Naturalism of Dreiser in Sister Carrie论嘉莉妹妹中的自然主义

Naturalismin Sister Carrie

Abstract:TheodoreDreiser ,the writer of Sister Carrie ,is one of the most outstandingrepresentatives of American naturalism. In this thesis, his firstnovel Sister Carrie is taken as an example to analyze the features ofDreiser’s naturalism. The thesis referred to three great historicaland cultural background of the novel which are Darwinism,Determinism, American Naturalism and Industrial Revolution .And thethesis analyzes three features of naturalism. At last, we payattention to Dreiser’s exploration ------human desire andrevelation of the dark side of human nature
KeyWords: Naturalism Darwinism desire environment human nature

Naturalismof Dreiser in Sister Carrie

Introduction
TheodorDreiser (1871-1945)，anAmerican author, outstanding representative of naturalism, whosenovels depict real-life subjects in a harsh light. Many of his worksreferred to the description of naturalism and weakened his criticalspirit. His first novel Sister Carrie published in 1990 revealed thefinancial disparity and the moral decline of American society andthus regarded as forbidden book. But now the book becomes one of thebest-sellers of American literature because of the naturalisticfeatures in it. Then Dreiser is regarded as a pioneer of Americannaturalism and as a naturalist Dreiser expresses the characteristicsof naturalism in most of his works. The themes of Darwinism andDeterminism are the common features of Dreiser’s story which alsocharacterize Sister Carrie.

Dreiserchose to reflect life truthful in his works when other novels dealonly with the beautiful aspects of life,. It is not an exaggerationto say that Dreiser's Sister Carrie clears the way for thedevelopment of American fiction.

Fromfollow analysis of three aspects and conclusion,we can find out the

naturalismof Dreiser in Sister Carrie

1.The historical and cultural background for Sister Carrie
TheodoreDreiser's Sister Carrie reflects the profound transformations inAmerican life in the late nineteenth century.

1.1Darwinism and Determinism
In1859, Darwin’s The Origin of Specie appeared. It soon changed man’srecognition. Before Darwin, human was separated from the animalsbecause of its moral. However, at this time evolutionist consideredhuman as a part of natural things and a member of the animal kingdom.American naturalists accepted “bestiality” and “ human beast”as an explanation of desire.

Theyattempted to achieve extreme objectivity and frankness presentingcharacters of low social and economic classes who are determined bytheir environment and heredity. They dismissed the validity ofcomforting moral truth. Darwinism is the most important theory, whichgreatly affects Sister Carrie.

Freud’stheory gives theoretic basis to Dreiser’s description of man’sdesire. Freud considers man’s natural instinct as determination. Tohim man is a part of nature since man is a member of animals. Humanmentality and action will forever be determined by instinct. Desireis just a genetic instinct in his opinion.

1.2American naturalism
SisterCarrie was written and published also at the rise of Americannaturalism, which means a particular genre of fiction that developedin the late 19th century America, and associated principally withwriters such as Jack London , Stephen Crane, Frank Norris andTheodore Dreise.

Atthe end of nineteenth century came a generation of writers whoseideas of the working of the universe and whose perception of thesociety's disorder led them to naturalism. A new and harsher realism,naturalism was introduced to the United States, literary naturalistsspoke out against the ideas that literature should present what

Howellscalled for the " smiling aspects of life". Instead, theyattempted to achieve extreme objectivity and frankness presentingcharacters of low social and economic classes who were dominated bytheir environment or heredity in depicting the extremes of life.American naturalists emphasized that world was amoral that men andwomen had no free will, that their lives were controlled by heredityand the environment, that religious "truths" were illusory,and that the destiny of humanity was misery in life and ablivion indeath.

1.3 Industrial Revolution
IndustrialRevolution brought American people a value crisis. The 19th centurywas the time of industrialization. Serial changes made people feelthey were conquering the world and obtaining their treasures. Thesurprising development made people feel too close to wealth andhappiness. Then appeared small amounts of industrial giants and largenumber of poor people, American value materialistic to the core.Living in such a society with such a value system, the humanindividual is obsessed with a never end, yet meaningless search forsatisfaction of his desire.

2.The typical characteristics of naturalism in Sister Carrie
InSister Carrie I find out that some of its themes differ from those ofother naturalistic works.

