On The Moral Corruption Caused by Material Desire from Sister Carrie

【Abstract】The famous American author Theodore Dreiser is regarded as one of the greatest masters of naturalism and his maiden work Sister Carrie is deemed as his classic work as well as one of the the greatest urban fictions in America. The writer， in a sharp and blunt language， tells us a story that an inexperienced and innocent peasant girl leaves her hometown and goes to the Chicago alone in order to make her fortune and finally she achieves her dream. However， since the work was published， Dreiser suffered serious censure from the press， the critics and the public in that the novel veritably reveals current social situation in America rather than adding sermonizing and moralizing functions of ideal realism. The critics were unanimous that the work was “amoral”， even “filthy”. In the process of Carries pursuit of success， she breaks her moral baseline over and over again in order that her material desire could be gratified at the expense of her virginity. This thesis is bases on the masterpiece， Sister Carrie， by analyzing the heroines living surroundings and combining the current social environment in America， so as to analyze the causes for Carries moral corruption， manifestation and the consequences， thus further demonstrating the disillusionment of her American Dream. On the one hand， this thesis aims at giving the readers a deeper understanding of the naturalism in literature and its representative figure， Theodore Dreiser. On the other hand， it helps readers establish proper concept of money and values through condemning Carries unscrupulous behavior.

【Key words】Naturalism Desire； Material； Moral corruption； American Dream

【作者簡(jiǎn)介】王崇玉（1995- ），女，遵義醫(yī)學(xué)院本科在讀，研究方向：英語。

Introduction

It is universally acknowledged that American Dream is an inspiring and heart-stirring word and many of the literature works revolve around it， such as Sister Carrie. Sister Carrie， released in 1900， is one of the masterpieces of American outstanding naturalists， Theodore Dreiser. The work tells us a series of things that happened in the pursuit of happiness of Carrie who leaves her home to Chicago in order to realize her dream. It shows us not only Carries resignation toward reality and her intense pursuit of wealth， but also the authors complaint about the exploitation that the rich conducted toward the poor. The story happens in the 19th century， American transformational period of society， during which industrialization and urbanization developed rapidly， thus there appears monopolization， then the gap between the rich and the poor emerges. In such a fast-growing society， a large number of rural people leaves their homes for big cities in order that they could gain financial success， that is to say， to realize their American Dream. But the reality is cruel， one cant achieve his/her goal without any skill， money or social relationships unless he/her uses some kind of ignominious means. Dreiser depicts such an “amoral” world faithfully. He doesnt express his attitude toward what Carrie has done， but attributes everything to the social environment and heredity， which is the biggest character of naturalism. His work is so popular and meaningful that people keep them for generations. Undoubtedly， the special writing style and incisive words win a great reputation at home and abroad.

1. Background

1.1 The authors personal experience

It is known to us all， the work is written by famous American author Theodore Dreiser who is one of the outstanding representatives of naturalism in literature. He is one of American writers who work hard and become talented through self-study. He was born in a poor family that emigrated from German. His father was a shiftless Catholic who treated his children so tyrannically that his mother ran away from home to another town with him and her other children when he was 8， which caused that he couldnt receive good education. When he was 15 years old， he went to Chicago and did various jobs to make a living. Then when he became an adult he worked as a clerk. During this time， he suffered others disparagement， indifference and unfriendliness， which has accumulated a lot of materials for his writing.

In 1889， he received financial aid from his former teacher so that he entered Indiana University to acquire knowledge. But unfortunately， he desperately dropped out after one year because of torment of poverty and scorn from his affluent classmates. Then Dreiser worked for a newspaper office as a journalist when he was 23. In this period， not only does he saw the helplessness and wretchedness of the people at the bottom of society， but also the dissipation of bourgeoisie， which unfolded the two contrasting classes as well as the dark and unfair society before his eyes. Consequently， his American dream and ideal were wrecked， the society was not as nice as he imagined， it was sordid and unendurable. Therefore， this brought him to disclose the cruel reality through writing.

In addition， Dreiser s elder sisters gave him an impressive lesson in the process of his growth. His sisters fates were changed because they were romantically involved with other men more or less. As a result， from his childhood he reckoned that morality was so unreachable to the poor that his belief towards traditional morality was overthrown.

