自然主义和德莱塞的《嘉莉妹妹》

本科毕业论文本科生毕业论文Naturalism and Dreisers Sister Carrie自然主义和德莱塞的嘉莉妹妹院 系：外国语系专 业： 英 语 学生姓名: 学 号： 指导教师： 2008年6月 ContentsContentsIAcknowledgementsIIAbstractIII摘 要IV1 Introduction12 The Rise of Naturalism.22.1 The Appearance of Naturalism .22.2 The Influence of Darwins Theory of Evolution .33 Naturalism in Sister Carrie .53.1 A Brief Introduction to Sister Carrie.53.2 The position of Sister Carrie in American Literature.73.3 The Influence of Naturalism on Sister Carries Fate.93.4 Hurstwoods DeathA Full Display of Naturalism.134 Survival of the Fittest in Our Society-On 2006 Supergirls Hao Feier.16 5 Conclusion .18References 19.I AcknowledgementsI would like to thank all those who have given me their generous helps, commitment and enthusiasm, which have been the major driven force to complete the paper.First, I would like to thank my supervisor Mr. Zhou for his constant encouragement and guidance. He has walked me through all the stages of the writing of thesis. Without his constant and illuminating instruction, this thesis could not have reached its present form.Second, my thanks would go to my beloved family for their loving considerations and great confidence in me all through these years. I also owe my sincere gratitude to my friends and my fellow classmates who gave me their help and time in listening to me and helping me work out my problems during the difficult course of the thesis.AbstractUnder the influence of Darwins theory of evolution, American literary naturalism emerged as an outgrowth of American realism. In literature, naturalists attempted to achieve extreme truth and frankness, by presenting characters of low social and economic classes. The naturalists believed that the human animal responded to environmental forces like any other animals. The aim was survival. Due to his strong language and writing style, Dreiser became one American writer who noticeably practiced naturalism. Dreisers novel, Sister Carrie, brought a tremendous impact to the society of that period, which made it a representative of naturalism. In this paper, the author firstly talked about the rise of naturalism, and then gave a brief introduction of the special status of Sister Carrie in the American literature. In Sister Carrie, Dreiser dramatized two images. One was Carrie, a figure driven by desire and instinct: the other was Hurstwood, a figure of tragedy. From the two images, we could see the law “survival of the fittest” was at its full display. Based on “Sister Carrie”, this essay would have an analysis and appreciation of naturalism and the different fates of the two main characters. The purpose of this paper was to acquire a deeper idea of naturalism.Key words: naturalism; desire; determinism自然主义和德莱塞的嘉莉妹妹摘 要在达尔文的进化论影响下，作为现实主义的延续, 美国文学出现了自然主义。在文学领域，通过展现社会和经济层次较低的人物, 自然主义者致力于达到绝对真实和诚实。自然主义者相信人类对环境压力的反应和其他动物一样，目标只是生存。由于他的强有力的语言和写作风格,德莱塞成为了一位展示自然主义的美国作家。德莱塞的小说嘉莉妹妹给那个时代的美国社会带来了巨大冲击,它成了美国自然主义的代表作品。本文中作者首先谈论了自然主义的产生，然后简单介绍了嘉莉妹妹在美国文学史上的特殊地位，在嘉莉妹妹中，德莱塞刻画了两个人物形象，一个是嘉莉，受着本能和欲望的驱使，另一个是郝思伍德，一个悲剧形象。通过这两个角色，我们可以看到适者生存法则得到了完美体现。本文以嘉莉妹妹为范本解读自然主义以及小说中两个主人公的不同命运，以此我们来更深刻的领悟自然主义。关键词：自然主义；欲望；决定论I 1 IntroductionWith the development of industry and modern science, and under the influence of the disturbing teaching of Darwinism, some people began to see that man was no longer a free ethical being in a cold and indifferent world. American naturalism emerged in the 1980s as an outgrowth of realism. It was defined as the technique of portraying a scientifically accurate, detached picture of life, including everything. The naturalists saw mans life as governed by two forces of heredity and environment that were beyond mans control. Man was totally helpless and hopeless in the vast universe. “Naturalistic writers attempted to achieve objectivity and frankness, presenting characters of low social and economic classes who were predetermined biologically and sociologically. Naturalistic literature tended to be concerned with the less elegant aspects of life and its typical settings were the filthy slum, the sweatshop, the factory or the farm.” (Yang Xiaofeng, 2006: 203)Theodore Dreiser was one of the most important and influential naturalistic writers in American literature. Sister Carrie, a milestone in Dreisers writings, was a representative of naturalism. In Sister Carrie, Dreiser dramatized two images. One was Carrie, a figure driven by desire and instinct: the other was Hurstwood, a figure of tragedy. This essay would have an analysis and appreciation of naturalism and the different fates of the two main characters. The author hoped that through this paper, we could acquire a deeper idea of naturalism.2 The Rise of Naturalism2.1 The Appearance of NaturalismAt the end of the Civil War, big business boomed and there was now a preoccupation with