On The Alienation Process Of Clyde Griffiths From The Perspective Of Sign Value

As one of the greatest American novelists, Theodore Dreiser is a transitional figure between Victorian America and the modern age. Being the vital witness of the early American consumer society, Dreiser embodies his perception of consumer society in most of his works. An American Tragedy, a semiautobiographical novel, is the best representation of his perplexed attitude toward modern consumer ideology, which crucially determines Dreiser's depiction of the alienated fate of Clyde Griffiths, the protagonist in An American Tragedy.According to Jean Baudrillard's concept of sign value, in the consumer society, besides the use value and exchange value, object has its sign value as well which is attached by the society and the consumers. Any objects, including commodity, body, work, leisure time, art, culture can get sign value which signifies the ability to distinguish social status. With the development of consumer society, people put more attention to the sign value of object because of its differentiating ability and their discontentment of the use value of object. Nevertheless, this sign value can produce an imaginary world which evolves into an extreme tendency, that is, instead of occupying an active and dominant position, human beings would be deeply involved in a kind of illusion caused by their materialized bias and their insatiable desire for object which finally leads to the alienation of human psyche. This is an almost inevitable process if people can't establish a correct and healthy attitude to the sign value behind the object. Clyde Griffiths is just a typical example and victim of those being alienated figure in early American consumer society.Based on Jean Baudrillard's concept of sign value and detailed textual reading and analysis of the novel, the author of this thesis tries to analyze Clyde's ideological changes and his tragic fate caused by his alienation under the drive of sign value in An American Tragedy from three periods which are coincidently featured by the logic process of materialization, illusion and alienation. Within this logic, sign value always plays a decisive role in the Clyde's transformation from materialization to alienation.Divided into three chapters besides its introduction and conclusion, Chapter 1 of the thesis explains Clyde's seeking for sign value, which leads to his materialization. Chapter 2 expounds Clyde's illusions, his physical illusion gained from his possessing of materials, his spiritual illusion and his illusion to rebuild his social statues and his identity by sign value. Indulged in his fallacy, Clyde acquires temporary pleasure but immediately becomes dissatisfied with this illusionary world, so he tries to turn it into reality. Chapter 3 discusses about Clyde's alienation which seems an inevitable result from his materialization and illusion. His dream to rebuild his social status and identity recognized by upper social strata turned out to be in vain but his desire for wealth and status overwhelms his moral sense. He killed his secret maid, Robert in order to realize his dream by marrying Sondra. Clyde is completely dominated and alienated by the sign value behind objects.From the above analysis of the work, the thesis attempts to discover that the alienation of Clyde is the inevitable outcome of his materialization and illusion, aiming to help people to build rational consumption ideology and healthy personality in consumer society.