1.2 The social environment in America at that time

The author lived in such a world that was named “The Gilded Age” by Mark Twain at the end of the nineteenth century. At that point， capitalism developed so rapidly that the economy boomed at a great lick. By 1900， there appeared big cities， factories， machines， office blocks， stores and big companies. Accordingly industrialization and urbanization have changed peoples life styles. Not only does factories produced all kinds of products， but also provide innumerable job opportunities. With dreams of improving their lives and making their fortunes， thousands of rural people flooded into big cities， such as New York and Chicago. For Dreiser， for Carrie， and for all the young men from the west， such city as Chicago was the center of the world and was the only place where they could get rid of poverty and make their dreams come true. Nevertheless， the reality was always harsh. It was nearly impossible for poor people to gain financial success on account that the capitalists just mercilessly exploited their employees and gave them negligible salary. Consequently， the rich became richer， the poor became poorer， a gap between the rich and the poor appeared.

1.3 American Dream at that time

During that period， many American writers were tend to create works on the subject of American Dream， Theodore Dreiser was no exception. So， what is American Dream？ American prominent ideologist Benjamin Franklin s successful experience that he arduously started his business with one dollar gave an aspiring example to “from being in rags to being extremely rich” in American literature. The definition of American Dream given by him is： American Dream is the dream that people could achieve success trough hark working， plain living and honest business on its land. In 1776， Thomas Jefferson wrote in The Declaration of Independence， “We hold these 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.”However， as the years wore on， with the development of capitalism and as money worship increasingly prevailed in society， the original dream was contorted into an ignoble way——obtaining material by any kinds of means. Some historians pointed out that American Dream is infinite desire and pursuit of wealth.

1.4 Naturalism

Naturalism firstly came from France in 1960s and it was spread to American literary circles in 1990s. Then naturalism has drawn the publics attention， including some excellent writers， such as Jack London， Steven Crane， Theodore Dreiser and so on. French writer Zola firstly came up with naturalism from which he believed that human beings had no real sense of freedom， on the contrary， their lives， ideas and morality were influenced by the society， economy， mentality and other factors. As a pioneer of naturalism， Dreiser s thought was greatly affected by Darwins theory of evolution and Spencer s “Sociology” that environment and heredity play a crucial role in humans fates.

The main characteristics of American naturalism fall into five aspects. First of all， objectivity. Naturalists describe the truths veritably as far as possible. In the second place， frankness. They try to use the most authentic and vulgar words to unfold the real world. They make no secret of the hideous side of the society， using filthy words to reveal the obscene world. Thirdly， an immoral attitude toward material. In the works of naturalism， all the activities of characters are governed by the basic demands for survival. In a dog-eat-dog society， living is the most important matter. So， naturalists adopt an amoral attitude towards all of the mankinds actions， neither condemn nor praise. Next， the main character. Generally speaking， in naturalistic works， the lower class play the dominating parts. Last but not least， pessimism and fatalism. The composition invariably expresses the composers pessimistic outlook on life that men are helpless while fighting against the nature and destiny.

Naturalism attaches great importance to the shaping effect of environment on characters. At the beginning of the novel， Theodore Dreiser has already set the tone for the work： “When a girl leaves her home at eighteen， she does one of two things. Either she falls into saving hands and becomes better， or she rapidly assumes the cosmopolitan standard of virtue and becomes worse. Of an intermediate balance， under the circumstances， there is no possibility. ”

2. The causes for Carries moral corruption

2.1 Internal cause

Insatiable character

According to Dreiser， Carries prototype is his elder sister who left home and strove for life， and the shaping of the later sorehead image and psychological states of the hero Hurstwood also have drawn lessons from his impoverished situation when he came to New York as a newcomer and was unemployed. In this work， Dreiser describes， “When she was a child， she dreamed of the palace in fairy tales and all the luxurious places ”， which states that her desire originates from her nature， she is full of desire from a young age. Carrie is represented as an egoist who is impelled by her instincts and tries all ignominious means to gain money and fame. So what gives rise to Carries moral corruption？ The essay ascribes the internal reason to her insatiable character.

