The Twisted American Dream, the Awakening Woman’s Self-consciousness, and Dreiser’s Naturalism

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Ⅰ. Introduction

 Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie was published in 1900. The main character of this book was Carrie Meeber, who ran away from home at the age of eighteen. She had typical characteristics of the American middle class, demanding to change her economic situation and status, pursuing the personality liberation. Sister Carrie remains vital for many reasons: as a historical marker for the turn away from sentimentality, romance, and moral rectitude in the American novels at the beginning of the twentieth century; as a text that influenced the succeeding American novelists over the next several decades; and as a conundrum that never ceases to provoke debate for readers both general and professional. While the first half of the twentieth century produced a diverse range of critical opinions on Sister Carrie by reviewers and essayists, the second half witnessed an abiding argument within academia regarding the quality, value, importance, and interpretation of the text. This novel made the volatility of the period concrete, vivid, and unforgettable by registering its effect on individual lives. The sweeping changes registered in the novel were the economy's shifting from an agricultural to an industrial base, the erosion of traditional values following the Darwinian revolution, and the changing relations of men and women.

This thesis reanalyzes Sister Carrie from a new angle, that is, the twisted American Dream and women’s self-consciousness displayed in the novel, which will help invoke readers’ considerations over Dreiser’s naturalism. What is the twisted American Dream? How is Carrie’s self-consciousness awakened? What is the inner relationship between American Dream, woman’s self-consciousness, and Dreiser’s naturalism?

In American literature, there is a reappearing theme, American Dream, with different manifestation in different periods of time. First of all, the writer will focus on the twisted American Dream, which is caused by the cruel social background at that time and the twist of Carrie’s infinite desire and her wrong views of value. Then the thesis will proceed to expound the awakening women’s self-consciousness in Sister Carrie. Carrie’s self–consciousness embodies the properties of New Woman, so the definition of New Woman must be introduced. The hard process of Carrie’s awakening self-consciousness will be demonstrated after that. In the course of pursuing the twisted American Dream, Carrie goes toward independence step by step. Finally, naturalism embodied by the twisted American Dream and women’s self-consciousness will be set forth. Dreiser regards objectivity and reality as the best creative rule, gives prominence to living consciousness and desire instinct and emphasizes the decisive role of the environment. It is the relentless social environment that changes the pure American Dream into a twisted one. Struggle for survival is Carrie’s basic demand. The conclusion will be drawn that it is essential for us to establish a harmonious social environment, and erect view of world, view of life, and view of value.

Ⅱ. The Twisted American Dream

2.1 The Evolving Process of the American Dream

The history of the American Dream began with the “May flower” in 1620. The puritans from England, who wanted to escape from the political, economic and religious persecution of the Old World, dreamed of building up a New World. That’s the beginning of the American Dream. America, a place where everyone had a fair chance in making it big; America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, set your sail and travel to the New World of wonder and where your wildest dreams come true. In the American Declaration of Independence, the founding father stated “old certain truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”[1] This sentiment was considered the foundation of the American Dream. Everybody tried to struggle for freedom and welfare. After the independence of the U.S, Benjamin Franklin, one of the drafters of the Declaration of Independence, became both a spokesman and a model for the national character of later generations of Americans. He was the representative of the American Dream for his autobiography. Benjamin Franklin was often referred to as the First American and he was given this title with good reason and it proved him more as an American hero, especially a hero for American youngsters.

In the monopoly period, modern values had transformed the American Dream’s pure ideals into a scheme for materialistic power, and further, the world of high society lacked sense of morals and consequence. The disparity between rich and poor being serious, hedonism and money worship being overflowed, people would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. Benjamin Franklin’s way to wealth had been out of date. The American Dream had become the pursuit of material prosperity that people worked more hours to get bigger cars, fancier homes and the fruits of prosperity for their families, but they had less time to enjoy their prosperity. In Dreiser’s times, the content of the American Dream was to pursue more money and higher rank in society and it brought great hazards to the American society.

2.2 The Causes of the Twisted American Dream

2.2.1 The Cruel Social Background in Sister Carrie

The city has its cunning wiles, no less than the infinitely smaller and more human tempter. There are large forces which allure with all the soulfulness of expression possible in the most cultured human. In his first novel, Dreiser opted to paint a realistic portrait of America for what it really was—materialistic (Gerber 52). “The money ideal would be exposed as the great motivating purpose of life in the United States: one’s 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” (ibid. 52-53). Sister Carrie completely reiterates America’s obsession with money because there is not one character whose own status symbol isn’t determined economically (ibid. 53).

At the end of the Civil War, big business boomed and there was a preoccupation with “conspicuous consumption” (Ward 33). Capitalism roared and consumers began to see each other for what they thought they really were: money. Dreiser first describes his Carrie Meeber not by her opinions or actions, but by what she owns “a small trunk, a cheap imitation alligator-skin satchel ... and a small yellow snap purse” (Dreiser 54). Although Carrie cannot afford a real alligator-skin satchel, she owns an imitation so that she appears to be something she is not (Ward 70). False appearances are a reiterated theme throughout Sister Carrie. Contrary to the model of stay-at-home wife and mother associated with the Victorian era through much of the twentieth century, in the early economy, the labor of women was central. Women canned the family crops, spun cloth and crafted it into clothing and linens, made soaps and candles, and produced other essential goods. The transition from an agricultural economy centered in the family to an industrial order characterized by managerial capitalism depended on the development of factories throughout the nineteenth century.

When Carrier entered Chicago and met Drouet, the readers became attentive to her fascination with the upper class. “In 本文出自www.lunwendashi.com，在代写英语毕业论文与留学生论文方面具有丰富的经验！如果需要原创英语论文，英文论文请联系QQ 898498550