Construction Of Female Identity And Crisis Of Masculinity

At the turn from the 19th century to the 20th century, American society was undergoing a radical social change, shifting from "a productive society" to "a consumer society". Theodore Dreiser's first novel, Sister Carrie (1900), presents a true picture of the consumption craze prevalent in America during this era as well as the resultant change of people's ideology. Although there have appeared a number of articles to study Sister Carrie from the perspective of consumer culture, women's experience in the consumer society has seldom been mentioned. Influenced by the postist ideas, feminist's research in consumer culture has shifted from a critical attitude in the earlier stage to the stress of its emancipating and positive function. As far as the novel's consumer culture background and the present research reality are concerned, this thesis adopts the combination of consumer culture research and feminist literary criticism and, based on Sister Carrie, tries to make a research of women's experience in consumer society as well as the threat of consumer culture to the power of the father and husband in a patriarchal society.The introductory part is a brief review of the critical history of Dreiser and his writing, especially Sister Carrie. It further introduces the transformation of feminist's theory about women and consumption based on which the purpose and significance of choosing the topic is put forward.The body of the thesis includes four chapters. Chapter One offers an introduction to consumer culture, followed by a review of the emergence of modern consumer culture in America as well as its reflections in Sister Carrie. Chapter Two dwells on the construction of female identity in consumer society. Influenced by consumer culture ideology, women at that time go in and out of the broadened public arena either as the strolling women or professional women to construct their selfhood and identity, which breaks with the traditional Victorian female identity as "mother and wife". Chapter Three analyzes the family relationship between Mr. Hurstwood and his wife and children as well as the gender relationship between Mr. Hurstwood and Carrie Meeber under the context of consumer culture. The failure of Mr. Hurstwood's traditional masculinity in family and gender relationship explains the threat and declining power of consumer culture to the patriarchal authority. Dreiser's distorted description of the female image and his contradictory attitude explain his inevitable male-consciousness. Chapter Four explains women's dilemma during their pursuit of self-development in a male-dominated consumer society—spiritual predicament and objectification of women's body.The Conclusion part summarizes the main idea. The emergence of consumer culture provides women at the turn of the 20th century with opportunities and space for their identity construction and self-development. It also challenges and diminishes objectively the patriarchal power in a male-dominated consumer society. However, the interweavement of the deep-rooted traditional gender idea and consumer culture still makes women confronted with spiritual predicament and objectification of their body during their pursuit of self-development in a male-dominated consumer society.