After depending on her sister Minnie for living for a short period， Carrie is expected to return home because she couldnt pay the money required to her brother-in-law Hansen. Neither does she want to go back home， nor does she want to continue to stay at this impersonal house. So at present， the paramount case for Carrie is to satisfy her physiological necessities： housing， clothing， and eating. Just at this moment， she bumps into Drouet who she has met on the train to Chicago. Drouet is a well-dressed， sophisticated and enthusiastic salesman who has a decent income. Then it is natural that Carrie becomes his mistress. Drouet brings her many beautiful dresses and rents a comfortable apartment for her. Now she neednt worry about her survival any more. However， Carrie starts to plan another target because of her satiable nature. Logically she lives together with Drouets friend， Hurstwood， who is richer and experienced than him. Hurstwood is a successful middle-aged bar manager， meanwhile， he is the husband of a vainglorious woman and the father of two adolescents. After that， Carrie and Hurstwood goes to a more prosperous city， New York. Finally， Carrie becomes a famous star and discards Hurstwood. All these immoral behaviors are due to her dissatisfaction.

2.2 External causes

2.2.1 Carries surroundings

Except the internal factors， Carrie is also influenced by some external factors， such as her growth environment. Carrie was born in a poor family， her father works in a little factory and the wage he earns is so inappreciable that they were forced to live a financially embarrassed life. It is universally agreed that every girl has a princess dream， dreaming about having variety of beautiful clothes， pretty shoes， and delicate jewelry， certainly Carrie is no exception. She aspires for a luxurious life from her childhood. It is the poverty of her family that intensifies her desire for wealth. Therefore， Carrie decides to go and seeks refuge with her elder sister， Minnie， who lives in the south of Chicago with her husband named Hansen. She falsely believes that Minnie leads a happy and well-fixed life with Hansen in such a big city， Chicago.

However， she recognizes that she is wrong when she sees Minnie at the railway station. A peaked body standing at the doorway， Minnie is not the original girl. Her pale cheeks and frugal wearing indicates that her married life is arduous and penurious. At that moment， Carrie feels the cruel reality grabbing her hands strongly， a tanglesome and depressing mood striking her. At Minnies home， she realizes Minnies miserable and shabby life. All the things Minnie has to do are just doing housework， looking after her babies， serving for her husband， what a complete housewife！ To some extent， her monotonous and stiff life gives an alarming warning to Carrie. She scares to live such a hopeless life. All of her life are boundless chores， noisy children， severe husband， and without happiness， without rights， without freedom. So she has to be financially independent so that she is able to get rid of becoming an appendage to man. Minnies experience admonishes Carrie to try her best to obtain material for freedom and for rights.

On the other side， Carrie cant stand the environment in the workshop of the hat company where she works. She hates the dirty and dark place； she hates the passionate but vulgar male workers； she hates the rigid and indifferent workingwomen. Carrie who assumes that she is elegant， beautiful and superior is unwilling to lead such a poor life like those workers. So the only effort she could make is depending on these men who admire her charming appearance so that she could break away from such an embarrassing life.

2.2.2 The temptation of wealth and fame

Another external factor is the overwhelming temptation of material. When Carrie first meets Drouet， he is dressed in the most fashionable brown woolen business suit whose buttons are inlaid with yellow agates and he wore several exquisite rings. Carrie is attracted by this stylish salesman so that later on she has a good impression on him. In consequence， she chooses to live with Drouet since he could provide her with beautiful dresses， sparkling jewelry， comfortable shelter and delicious food that she has been dreaming about for a long time， otherwise she would be obliged to return her hometown. Then， she is tempted by the wonderful villas showed by her neighbor， Mrs. Haier， the wealth of the successful bar manager and after eloping to New York with Hurstwood， she is envious of the clothing and apparel of her neighbor， Mrs. Vance， who is a good-looking and fashionable lady. All in all， Carrie is propelled by material desire all the time. Once her basic existence needs are satisfied， her another higher level of desire arouses one by one in the wake of the increasingly materialistic world.

3. The manifestation of Carries moral corruption

3.1 Casting herself on Drouet

Carrie is unable to protect herself from the temptation of the twenty dollars given by Drouet when she is driven into a corner， hence she betrays her morality and sells her chastity. Neither does she think about looking for a job， nor does she come up with another way to solve her problem. She just wants to profit by other peoples toil. So Drouet is the most suitable candidate because he is debonair and well-to-do. Opportunely he is willing to spend his money on Carrie in that he hankers after her beauty and body， in other words， she could gratify his physiological need and his vanity. It seems that she agrees to become Drouets “plaything” with good grace.

