Analysis of Sister Carrie’s character嘉莉妹妹性格分析

Analysis of Sister Carrie’s character“Sister Carrie” is the first novel of famous American novelist Theodore Dreiser in the 19th century. It is also a remarkable naturalist one of his works. Carrie is the major character of this book. The story took place in the United States in the late 19th century, when the emerging industrial and commercial city were rising. There was a large number of rural population pouring into the city. Carrie, an eighteen years old, smart and simple girl, in order to get rid of poverty, she took on a train to Chicago with only four dollars. However, the reality broke her dream. She became the mistress of the salesman. Then she met a hotel manager, Hurstwood, who was attracted to Carrie’s simplicity and beauty. Later he stole the money from the hotel, and deceived Carrie to make her elope with him to New York. In New York, Hurstwood lost the money, and he couldn’t find a job because of steal. Carrie had to find a job as an actress to earn their livings, then she became a famous actress and squeezed into the upper class. She abandoned Hurstwood and pushed him unconsciously to despair and death. Although she owned the fame, she felt very lonely.In my opinion, Carrie is an innocent, simple, hard-working and romantic girl. Also she is realistic, enterprising but vainglorious.First, her simplicity and naivete. She is easy to be moved by man’s complaisance. On the train to Chicago she met Drouet, and when she got off the train, Drouet offered to help her take the package. She said,”very kind of you.” and felt that it was very lucky to get care in strange place. Carrie didn’t know Drouet was a person who liked to be adored by women and make them happy. When Carrie couldn’t find job after an illness, she met Drouet again. He invited Carrie to dinner and gave her 20 dollars to buy clothes. Carrie felt ashamed and refused him, but she accepted at last under the lure of money. Then she thought Drouet was a generous and good person, but she didn’t know he was only a man who took the pursuit ofwomen for fun. (洪艺帆)Second, she is diligent and enterprising.Carrie’s diligence is shown principally in her work. When she first arrived in Chicago and the next day, she went out to find a job. For running all day, she finally found a job that pays four point five dollars a week in a shoes factory. Though it was low-paid, long working hours, and poor working conditions, she endured that. After she became the mistress of Drouet, who belongs to the Masonic, Carrie tried to improve herself in taste. And at that time, the Masonic was performing a fund-raising play. In order to act the heroine, Carrie practiced at home every day. She knew that if she wanted to success, she had to hardworking and finally she performed this role successfully.Hurstwood lured Carrie to New York and they lived together. Carrie first was a housewife, but when Hurstwood was unemployment and stayed at home, she had to go out to look for a job to change the situation which was getting embarrassing. Then she worked in a choir as a humble chorus actor. But she never gave up hope and made great effort in living a better life, she eventually became more and more popular. Without her diligence and gumption, Carrie could not get success at last.Third, she is romantic and practical. Her romance reflected in her fantasy of life and emotion, she imagined that she will eventually be paid off and her hardworking will not be wasted. When she got her first job, she fantasied that a happy life is waiting for her. But her fantasy soon shattered, she lost her job.The romance is also reflected in her emotional fantasies, her first fantasy is that she and Drouet would get married, and later fantasy is that Hurstwood and she would be happy together, but both of them are shattered. After she became famous, she still was not happy. So she gradually became practical. When Hurstwood was unemployed, she lefthim and tried to find her position. She is romantic because she does not understand that social competition is brutal, sinister; she is practical because she learned that only by working hard can she live a wanted life.（惠宝琴）Fourth, Carrie is a Woman with strong vanity and desire for material, which contributed to her make succeeds in the future. Her heart is filled with the desire of wear and beauty. When she went to the department store to look for a job, Carrie was always attracted by trinkets, jewelry and so on. She wanted to wear all the jewelry on her body and desire to have them all. At the same time, she was eager to dress beautiful to show off her in here. “What a happy thing it is”! And it displayed her pursuit of fame and fortune. However, It is precisely that this vanity makes her not satisfied with her present situation, which made her out of the circle of her own lives and, ultimately, she met with success and got the fame and gain what she wanted.Fifth, Carrie's independence is not her willing，but is forced out. She came to Chicago to live with her brother-in-law and sister’s home and had to look for a job by herself. But when she got a job, she must pay for meals to her sister. But she was not welcomed by the families after she was unemployment, they suggest her to return home. And then at that Carrie she fall in love with Drouet, but after a short while she breaking up and to find a job again. Later she was lured to New York by Hurstwood, Carrie not satisfied the present situation and she make great effort to find jobs, after failing many times and tried several,she finally became the main star of the Broadway.From the above analysis, we know that Carrie is an innocent single, Pure, hard-working, romantic and realistic, carefully compare good but vanity compared with the strong independent women. After reading the work, I tastethe author has two intention. On the one hand, I understand the author in order to praise the men who are similar to Carrie that making a wonderful achievement in a highly competitive society through effort. On the other hand, the author want to reflect the social reality. Though the live of Carrie, it is reflect the social scene and the status situation from the side. （苗悦）。