2.1The desire, instinct and the ifluence of environments
Freud’s theory gives theoretic basis to Dreiser’s description ofman’s desire. Freud considers man’s natural instinct asdetermination. To him man is a part of nature since man is a memberof animals. Human mentality and action will forever be determined byinstinct. Desire is just a genetic instinct in his opinion.

Thisthesis covers Dreiser’s meaningful ideas--desire. Man’s behavioris dominated by instincts (desires, needs and fear) and environments(cities and consumerism) and chances. In the process of evolution,man is not able to control instincts completely. Desire is consideredhereditary and instinctive. In this novel most of the centralcharacters are hurried by a desire of personal affirmation, a desire

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theycan neither articulate nor suppress. And Carrie Meeber is therepresentative. She sufferd from a need that her lives assume thedignity of dramatic form, and they suffer terribly, because they donot really understand it.

Herview to money is “Money, something everybody else has and I mustget.” (Theodore Dreiser, 1979, P77) Drouet then becomes her firstladder. When Drouet give her money for the first time, she hesitates.She knows clearly that no deep, sinister soul with ulterior motivescould have given her fifteen cents under friendship, since “naturehas taught the beasts of the beats of the field to fly when someunheralded dangers threatens” (Theodore Dreiser, 1979, P79) Here inher superego, she has a feeble instinct of self-production. However,deep in her mind, there is a strong desire for better clothes,jewelry, dinning in halls and plays in the theaters. Thenpreconscious becomes weak. Id gets upper hand. At last, id impliesthe superego and Carrie chooses to live with Drouet.

Whenshe knows that Drouet’s love is unsteady, the appearance ofHurstwood stimulates her new hope and desire. It is the new hope anddesire that compels her actions. “his kind of unfulfilled dreamswould beckon and lead her until death and dissolution dissolve theirpower and would restore her blind to nature’s heart” (TheodoreDreiser, 1979, P353) When Hurstwood can supply the life she dreamsof, she stays with him, if not, she leaves.

Withthe degradation of Hurstwood, Carrie would not endure losing herdreams. When she meets Mrs Vance, Carrie longs for the daintydecorated, beautiful clothes and genteel manners. “What a wonderfulthing it was to be rich” (Theodore Dreiser, 1979, P385) is thepowerful voice of her heart. Without money,she leaves again.

Fromthe beginning to the end, Carrie is just like a machine controlled bythe desires .

2.2The influence of the environment
Environmentis a tremendous thing often leads people to a wrong direction.

Drouettells Carrie that Chicago is a wonder, and that she will find lots tosee. Even her siste tells her, “You'll want to see the city.”[1]She comes there. She

comesto the big web of Chicago in order to pursue a happy life. Theprosperous parties, lights, dinners, theatres attract her.

shechooses Drouet.As soon as she sees Hurstwood, she evaluates hisworth¡ªhis wealth, position and sexuality----by his “rich”plaid vest, mother of pearl buttons and soft black shoes “polishedonly to a dull shine.” When she meets Mrs Vance, Carrie longs forthe dainty decorated, beautiful clothes and genteel manners. “Whata wonderful thing it was to be rich” (Theodore Dreiser, 1979,P385) is the powerful voice from the bottom of her heart. She intersanother pursuition.

3.Dreiser’s exploration
------humandesire and revelation of the dark side of human nature
Fromthe first novel Sister Carrie on, Dreiser set himself to project theAmerican values for what he had found them to be --materialistic tothe core. Living in such a society with such a value system, thehuman individual is obsessed with a never-ending, yet meaninglesssearch for satisfaction of his desires. One of the desires is formoney which was a motivating purpose of life in the United States inthe late l9th century. For example, in Sister Carrie, there is notone character whose status is not determined economically. Sex isanother human desire that Dreiser explored to considerab1e lengths inhis novels to reveal the dark side of human nature. In Sister Carrie,Carrie climbs up the social ladder by means of her sexual appeal.Also in the “Trilogy of Desire,”the possession of sexual beautysymbolizes the acquisition of some social status of great magnitude.However, Dreiser never forgot to imply that these human desires in1ife could hardly be defined. They are there like a powerful"magnetism" governing human existence and reducing humanbeings to nothing. So like all naturalists he was restrained fromfinding a solution to the social problems that appeared in his novelsand accordingly almost all his works have tragic endings.

Conclusion
Thisshort thesis can not cover Dreiser's meaningful naturalism. Hisgreatness is in his insight, his sympathy, and his tragic view oflife. Dreiser explorated human

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desireand revelation of the dark side of human nature

References:

[1]Bantam.Sister Carrie [M]. New York: Bantam Classics , 1992. p.61.

