The Tragedy of Women in Sister Carrie and Jennie Gerhardt Shi Wei

1. The Tragedy of Women in Sister Carrie and Jennie Gerhardt Shi Wei

2. Contents Abstract Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Theodore Dreiser’s Philosophical Ideas Chapter 3 Character Analysis Chapter 4 The Tragic Causes Chapter 5 Conclusion Bibliography

3. Abstract Sister Carrie and Jennie Gerhardt are two novels written by American writer, Theodore Dreiser. They are selected because they are the most representative of Dreiser’s achievement as a novelist. The heroines in the two novels are tragic figures; however, their tragic experiences are due to many similar reasons. From

4. this paper we have conceived that the tragic destiny constitutes women’s ultimate tragedy. Neither Carrie nor Jennie has finally got the happiness that belongs to them. They have many differences but their ends are the same. Although Carrie changed her economic status by earning more and more, she could never change her social standing.

5. She fails in success. But although Jennie finally lost all her relatives, she was full of happiness, peace and contentment. She succeeds in failure.

6. Chapter 1 Introduction Theodore Dreiser is the greatest American social novelist of 20th century. He describes broadly and deeply about the true picture of American society, exposing and criticizing the dark side of the society, portraying the difference between the poor and the rich. All his life Dreiser writes many works. In his early

7. works, Sister Carrie and Jennie Gerhardt describe the tragedy of two suffering women. Carrie and Jennie are born of poor families, both of them are eager to live a happy life. But they find that, in the American society where money is everything, it is impossible to get the ideal life by working hard. Carrie satisfies her own lust by fall and loses the virtues of the

8. Laborers. Her fall is due to the society where there is great difference between the poor and the rich and the seduction of the capitalist life style. Unlike Carrie, Jennie’s fall is completely forced by the environment In order to save the family in trouble. Her fall is self-sacrifice. She doesn’t lose the purity and nobility in her own heart.

9. Chapter 2 Theodore Dreiser’s Philosophical Ideas Sister Carrie and Jennie Gerhardt are the products of naturalism. This allows us to examine Theodore Dreiser’s works within the frame of naturalism. The tragedy of characters in his works is associated with his philosophical ideas.

10. Naturalism and Tragedy In naturalism, characters do not have free will; external and internal forces, environment, or heredity control their behavior. This belief is called determinism. Naturalism’s philosophical framework can be simply described as pessimistic materialistic determinism. So

11. Naturalistic writers studied human beings governed by their instincts and passions, the characters’ lives were governed by forces of heredity and environment.

12. Chapter 3 Character Analysis Carrie Carrie is a materialistic girl who understands what it means to work so hard and have so little. She is a person dreaming dreams of success and wealth In the big city. But after she got

13. everything that she wanted, she realized that material comforts do not bring inner peace and happiness and that her spirit demands a higher calling. People admired her, she was paid very well, and yet there was always something missing. She can never be accepted by the society that created her, and the society can never

14. bring her the happiness for which she yearns. (Theodore Dreiser Revisited, p.34) Jennie Jennie’s primary desire in life is to give of herself. Her virtues are compassion, gentleness, a yielding softness, generosity, selfless love. In order to save her family from poverty, she admires the rich life and the wealth of

15. capitalist society attracts her very deeply. Unlike Carrie, she wants to get It to support her family, not because of climbing upward. Unlike Carrie, the beauty which she finds in life and nature moves her to give rather than to take. Her virtue makes us feel the unjustness and ugliness of the society. It is the society that insults and harms Jennie.

16. Chapter 4 The Tragic CausesCarrie and Jennie are victims of the society. Their tragedy lies in either outerforces---milieu or inner drives----impulses and instincts. The milieu is beyond their control, while impulses and instincts are not overcome by them. Carrie’s endless pursuit of riches and fame and Jennie’s desire of saving her family are influenced by environment

17. and heredity. So they cannot escape their tragic fate. Both Carrie and Jennie are tragic figures whose doom results from not only external but also internal causes. For internal ones, it’s because of Carrie’s desire for wealth and Jennie’s self- sacrificing personality. That is to say character is fate. For external ones, it’s the society that we should blame.

18. Chapter 5 Conclusion On the whole, Dreiser is successful in writing Sister Carrie and Jennie Gerhardt. For Jennie Gerhardt, as for aspects of Sister Carrie, Dreiser used memories of his sisters’ lives for material, describing the two tragic women. From the chapters above we know that Carrie fails in

19. success and Jennie succeeds in failure. This is also the theme of my paper.

20. Bibliography Gerber, Philip. Theodore Dreiser Revisited, Twayne Publishers, 1992 翁德修,《二十世纪英美文学精选（下卷）》, 吉林大学出版社，2000 陈世丹，《英美文学名家名著论》，辽宁师 范大学出版社，1995 西奥多·德莱塞著/王艳燕，胡莺译，《嘉莉妹 妹》，北京燕山出版社，1995 西奥多·德莱塞著/傅东华译，《珍妮姑娘》， 上海译文出版社，1990