3.2 Descending to Hurstwoods mistress

After living with Drouet， his frequent business trips and perfunctory promises gradually bores Carrie. It couldnt be much fun， sitting by herself at home most evenings. Therefore， when faced with endless loneliness and hot pursuit of Hurstwood， Carrie selects the more wealthy and more sophisticated one， Hurstwood. The reason why she chooses Hurstwood is quite simple， he could offer a higher quality life to her. Afterwards， they begin their secret and continual appointments. Soon Drouet discovers their amours by accident， then they elope to New York after Hurstwood steals much money from the bar. In a new environment， Hurstwood isnt a bar manager any more， so he feels powerless when confronted with such intense competition. The result as you can imagine， Carrie deserts Hurstwood ruthlessly and become a rich and famous actress， conversely Hurstwood is down and out and then he ends his life by means of gas. From Carries two ruthless desertions to the two men， it is not hard to see that she could sacrifice anything to gratify her material desire， even her virginity and love.

4. The consequences

4.1 Doomed frustrated happiness

The reason why Carrie decides to live with Drouet is not love but that he is able to provide her with a rich material life and he is capable of building a ladder to the upper class for her. Drouets attire and ornaments reflects his solid finances， which become the fundamental chip for him to win Carries heart. Later on， Carrie abandons Drouet and falls in love with Hurstwood because he represents a higher social status and more material rather than for true love. Drouet also doesnt hold genuine affection towards Carrie， he just regards her as his plaything. When Carrie repeatedly expresses that she wants to marry him， he invariably makes excuses to refuse her request and keeps on his pleasure-seeking behavior. Even though when he knows that Carrie has betrayed him， the reason why he feels indignant is not because he loves her， but because he reckons that he has the right to take possession of her on account that he supplied comfortable life for her. He never cares about Carries feelings. When Carrie feels ashamed of her identity of mistress， Drouet doesnt show his understanding and consideration， but just blindly walks through her by using some gifts such as clothes and jewelry. In a manner of speaking， for Drouet， Carrie is the same as his luxurious house and dainty furniture， which are seen as means of showing his social status and displaying his treasures. All in all， Carrie could never obtain happiness in any real sense in such a materialistic and hypocritical love.

At the very start， Hurstwood isnt straight up with Carrie and conceals the fact that he has got married and has children. He just plans to make her a secret mistress rather than divorcing his wife and marrying her. And when Carrie brings up marriage on her own initiative， he unexpectedly deceives her into eloping with him， and makes use of fake marriage to cheat her again. The romantic disputes between Carrie and the two men are the authentic depictions of the relation between the two sexes of the day， which exposes the reality that love has been materialized in such a money-oriented society. So， Carrie is bound to fail to pursue happiness due to her excessive chase of dollars.

4.2 A lonely heart

Through Carries tireless efforts， finally she becomes a well-known star， she gained wealth and fame successfully， she realizes her dream with flying colors. Once she was passed from her father to her brother-in-law， and then from her brother-in-law to Drouet， and next to Hurstwood， but now she is able to throw off these men and becomes an independent woman； once she could only covet those dazzling dresses and jewelry in the showcase， now she is able to afford to buy anything she likes at her option. However， does she feel really happy？ The answer is no.

Although there is no need for her to worry about her economy， she is trapped into extreme void and loneliness. Extravagant creature comforts are unable to bring her happiness and sense of belonging. She has no romantic love， no strong friendship and no domestic affection； the people around her merely wants to take advantage of her. The theater owner just regards her as a ready source of money； the hotel manager simply treats her as a walking advertisement； journalists just equates her with circulation； and the rich care for nothing but her flesh. Even though today Carrie achieves success and fame， she isnt likely to be more beatific than the former girl who is impoverished but naive and kind. As we can see， in those years women s view of love is contorted by the corrosion of material desire， while traditional concept of love and family responsibilities dont play a restraining role in moralizing materialistic women. Moral failing will definitely result in these women s tragedies. In general， no matter how well-off Carrie is， she will never be really happy if she lacks moral cultivation.