[2]Williams, M & L. B. Burden. Psychology for Language Teachers [M].

Beijing:Foreign language Teaching and Research Press/Cambridge UniversityPress,

2000.

[3]Theodore Dreiser . Sister Carrie [M]. Bei Jing : Foreign LanguageTeaching

andStuding Press 1981 : 136.

[4]蒋道超.德莱塞研究[M]. 上海:上海外语教育出版社,2002 : 125 .

1.爱不释手fondleadmiringly.

2.百闻不如一见（眼见为实）Seeingis believing.

3.比上不足比下有余worseoff than some, better off than many; to fall short of the best, butbe better than the worst.

4.笨鸟先飞Aslow sparrow should make an early start.

5.不眠之夜whitenight
6.不以物喜不以己悲notpleased by external gains, not saddened by personnal losses
7.不遗余力spareno effort; go all out; do one's best
8.不打不成交Nodiscord, no concord.

9.拆东墙补西墙robPeter to pay Paul
10.辞旧迎新bidfarewell to the old and usher in the new; ring out the old year andring in the new
11.大事化小小事化了tryfirst to make their mistake sound less serious and then to reduce itto nothing at all
12.大开眼界openone's eyes; broaden one's horizon; be an eye-opener
13.国泰民安Thecountry flourishes and people live in peace.

14.过犹不及goingtoo far is as bad as not going far enough; beyond is as wrong asfalling short; too much is as bad as too little
15.功夫不负有心人Everythingcomes to him who waits.

16.好了伤疤忘了疼onceon shore, one prays no more
17.好事不出门恶事传千里Goodnews never goes beyond the gate, while bad news spread far and wide.

18.和气生财Harmonybrings wealth.

19.活到老学到老Oneis never too old to learn.

20.既往不咎letbygones be bygones
21.金无足赤人无完人Goldcan't be pure and man can't be perfect.

22.金玉满堂Treasuresfill the home.

23.脚踏实地bedown-to-earth

24.脚踩两只船siton the fence
25.君子之交淡如水thefriendship between gentlemen is as pure as crystal; a hedge betweenkeeps friendship green
26.老生常谈陈词滥调cutand dried, cliché
27.礼尚往来Courtesycalls for reciprocity.

28.留得青山在不怕没柴烧Wherethere is life, there is hope.

29.马到成功achieveimmediate victory; win instant success
30.名利双收gainin both fame and wealth
31.茅塞顿开besuddenly enlightened
32.没有规矩不成方圆Nothingcan be accomplished without norms or standards.

33.每逢佳节倍思亲Onfestive occasions more than ever one thinks of one's dear ones faraway.It is on the festival occasions when one misses his dear most.

34.谋事在人成事在天Theplanning lies with man, the outcome with Heaven. Man proposes, Goddisposes.

35.弄巧成拙betoo smart by half; Cunning outwits itself
36.拿手好戏masterpiece
37.赔了夫人又折兵throwgood money after bad
38.抛砖引玉amodest spur to induce others to come forward with valuablecontributions; throw a sprat to catch a whale
39.破釜沉舟cutoff all means of retreat；burnone‘s own way of retreat and be determined to fight to the end
40.抢得先机takethe preemptive opportunities
41.巧妇难为无米之炊Ifyou have no hand you can't make a fist. One can't make bricks withoutstraw.

42.千里之行始于足下athousand-li journey begins with the first step--the highest eminenceis to be gained step by step
43.前事不忘后事之师Pastexperience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future. 44.

前人栽树后人乘凉Onegeneration plants the trees in whose shade another generationrests.One sows and another reaps.

45.前怕狼后怕虎fearthe wolf in front and the tiger behind hesitate in doing something
46.强龙难压地头蛇Evena dragon (from the outside) finds it hard to control a snake in itsold haunt - Powerful outsiders can hardly afford to neglect localbullies.

47.强强联手win-winco-operation
48.瑞雪兆丰年Atimely snow promises a good harvest.

49.人之初性本善Man'snature at birth is good.

50.人逢喜事精神爽Joyputs heart into a man.

51.人海战术huge-crowdstrategy
52.世上无难事只要肯攀登Wherethere is a will, there is a way.

53.世外桃源afictitious land of peace away from the turmoil of the world; 54.死而后已untilmy heart stops beating
55.岁岁平安Peaceall year round.

