Analysis Of Sister Carrie From Cultural Perspective

Theodore Dreiser, an outstanding novelist in American history of literature, broke the timid and genteel tradition of Victoria and played an important role in introducing a new realism into American fiction. Sister Carrie is Dreiser's first novel and also an important one in which he presented a detailed and realistic portrait of American cultural history and American life.This thesis attempts to read Sister Carrie from a cultural and historical perspective and exploit cultural richness in Sister Carrie. The thesis consists of five parts:The introductory part gives an introduction in which Sister Carrie is analyzed from the aspects of the theme, structure and language through a literature review of relevant criticism.Sister Carrie reflects the profound transformations of American life in the late nineteenth century. The most sweeping changes illustrated in the novel are the economy's transformation from an agricultural base to an industrial one, and the erosion of traditional values. Chapter One briefly introduces the social context of Sister Carrie, focusing on the economical shift and Darwinism. Chapter Two analyzes the existence state of characters in Sister Carrie from cultural perspectives. The novel's three primary characters-Carrie, Hurstwood, and Drouet enter into a series of interpersonal relationships only find themselves caught in emotional war. In the light of Maslow's need hierarchy theory, this thesis exposes their illusion of love. Besides, the thesis poses understanding class in cultural rather than strictly economical terms and illustrates difference between Carrie and Ames in detail. Finally, Sister Carrie is an exemplary text to illustrate the extensive changes occurred in gender relation, and the thesis discloses how Carrie obtains economic independence and moves from the Victorian model of True Woman toward the recognizably modem New Woman.Chapter three concentrates on the environment in the consumer culture, which is also an important part of cultural analysis. It focuses on the micro facades of the booming economy.The last part draws a conclusion of the whole thesis.