A Research On Sister Carrie From The Perspective Of Ethical Literary Criticism

Theodore Dreiser is an outstanding writer in the history of American literature,and he has broken the timid and genteel traditions of Victoria and Howells and faithfully revealed a panorama of American society in its transitional period.Sister Carrie is his masterpiece.Although it was placed under great controversy in the first place,Sister Carrie proved to be a timeless piece of literary work.Ethical literary criticism emphases on appreciating literary works based on their ethical environment.Therefore Chapter One analyzes the ethical environment in Sister Carrie: the prevalence of consumerism,the alienation of interpersonal relationships and the materialism-oriented American Dream.Chapter Two analyzes the ethical tendencies reflected in Sister Carrie,and these tendencies are summarized as Carrie's discontent with women's subordination and Carrie's acceptance of survival of the fittest.And ethical literary criticism holds that human beings are Sphinx,which consists of a human factor and an animal factor.The conflicts between these two factors will lead to different ethical choices.Hence,Chapter Three focuses on the ethical choices made by Carrie and the conflict between the human factor and the animal factor.In Carrie's case,the human factor is her moral awareness.And the animal factor is her material desires.Probing into Sister Carrie with ethical literary criticism,the thesis affirms that Carrie is not immoral as considered by the general.She is just one of the new citizens who have formed new ethical tendencies in the transitional period.However,there is one thing that needs to be noted at the end of the story,and that is Carrie is still unhappy.This invites reader to think about whether the belief in the tenet of survival of the fittest held by the evolutionary ethics is enough in the consideration of the ethical choices and what the proper moral principles are to guide people's behaviors.