conspicuous consumption. Capitalism roared and consumers began to see each other for what they thought they really were: money. There came a generation of writers whose ideas of the working of the universe and whose perception of the societys disorder led them to naturalism. Under the influence of European writers such as Emile Zola, Thomas Hardy and George Eliot, American literary naturalism emerged in the 1890s as an outgrowth of American realism.The origin of the universe and all things contained there by natural processes is widely accepted and proclaimed. Many to natural processes attribute the development of the first living organisms and their diversification into all the plants and animals now extant. The most widely accepted explanation is usually called the theory of evolution, often taught as a law of nature based on established fact. To question its validity in the intellectual world is virtual heresy. A new and harsher realism, naturalism was introduced to the United States. American naturalists emphasized that world was amoral that men and women had no free will, that their lives were controlled by heredity and the environment, that religious truths were illusory, and that the destiny of humanity was misery in life and oblivion in death. The pessimism and deterministic ideas of naturalism pervaded the novels of such writers as Stephen Crane, Frank Norris, Jack London and Theodore Dreiser. Naturalism in literature is a moral and spiritual absolute zero, conceivable but unattainable, and the term naturalistic when applied to a book or an author must be able only in a relatively sense.In literature, naturalists spoke out against the ideas that literature should present what Howells called for the smiling aspects of life. Instead, they attempted to achieve extreme objectivity and frankness presenting characters of low social and economic classes who were dominated by their environment or heredity in depicting the extremes of life.In naturalist fiction, the characters were often the lowest in the social stratum. It was believed that people in the under-classes had no buffet of civilization between themselves and nature. The naturalist stories were often about these rendered helpless by uncontrollable forces. The mood was invariably dark and pessimistic. Furthermore, violence in naturalist fiction was explicit and sex broke through the taboos and decorum that bound realists.2.2 The Influence of Darwins Theory of EvolutionDarwinism seems to stress the animalist of man, to suggest that the irresistible forces of evolution dominated him. The Darwinist belief that humans are highly evolved animals becomes a refutation of the religious (Christian creation) view that humans exist below angels. Therefore, the human animal responds to environmental forces like any other animals. The aim is survival.The existence of a human person is limited by where and when he or she is born and the social economic forces he or she has to wrestle with. Only the fittest survivals in the life can live in this society. Because freedom of will dose not exist, ethical choices are illusory. Naturalism thus eliminates the ethical problem that lies at the heart of the realist novel. Since human behavior is determined, it cannot be judged in terms of right or wrong, good or bad.As Dreiser entered the literary scene in the early 1900s, a conventional style of writing had already been set into tradition. The function of literature was to appeal to mans higher nature, to inspire him through the depiction of mans capacity to achieve the ethical life to seek such a life for him. Materialism and capitalism in a booming economy, conventional standards of men and womens roles, and the denial of the American public in response to the novel all prove that Sister Carrie was ahead of its time in portraying the authentic and pessimistic view of real existence.3 Naturalism in Sister Carrie3.1 A Brief Introduction to Sister Carrie When Carrie left her town in Wisconsin, she had nothing but a few dollars and a certain unspoiled beauty and charm. Young, inexperienced, she was going to Chicago to live with her sister and to find work. While on the train, she met Charles Drouet, a genial, flashy traveling salesman. Before the train pulled into the station, they had exchanged stresses, and Drouet promised to call on Carrie at the sisters house.When she arrived at her sisters home, Carrie discovered that her life there would be far from the happy, carefree existence of which she had dreamed. Then Carrie went job-hunting and finally found work in a small shoe factory. Of her first wages, all but fifty cents went to her sister. Then she fell ill and lost her job. Once again she had to look for work. Day after day she trudged the streets, without success. It seemed as