5. Disillusionment of Carries American Dream

5.1 Becoming victim of instinct

The story reveals the fact that the heroines disillusionment of her American Dream. So， from what aspect can we infer such a disillusionment？ This thesis analyzes it on the basis of humans instinct. Instinct means biological forces， it is a kind of intense desire and impulse inherited from humans ancestors， such as hunger， fear， sex and so on. As for Carrie， the initial wish when she first arrived in Chicago is her basic physiological needs， that is to say， a place that could protect her against wind and rain， food that could solve the problems of hunger and clothes that could resist the cold. Therefore， she decides to cast herself on Drouet. At the outset she is reluctant to accept his financial aid， but after inner struggles， material desire defeats her rationality， she was helpless in the face of instinct.

Then after living with Drouet， she gradually finds that her desire is not restricted to physiological needs but a higher level of requirement. So a new idea that she could depend on Hurstwood to achieve her goal wells up in her heart. Next she discovers a wider sky after escaping to New York， so her desire escalates with the changing environment once again. Subsequently when Hurstwood loses his job and stays at home idly， she makes up her mind to go out and step onto the stage， and then deserts Hurstwood who used to be her ideal object of desire. In the end， she triumphed. However， her desire still cant be satisfied and she felt lonely and void all the same. Through Carries endless desire， the author wants to tell his readers the fact that human beings desires are everlasting， they feel comfortable doing something for their own benefit at others expense so as to meet their needs. And the sad thing is that Carrie makes herself a slave of instinct all the time， betraying her personality and selling her virginity in exchange for money. To some extent， although Carrie makes her so-called American Dream come true， the dream has turned sour on account of her ignominious means and her moral degeneration.

Conclusion

In a money-oriented capitalist society， blindly pursuing material enjoyment and satisfaction has become a sort of “social trend”. The relationships between human beings have descended to naked money exchange and backscratching. Under such a nasty environment， Carrie inevitably couldnt resist joining this rank. In the process of changing from an obscure girl to a distinguished comedian in Broadway， Carrie has sacrificed her body and morality for her wealth dream， which has run counter to the correct pursuit way of the real sense of American Dream. The author， Theodore Dreiser， uncovers the ruthlessness and inexorability of capitalist society by depicting such a controversial and distinctive character.

From where I stand， we couldnt attribute all Carries tragedies to the social environment. After all， the main cause comes out of herself： her inability to resist temptation and her insatiable character. Carries indecent behavior that she disregards the traditional code of ethics in the sole pursuit of material should be strongly condemned. Such an immoral practice is not worth advocating. There is no doubt that everyone should cultivate a down-to-earth attitude in the pursuit of success rather than always dreaming about pennies from the heaven.

The centuried work has extraordinary warning effect on contemporary women. In modern society where substance is becoming increasingly abundant， it is the obligatory responsibility for the whole society to prevent females from undesirable temptation and to help them set up correct outlook on life and sense of value. Only constantly enriching their own spiritual world and seeking for more powerful moral backbone， can they protect themselves from inanity and loss caused by undue pursuit of substance.

References：

[1]常耀信.美國(guó)文學(xué)簡(jiǎn)史（第二版）[M].天津：南開大學(xué)出版社，2002.

[2]高玉芬.永不滿足的性格探索——析德萊賽塑造的嘉莉妹妹藝術(shù)形象[J].遼寧師范大學(xué)報(bào)，2005，28（03）.

[3]侯曉荷.嘉莉妹妹的悲劇分析——試論物欲對(duì)女性道德的腐蝕[J].長(zhǎng)春師范大學(xué)學(xué)，2015.34（01）.

[4]黃開紅.社會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)型期的“美國(guó)夢(mèng)”——試論嘉莉妹妹的道德傾向[J].外國(guó)文學(xué)研究，2006（03）.

[5]馬惠瓊.嘉莉妹妹無盡欲望背后的社會(huì)驅(qū)動(dòng)力[J].貴陽學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào)， 2008，（03）.

[6]仇多紅，宗蔚.從嘉莉妹妹看扭曲的美國(guó)夢(mèng)[J].宿州學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào)， 2008，23.（05）.

[7]任燕燕.對(duì)嘉莉妹妹欲望的分析[J].濰坊學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào)，2009，9.（03）.

[8]申繩林.扭曲的美國(guó)夢(mèng)——從自然主義視角看《嘉莉妹妹》[J].蘭州教育學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào)，2015，31（02）.

[9]Dreiser·Theodore.Sister Carrie[M].New York：Oxford University Press，1991.