摘 要

《嘉莉妹妹》是美国早期自然主义作家西奥多.德莱塞的作品。小说记叙了女主人公嘉莉为了过上更好的生活，前往芝加哥追求她的梦想。为了摆脱饥饿，贫穷和失业。她先后成为了两个男人的情人，在奢华的生活中她渐渐迷失自己。虽然小说最后嘉莉成为了一名著名的演员，但是她丢失了初心，迷失了生活的方向。小说展示了一个真实的美国社会，人在利益和环境的趋使下，抛弃传统道德甚至不惜背叛朋友和家人。人们的关系变得脆弱，敏感。社会充满了怀疑和焦虑。本文旨在集中探索消费主义主导的社会中家人，爱人以及朋友关系，从而揭示一种非道德的人际关系。

关键词：西奥多·德来塞；《嘉莉妹妹》；人际关系；非道德

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Demonstration 3

2.1 The Material Relations Among Families 3

2.1.1 Carrie and Her Sister Minnie 3

2.1.2 Hurstwood and His Children 5

2.2 The Utilitarian Relations Among Lovers 7

2.2.1 Carrier and Husrtwood 7

2.2.2 Hurstwood and His Wife Julia 9

2.3 The Distorted Relations Among Friends 11

2.3.1 Hurstwood and Drouet 11

2.3.2 Carrie and Mrs. Vance 13

3. Conclusion 15

Works Cited 17

Bibliography 18

A Study of the Interpersonal Relationships in Sister Carrie

1. Introduction

Theodore Dreiser is one of the greatest realistic writers in America. Bored in a poor family of Indiana State, he learned reading by himself. When he was 15 years old, he left his home for Chicago. And like those characters of his books, he wanted to acquire wealth and status to achieve his dream. To make a living in Chicago, he worked as a laundryman, dishwasher, salesman and etc. When he was 18 years old he was financed by a teacher so as to study in Indiana State University, but after one year due to lack of money he discontinued his studies returning to Chicago. He continually engaged in all kinds of work so as to accumulate rich materials for his later writing. In 1892, Dreiser worked as a journalist, successively working at the Chicago Globe and the Republic. From then on, he began his writing. In 1900, he published his first work, Sister Carrie.

Sister Carrie portrays a girl who comes from an isolated village entering Chicago to start her business and life, and finally she becomes a famous star. In order to obtain the recognition of people, Carrie successively becomes mistresses of Drouet and Hurstwood and she takes advantage of their money and power as well as her efforts becoming a big star in American theatrical circle. The writing background of this novel is exactly people’s life condition in the process of American industrialization, “including the bribing of politicians, the overriding of other people’s property rights, the overcapitalizing stocks, and even blackmail” (Gammel 155). At that time, after the United States ending the civil war, the political environment became stable and economy rapidly developed so that industrialization and urbanization reached an unprecedented level. Americans began to realize that to get further development they must have a great deal consumptive activity. To a great extent, these changes have great influence on people’s traditional culture and life. Consumption ideology emphasizes cost and material possessions weakening the traditional moral standard. The possession for material is no longer the basic life needs but the symbol of status. Therefore, in the choice of material and ethics people gradually prefer the former.

The publishing of Sister Carrie triggers huge controversies among literates. This book firstly was refused by publishers and then in order to be published, its title was changed. Critics have various opinions about this book. On the one hand, someone hold the opinion that the book brings energy to dreary America. Sister Carrie indeed brings new thinking to those people chasing their America dream，but on the other hand some people think the book promotes immoral behaviors. Sister Carrie, the main character, didn’t feel any shame of being a mistress but even gained success in her career. The woman is certainly not welcomed among people and its author is criticized by no accident. Through the depiction of Carrie, Dreiser with his sharp pen completely changed the optimistic tone of American literature. From the bottom of America and with his own experience he restores a real American society to us. Scholars at home and abroad have carried on many discussions and studies about the novel. Domestic monograph for Dreiser’s work was not very abundant; the Dreiser Research of Jiang Daochao and Dreiser Comments Connection of Long Wenpei both can be regarded as representatives. After the 1990s, the research papers and monographs at home for Sister Carrie begin to increase. Some scholars have opened up new angles. Especially exploring the environmental influence for people have achieved rich results.