Acknowledgments During the process of my academic writing, I received lots of challenges and obstacles. However, I have successfully overcome them through my teachers’ and friends’ help. I would like to thank the following people for their contributions.
First and foremost, I would like to show my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Associate Prof. Cao Xia, a respectable, responsible and resourceful scholar, who has provided me with valuable guidance in every stage of the writing of this thesis. Without her enlightening instruction, impressive kindness and patience, I could not have completed my thesis. Her keen and vigorous academic observation enlightens me not only in this thesis but also in my future study. I shall extend my thanks to Mrs. Cao for all her kindness and help. I would also like to thank all my teachers who have helped me to develop the fundamental and essential academic competence. Last but not least, I would like to thank all my friends, especially my three lovely roommates, for their encouragement and support.
Abstract Theodore Dreiser is one of the most famous American writers of naturalism in America. His first novel, Sister Carrie, best embodies Dreiser’s naturalistic belief that men are controlled and conditioned by heredity, environment and chance, but a few extraordinary and unsophisticated human beings refuse to accept their fate wordlessly and instead strive to find meaning and purpose for their existence. Carrie, as one of such, senses that she is merely a cipher in an uncaring world yet seeks to grasp the mysteries of life and satisfy her desires for social status and material comfort.
“Why does Carrie degenerate during her course of struggle?” is the main point in the paper. The reasons can be analyzed from two aspects. The external causes include Carrie’s defective characters, poor family background, and her lack of moral education. The internal causes include influence of the urban environment, the popularity of consumerism, and calling of American dream and its disillusion. The paper reveals that Carrie finally wins material success, but she does not gain happiness at all. Her degeneration is the product of the luxurious dissipated American society. In the modern society, we should attach more importance to the spiritual world and keep thinking when we pursue money.
Key Words: Sister Carrie, degeneration, urban environment, consumerism, American dream
摘要西奥多•德莱塞是美国最著名的自然主义作者之一。他的第一本小说《嘉莉妹妹》最好的体现了他的自然主义观点：人类是被遗传，环境和机会影响和控制着的。但是一些特别的不懂世故的人拒绝无言接受他们的命运，而是用奋斗去发现他们存在的意义和目的。作为其中的一员，嘉莉妹妹意识到她只不过是这个残忍世界中无足轻重的探究生活奥秘,追求物质享受和社会地位及权力的一个人。
“为什么嘉莉妹妹在奋斗过程中会堕落？”是此篇论文中的主旨。论文从两个方面来分析嘉莉堕落的原因。内因包括嘉莉妹妹的性格缺陷，她穷苦的家庭背景和缺少道德教育。外因包括城市环境的影响，消费主义的盛行，美国梦的呼唤和它的幻灭。此篇论文揭示了嘉莉妹妹虽然赢得了物质上的满足，但她仍然得不到幸福。她的堕落是这个骄奢淫逸的美国社会的产物。我们在现代社会中追求物质满足的同时还要注重精神的满足。9304
关键词： 嘉莉妹妹，堕落，城市环境，消费主义，美国梦
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments....i
Abstract....ii
摘要....iii

1 Introduction...1

2 Reasons for Carrie to Struggle on the Edge of Poverty...3
2.1 Carrie’s weak relationship3
2.2 Carrie’s simple character..3
2.3 Carrie’s traditional value..3

3 The Internal Causes of Carrie’s Degeneration..5 从贫穷到堕落解读嘉莉妹妹中嘉莉的奋斗历程:http://www.751com.cn/yingyu/lunwen_7964.html