Pursuit and Disillusionment of American Dream-On Sister Carries Tragedy美国梦的追求与幻灭 -试析嘉莉妹妹的悲剧Abstract: The present paper concerns itself with a study of Sister Carries tragedy. Since the publication Sister Carrie, there have been many critics who commented on this work, and its main character Sister Carrie is a controversial character. Dreiser was criticized by many critics and readers because he didnt make any comment on Carries degeneration. Different from previous research, this paper aims to analyze the pursuit and disillusionment of American Dream of Sister Carrie and the causes of her tragedy. There are five parts in this paper, which paper starts with a brief introduction to Theodore Dreisers life experience and his work, with the situation of American society and the history of American Dream mentioned, too. Then in the second and third parts, the paper discusses the pursuit and disillusion of Carries American Dream. The causes of Carries tragedy are analyzed in the fourth part. In the end, the paper draws the conclusion: the American Dream looks beautiful, but in fact it is not reliable, just like the foam of soap. It only gives people an illusion. So Carries tragedy is inevitable. And indications for future research in the area of Sister Carries tragedy have been mentioned, too. Key words: American Dream; expectation; desire; reality; disillusionment; tragedy摘要：本文主要是研究嘉莉妹妹的悲剧。嘉莉妹妹这部小说自出版以来，批评者不乏其人，其主人公嘉莉妹妹也一直是个颇具争议的人物。由于作者未对她的堕落行为做出任何评价，也因此受到批评家和读者的指责。不同于以往的研究，本文试图分析嘉莉妹妹对美国梦的追求与幻灭，首先介绍了美国梦的历史及由来。在第二、三部分，分别讨论了嘉莉妹妹美国梦的追求与幻灭。导致嘉莉妹妹悲剧的原因在第四部分进行了分析。最后得出以下结论：美国梦看起来很美，其实就像肥皂泡一样不可信，它仅仅给人以幻觉，因此嘉莉妹妹的悲剧不可避免。并且为进一步研究嘉莉妹妹的悲剧指明了方向。关键词：美国梦;期望;欲望;现实;幻灭;悲剧 ContentsI. Introduction1A. Dreisers Reputation and His Works.1B. The Influence of Dreisers Life Experience on His Novel Writing1C. American Dream and American Society.2II. Carries Pursuit of American Dream.4 A. Carries Expectation of the Future4 B. Carries Pursuit of Wealth and Position.4 C. Carries Pursuit of Love.5III. The Disillusionment of Carries American Dream7 A. The Disillusionment of Wealth and High Social Position.7 B. The Disillusionment of Love .8IV. The Causes of Carries Tragedy.10 A. The External Causes of Carries Tragedy.101. The Living Environment.102. The Life Experience.103. The Social Background.11 B. The Internal Causes of Carriers Tragedy.121. Carries Endless Desires for a Better Life.122. Carries Defect Character and Limited Capability.16 V. Conclusion.18 Work Cited.18. IntroductionA. Dreisers Reputation and His WorksTheodore Herman Albert Dreiser, an American great writer, is an outstanding representative of naturalism and one of Americas foremost novelists. He was the first writer who criticized the futility of the American Dream in his novel so drastically. Although he had never won the Nobel Prize, Dreiser had an enormous influence on American literature during the first quarter of century. He is the only writer who is worth being talked about in the same breath with the European masters. Dreisers genius was recognized and applauded by H.L.Mencken, but the general reaction to Dreiser has always been negative .He has been called a “Crag of basalt”, “solemn and ponderous” and “the worlds worst greatest writer”, but his influence is evident on some famous writers such as Hemingway, James T. Farrell, and others. Sister Carrie came out in 1900, followed by Jennie Gerhardt and two volumes of his Cowperwood Trilogy, The Financier, The Titan, and The Stonic. The Stonic was published posthumously. His other works include The Genius and The Bulwark. Dreiser was left-oriented in his views. He visited Russian and wrote Dreiser Looks at Russia and Tragic America to express his faiths, Tragic America became his best novel. B. The Influence of Dreisers Life Experience on His Novel WritingTheodore Dreiser, the twelfth of 13children, was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1871. His father, a devout German immigrant, lost everything when his large wool mill was burned down. By this time, his parents were poor and nomadic preachers. Their nomadic lifestyle meant that Dreiser did not have any companions outside his family. While traveling, his mother taught him to avoid degrading and destructive experiences. Certainly his parents were failures because of their strong morals and their constant preaching, and he rebelled. Dreiser had no friends, money, social status, or sex life, which he craved. For the most Americans, these were collectively called “The American Dream.”