if she would have to go back to Wisconsin, and the Hansons encouraged her to do so. If she could not bring in money, they did not want her.One day, while Carrie was looking for work, she met Drouet and told him her troubles. He offered her money, which, with reluctance, she finally accepted. A few days later Carrie went to live with Drouet, who had promised to marry her as soon as he had completed a business deal.In the meantime, Drouet introduced her to a friend, G. W. Hurstwood. Hurstwood had a good job as the manager of a saloon, a comfortable home, a wife, and two grown children. More than twice Carries age, he nevertheless accepted Drouet s suggestion that he look in on her while the salesman was out of town on one of his trips. Before long, Hurstwood fell in love with her. Carrie was furious when Drouet told her that Hurstwood was already married.Meanwhile, Mrs. Hurstwood had become suspicious of her husband. Drouet had secured for Carrie a part in a theatrical entertainment, which a local lodge was presenting. Hurstwood, hearing that Carrie was to appear, persuaded many of his friends to go with him to the show. Mrs. Hurstwood learned of the affair and heard, too, that her husband had been seen riding with an unknown woman. She confronted Hurstwood and told him that she intended to sue for divorce. Faced with social and financial ruin, Hurstwood was in despair. One night he discovered that his employers safe was open. He robbed it of several thousand dollars and went to Carries apartment. Drouet has just deserted her. Pretending that Drouet had been hurt, Hurstwood succeeded in getting Carrie on a train bound for Montreal. In Montreal Hurstwood was approached by an agent of his former employer, who urged him to return the money and to settle the issue quietly. Hurstwood returned all but a relatively small sum.Under the name of wheeler, he and Carrie were married. Then they left for New York. There Hurstwood looked for work, but with no success. Gradually he grew less eager for a job, and began staying at home all day. When bills piled up, he and Carrie moved to a new apartment to escape their creditors.Carrie set out to find work and was lucky enough to get a job as a chorus girl. With a friend, she took an apartment and left Hurstwood to himself. Soon Carrie became a well-known actress, and a local hotel invited her to become a guest there, at a nominal expense. Carrie had many friends and admirers. She had money and all the comforts and luxuries, which appealed to a small-town girl.Hurstwood had not fared so well. He could find no work. One day he went to see Carrie. She gave him some money, largely because she had seen Drouet and had learned for the first time of Hurstwoods theft in Chicago. She believed that Hurstwood had kept his disgrace a secret in order to spare her feeling.Although Carrie was a toast of the town, she was not happy in spite of her success. She was invited to give performances abroad. In the meantime Hurstwood died and, unknown to Carrie, was buried in the potters field. As Carrie was sailing for London, Hurstwoods ex-wife, daughter, and prospective son-in-law were coming into the city, eager for pleasure and social success, a success made possible by the daughters coming marriage and by Hurstwoods divorce settlement, which had given the family all of property.3.2 The Position of Sister Carrie in American LiteratureAs a guide and pioneer of American naturalism, Theodore Dreiser devoted his whole life in story writing and in presenting the true nature of American life with relentless honesty. The author dramatized the image of Sister Carrie-the representative of American bourgeoisie who was a famous actress before being a childlike and happy village girl. Sister Carrie fell into emptiness after her accomplishment. The author explored the way of personality liberation through the dramatization of the image of Sister Carrie. At the same time, the author exposed the corruption and attacked the capitalism. To this day, Sister Carrie remains one of the most controversial novels of its time. The remarkably realistic characters and contentious situations created by Theodore Dreiser illustrate the double standards within a growing American society at the turn of the twentieth century. Naturalism plays a large part in the development of each character and their pathetic inability to evade their trivial fates. The perverse fascination and distaste surrounding this incapability mirrors a societys hypocrisy of its own social standards. For his first novel, Dreiser opted to paint a realistic portrait of America for what it really was materialistic. The money ideal would be exposed as the great motivating purpose of life in the United States: ones relative affluence at any level of society determining