56.上有天堂下有苏杭Justas there is paradise in heaven, while there are Suzhou and Hangzhouon earth

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57.塞翁失马焉知非福Misfortunemay be an actual blessing.

58.三十而立Aman should be independent at the age of thirty.At thirty, a manshould be able to think for himself.

59.升级换代updatingand upgrading (of products) 60.四十不惑Lifebegins at forty.

61.谁言寸草心报得三春晖Suchkindness of warm sun, can't be repaid by grass. 62.水涨船高Whenthe river rises, the boat floats high.

63.时不我待Timeand tide wait for no man.

64.杀鸡用牛刀breaka butterfly on the wheel
65.实事求是seektruth from facts; be practical and realistic; be true to facts66.说曹操,曹操到Talkof the devil and he comes.

67.实话实说speakthe plain truth; call a spade a spade; tell it as it is
68.实践是检验真理的唯一标准Practiceis the sole criterion for testing truth. 69.山不在高，有仙则名'Nomatter how high the mountain is, its name will spread far and wide ifthere is a fairy; '
70.韬光养晦hideone's capacities and bide one's time
71.糖衣炮弹sugar-coatedbullets
72.天有不测风云Anythingunexpected may happen. a bolt from the blue
73.团结就是力量Unityis strength.

74.“跳进黄河洗不清”eveif one jumped into the Yellow River, one can not wash oneselfclean--there's nothing one can do to clear one's name.

75.歪风邪气unhealthypractices and evil phenomena 76.物以类聚，人以群分Birdsof a feather flock together.

77.往事如风'Thepast has vanished (from memory) like wind.; What in past, is pas78.望子成龙holdhigh hopes for one's child
79.屋漏又逢连阴雨Misfortunesnever come singly. When it rains it pours.

80.文韬武略militaryexpertise; military strategy
81.唯利是图drawwater to one's mill
82.无源之水,无本之木waterwithout a source, and a tree without roots
83.无中生有makecreate something out of nothing
84.无风不起浪Thereare no waves without wind. There's no smoke without fire.

85.徇私枉法bendthe law for the benefit of relatives or friends
86.新官上任三把火anew broom sweeps clean
87.虚心使人进步,骄傲使人落后Modestyhelps one go forward, whereas conceit makes one lag behind.

88.蓄势而发accumulatestrength for a take-off
89.心想事成Mayall your wish come true
90.心照不宣havea tacit understanding; give tacit consent; tacit understanding91.先入为主Firstimpressions are firmly entrenched.

92.先下手为强catchthe ball before the bound
93.像热锅上的蚂蚁likean ant on a hot pan
94.现身说法warnpeople by taking oneself as an example 95.息事宁人pouroil on troubled waters
96.喜忧参半mingledhope and fear

97.循序渐进stepby step
98.一路平安，一路顺风speedsomebody on their way; speed the parting guest 99.严以律己,宽以待人bestrict with oneself and lenient towards others 100鱼米之乡
101.有情人终成眷属'Jackshall have Jill, all shall be well.'
102.有钱能使鬼推磨Moneymakes the mare go. Money talks.

103.有识之士peopleof vision
104.有勇无谋usebrawn rather than brain
105.有缘千里来相会Separatedas we are thousands of miles apart, we come together as if bypredestination.

106.与时俱进advancewith times.

107.以人为本peopleoriented; people foremost.

108.因材施教teachstudents according to their aptitude.

109.欲穷千里目，更上一层楼'toascend another storey to see a thousand miles further; Ascendfurther, were you to look farther; Would eye embrace a thousandmiles? Go up, one flight.' a land of milk and honey
110.欲速则不达Hastedoes not bring success.

111.优胜劣汰survivalof the fittest.

112.英雄所见略同Greatminds think alike.

113.冤家宜解不宜结Bettermake friends than make enemies.

114.冤假错案'casesin which people were unjustly, falsely or wrongly charged orsentenced; unjust, false or wrong cases'
115.一言既出，驷马难追Areal man never goes back on his words.

116.招财进宝Moneyand treasures will be plentiful.

117.债台高筑becomedebt-ridden.

118.致命要害Achilles'heel.

119.众矢之的targetof public criticism
120.知己知彼,百战不殆Knowthe enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles withno danger of defeat.

121.纸上谈兵bean armchair strategist
122.左右为难betweenthe devil and the deep blue sea.

123.纸包不住火Truthwill come to light sooner or later.

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