A Naturalistic Reading of Sister Carrie

談月

L【Abstract】Sister Carrie is well known as the works in which naturalism attained maturity in America. Up until now， the relevant research on Dreiser and his Sister Carrie abroad and at home is primarily concerned with the frustration of American dream， the naturalistic thoughts and pessimism. The paper attempts to study it from naturalistic point of view and explain how environmental， hereditary factors and the idea of “survival of the fittest” influence Carries fate.

【Key words】Naturalism； Sister Carrie； environmental factors； hereditary factors

Ⅰ. Introduction

Naturalism is a term of literary movement created by the French novelist Emile Zola and flourished in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Naturalism is based on a basic assumption： the existence in nature is real. In naturalism man is a kind of animal， who is dominated by the forces of environment and desire， and he himself can neither understand nor control all this. In Sister Carrie， Dreiser exposes and criticizes the darkness of the society and money oriented lifestyle.

Ⅱ. A Naturalistic Reading of Sister Carrie

Sister Carrie was written and published at the rise of American naturalism.

1. Environmental Factors

Naturalism attaches great emphasis on the description of ones living environment， particularly believing that ones living environment influences ones fate in the works enormously. According to naturalism， man is a helpless pawn， at the mercy of the surrounding. However， in Sister Carrie， the environment， instead of crushing Carrie down， even contributes to her rise.

In the novel， immediate pleasure provides Carrie with the strongest impulse to act. Whats more， the showy theater， as the most irresistible attraction for her in the city， not only symbolizes her dreamland and serves as a source of her happiness but also provides her with an excellent place to display her talent and makes her rise to material well being. In a word， the luring metropolis provides Carrie with a suitable living environment， for only in metropolis can she satisfy at least temporarily her unquenchable desire for material goods and entertainment， as well as display her performing talent.

2. Hereditary Factors

As the pioneer of naturalism， Zola remarks in The Experimental Novel-all the motivations of ones actions can be traced back to ones heredity. In other words， ones inherent character urges one to act in a certain way. In Carries case， her hereditary disposition—the endowed gift and insatiable desire for pleasure prove her to be the fit one in the natural selection， and contribute to her success in the metropolis.

In the novel， Carries success is in the theatrical field. Her essential natures contain several points， such as her outstanding beauty， emotional greatness and endowed gift， all of which are resulted from heredity and contribute to her splendid theatrical career. She chose to be an actress because the actress was the most ideal career for a beautiful woman to rise to a fame and fortune rapidly. Besides， the stage presented the best place to display her essential natures.

3. Survival of the fittest

The most influential academic activity in the second half of the 19th century was the publication of On the Origin of Species written by Charles Darwin in 1859. This book has brought the concept of impact to the entire society. The idea of “survival of the fittest” in Darwins thought has become the moral reference standard of this fallen capitalist society. Dressers works were affected greatly by Darwins idea of “survival of the fittest”. In his novel， the whole world is a jungle， where the rule is “either kill or killed”.

Dreiser maintains a dual perspective on the prospects the economy holds out for individuals. Carries economic rise and Hurstwoods economic fall illustrate that social mobility entails movement not only up the ladder of success but also down it. When we meet Hurstwood， he is an emblematic， successful American male. From the time he steals money and lies to get Carrie on the train， Hurstwood begins a fall that will accelerate along with Carries gradual social climb. In the end， he becomes a beggar， Carrie a star. The city is no other area than the prairies or forests of the animal world. It is all about money， food， shelter and a steady fight for survival. Carries economic rise and Hurstwoods economic fall illustrates the idea of “survival of the fittest”.

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