the degree creature comfort one might enjoy, the measure of prestige one might own, and the extent of social power one might command. Sister Carrie completely reiterates Americas obsession with money because there is not one character whose own status symbol isnt determined economically.Dreisers approach of retelling life how it really was created a great deal of unexpected controversy. The sum and substance of literary as well as social morality may be expressed in three words-tell the truth. This statement made by Dreiser himself was in response to critics against the publication of Sister Carrie. The depiction of a fallen woman in a success story was considered completely immoral.Basically, the didactic method of literature was there to create an ideal society. When Sister Carrie came along, most reviewers held upon the fundamental circumstances of the novel-a young woman has two forbidden sexual affairs without experiencing either “material loss or moral degeneration”. Also, since God was not mentioned once in the novel, Sister Carrie was considered immediate grounds for dismissal.Such debate surrounding a novel can really only prove one point-It is a story of real life, of their lives. All of these situations, “materialism, seduction adultery, bigamy, and theft”, were actually occurring in real life.This denial of Americans own lives further reiterates the hypocrisy in a growing capitalist society. In a brief essay entitled “True Art Speaks Plainly”, Dreiser concluded “a true picture of life, honestly and reverentially set down, is both moral and artistic whether it offends the conventions or not”.Dreisers Sister Carrie dealt with the sordid side of everyday life. Although his characters were mixture of moral and corrupt, “unable to assert their will against natural and economic forces”, he rarely passed judgment on them. These extraordinarily convincing individuals and the circumstances created by Theodore Dreiser demonstrated the ironies within an emergent American culture after the civil warNo body could deny his importance. He and his books were like a huge mountain. Dreiser novel was always intensely interesting with its simple but highly moving characters. He was good at employing the journalistic method of re iteration to burn a central impression into the readers mind. On the whole, with its warm-hearted representation of the essential worth and dignity of people of lower orders, the novel was generally regarded as a landmark novel of timeless significance.3.3 The Influence of Naturalism on Sister Carries FateDreisers Sister Carrie was a novel, which broke the conservation and noble tradition of the Victorian period, opened the road to the life of reality and passion. The creation of naturalism literature was mainly caused by desire, consumption and determinism.Dreiser was a preacher of Darwinism; the author regarded the society as sea, and the people as the fishes in the sea. People all had desires, so we were bound not to be free.In Sister Carrie, Dreiser presented us various kind of psychologies and fates of different people driven by desire. From the beginning to the end of the story, the heroineCarrie, could not free herself from desires, no matter in the village or city, in Chicago or New York.For we have already know that at the beginning of this novel, Carrie was eighteen years of age, bright, timid, and full of illusions of ignorance and youth. “In 1889 Chicago had the peculiar qualification of growth which made such adventuresome pilgrimages even on the part of young girls plausible. Its many and growing commercial opportunities gave it widespread fame, which made of it a giant magnet, drawing to itself, from all quarters, the hopeful and the hopeless-those who had their fortune yet to make and those whose fortunes and affairs had reached a disastrous climax elsewhere. It was a city of over 500,000, with the ambition, the daring, the activity of a metropolis of a million”. (Dreiser, 2001:17) This was the description of Chicago written by the author. In such a condition, Carrie came to Chicago. She was longing for the luxurious life of the city people. But when she arrived at her sisters house, she felt the drag of a lean and narrow life. The next problem was hunting for a job.After many setbacks, the beautiful woman, Carrie, loafed in the city. When Carrie wandering around the store amid the fine displays, her woman heart was warm with desire for them. What would she not have given if she could have them all. Every article in the window woke up her desire, while she approached the door; she found that she did not have the key to the door-money. The real life made Carrie realize that illusions and desires cannot satisfy her real need. From this point, Dreiser symbolized the heroines desire for the m