrs. Vance sought and accepted an attachment largely for status and financial security.Mrs. Vance represents the female stereotype that is governed by a desire for the conspicuous display of wealth that her husband can provide. Carrie of tern

45、 observes that Mrs. Vance is impeccably groomed, and that she delights in flaunting the visible manifestations of what money and position can do. For Carrie Mrs. Vance has clearly “married well”. But it is just as clear to the reader that Dreiser disapproves of Mrs. Vances vulgar displays of wealth,

46、 displays which have merely been provided bt ger attachment to her husband.Nonetheless, Mrs. Vances sophistication and finery prompt Carries recognition of herself as poor. She recognizes the advantages of Mrs. Vances socio-cultural choice. Although Carrie appreciates that the “bargain” Mrs. Vance h

47、as made is a profitable one, she cannot and does not make the same compromise. Carrie has never been drawn primarily by sexual or material temptation. In fact, Carries true seducer is experience it self. By contrast, Mrs. Vance superficial sophistication is an illustration of the notion that she has

48、 accepted the gender requirements of her time. She is Dreisers portrait of the woman who recognizes that the only away she can get ahead is to accept and manipulate prescribed gender dictates, and it is against Mrs. Vance that we are urged to estimate Carrie. Carrie is true to herself and her indivi

49、duality and as such is unwilling to barter herself in exchange for prestige.At no time does Carrie surrender to the giant gender machine in which she must operate: not Dreisers mechanistic determinism but the machinery of a cultural system in which men are the wheels and women the cogs. Instead, Dre

50、iser offers Carrie the opportunity to discover a versatile medium through which she might re-invent herself as woman and transcend the gender stereotypes of her culture: acting. Moreover, Carries behavior when she achieves status as a successful actress illustrates her unwillingness to compromise he

51、rself.As a successful actress, she receives several “masher” letters wherein she is offered millions by men shoes chief desire is to give her “every luxury” she could want; indeed, there is “not anything she could ask for that couldnt have” form her many admirers. Although such adulation pleases Car

52、rie, her primary response is “coolness and indifference”. Her resolute unwillingness to concede her individuality is manifest through her continued efforts to succeed as an actress. Ad her ensuing triumph as a remarkably talented woman suggests a glaring contrast to Mrs. Vance. Unlike her friend, Ca

53、rrie is not blinded by her sex, nor is her behavior circumscribed by socio-sexual mandates. Carrie is the repository of Dreisers moral independence; she is empowered with strength to fashion a singularly independent, albeit feminine, identity. In her quest to re-invent herself as liberated woman Dre

54、iser permits Carrie to transcend the relentlessly cruel naturalistic environment that crushes Hurstwood. Indeed, while Carrie is working on the stage that Hurstwood begins his terrible downward spiral, and she begins to tire of his demands. Hurstwoods attraction to Carrie has, all along, been based

55、on opportunism: he assumes that he can exploit her and that she is innately defenseless because she is a woman. When Carrie begins to neglect Hurstwood she does so not only because he is increasingly unsightly and demanding, but also because he has never fully realized her worth. Her weariness of hi

56、m, coupled with her curiosity about the world and her intrinsic need to re-invent herself, drives her away from Hurstwood and the life they share together.American Dream and Its Reflection on Carrie3.1 American DreamAmerican literature records the dreams during different periods of American whose hi

57、story is about two hundred years or more. The American literature history may be said to be the history of American dreams. The various literary characters that writers creat represent various dreams and make up various colors of the American culture, from which we can see the values and cultural an

58、d psychological characteristics in different periods when the American capitalistic society has been developing. American Dream, that is, everyone could be successful through striving. The essence of American Dream is to a dream to be achieved, a successful dream. We can understand the essence of Am

59、erican Dream more deeply from the description of Carrie's love. We can see that there are mainly two changes in Carrie's life. Both of the two changes are on the basis of pursuing success. Carrie wants to be successful, so she falls into love with Drouet and Hurstwood in order to get benefits from them. The history of literature is a reflection of the history of society. As for thi