Abstract

Sister Carrie is Theodore Dreiser’s first novel. It immortalizes Caroline Meeber as a woman pursuer of American Dream when American society is in transition from agriculture society to the industrialization. When first published in the early 20th century, Sister Carrie aroused a great criticism from readers with the concept “money is the highest” fully embodied in the novel. 

This paper displays Caroline Meeber’s dependence and independence in economy and emotion and it shows the harsh and bitter development of modern women’s self-consciousness. Women, like Croline can’t and won’t be a totally independent new women as they wish. Caroline’s pursuit of her American Dream in the background of industrialization also indicates the change of traditional values in the early 20th century. Due to the special social environments, Caroline’s American Dream finally becomes a disillusion.

Key Words: American Dream; independence; dependence; women’s  self-consciousness

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction.1

2 Carrie’s Dependence3

2.1 Carrie’s Partial Economic Dependence3

2.2 Carrie’s Partial Emotional Dependence.5

3 Carrie’s Independence.6

3.1 Partial Independence in Economy6

3.2 Partial Independence in Emotion.8

4 Carrie as a Woman Pursuer of American Dream9

4.1 American Dream.9

4.2 The Disillusion of Carrie’s American Dream10

5 Conclusion.11

References13