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Analysis of the Negative Influences of Materialism in
An American Tragedy
By
Min Chunyuan
A Thesis Submitted to Xinhua College Ningxia University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree of Bachelor of Arts
Xinhua College Ningxia University April 20, 2014
Acknowledgements
First of all, I would like to expre my profound appreciation to my supervisor, Yang Bo, for her patient instruction and selfle advice in my study.With her help, I completed the thesis.Secondly, I am thankful to my parents for their material and spiritual support.They gave me much more motive power to go on my study.Last but not least, thanks are due to my friends who helped me in my study, they gave me many suggestions in my study and life.i
Abstract
An American Tragedy is American writer Theodore Dreiser’s representative work, which exposes and criticizes American society by depicting the whole society.In the novel, the hero Clyde grows up in a poor religious family.He is young and etremely frivolous.Making some bad friends, he is involved with the libertinism all the day.In order to avoid the disaster, he goes to New York for his uncle’s help.He falls in love with Robert Olden, a poor woker.Later, he meets with the rich young lady Sondra Finchley, who can make him get rid of porety.Finally, he is put in prison because of the woker’s accidental death.His life changes, and his dream breaks up.This thesis believes American tragedy refers to many aspects, including the tragedy of American dream, moral tragedy, and the tragedy of love.Many people like the hero Clyde have a colorful American dream, however, the dreams breaks up finally.Clyde loses his faith, his freedom, and even his love and himself under the lure of material society.Based on the analysis of materialism and American dream, this thesis analyzes the real meaning of American tragedy and the negative influences of materialism on major characters.Key words: American Dream, Materialism
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摘 要
《美国悲剧》是美国作家西奥多·德莱赛的代表作品。作品通过描绘社会全貌，揭露和抨击了美国社会。小说中男主人公克莱德·格里菲思成长于一个贫穷潦倒的宗教家庭，年少轻狂的克莱德因交友不慎，终日沉湎酒色不可自拔。为了避祸，克莱德前往纽约投奔叔父，并与纯洁善良的贫穷女工罗伯塔·奥尔登相恋；后来，克莱德又结识了美丽的千金小姐桑德拉·芬奇利，这足以让他摆脱贫贱。最后因女工的意外身亡，克莱德进入了监狱，他的生活彻底改变，他的梦也彻底破碎了。
小说中所描绘的美国悲剧，指的不仅是社会现实的许多方面，包括美国梦的悲剧，道德的悲剧，以及爱情的悲剧。许多人都像主人公克莱德一样怀揣着多姿多彩的美国梦，然而，结果却是美梦破灭。克莱德在物质社会的引诱下失去了自己的信仰，自由，爱情，更失去了自己。
本文通过对物质主义和美国梦进行分析研究，剖析了解美国悲剧的真实意义及物质主义对主人公的生活等各方面产生的消极影响。
关键词：美国梦，物质主义
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Contents
Acknowledgements……………………………………………………….i Abstract………………………………………………………………..…ii 摘要………………………………………………………………...……iii 1 Introduction ……………………………………………………………1 2 Literature Review ……………………………………………………...2 2.1 Introduction to Theodore • Herman Albert • Dreiser……………...3 2.2 Introduction to America Tragedy ………………………………....4 2.3 Introduction to Materialism……………………………………..…5 3 Representations of Materialism in Terms of Tragedy in American Tragedy …………………………………………………………………..6 3.1 Meaning of Tragedy in American Dream………………………….6
3.1.1 Content of American Dream…………………………….……6
3.1.2 Materialism Embodied in American Dream…………………..7 3.2 Meaning of Moral Tragedy ………………………………………..9 3.2.1 The Change and Influence of Social Morality………………...9
3.2.2 Materialism Embodied in Moral Tragedy…………………...10 4 Negative Influence of Materialism in American Tragedy………….....10 4.1 Negative Influence of Materialism on Major Characters………...11
4.1.1 Negative Influence on Clyde ………………………………..12
4.1.2 Negative Influence on Roberta………………………………13
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4.2 Negative Influence on American Society……………………..….15 5 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….15 Bibiography…………………………………………………………......17
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Analysis of the Negative Influences of Materialism in
An American TragedyIntroduction Theodore Dreiser is one of the representive writers in American literature.His works mostly reveal the tragedy of American society at that time and in today’s society still have the profound significance.An American Tragedy is his representative work, which exposes and criticizes American society by depicting the whole society.The thesis consists of four parts.The first part is the introduction to the thesis.The second part is made of the literature review, which including the introduction.The third part is the analysis of the representations of materialism in terms of tragedy in American tragedy.The fourth part is the analysis of the negative influence of materialism in An American Tragedy for the hero and society.And the last part is the ending of this thesis, it tells us that the exceive pursuit for materialism can make the people the head, the standard of morality and even make the society fall.Literature Review Dreiser’s masterpiece An American Tragedy is acclaimed as one of the most important novels in the American literature.As Dreiser’s best novel, it also meets with the most critical attention.Trilogy, The Financier(1912)and The Titan(1914).The third trilogy, The Stoic, published posthumously.His other works include The Genius
(1915), an autobiographical work An American tragedy(1925)and The Bulwark(1946).From the unwelcomed Sister Carrie to his bestseller An American Tragedy，Dreiser had faced every form of attack that a serious artistic isolation, and commercial seduction.2.2 Introduction to An America Tragedy
An American Tragedy is the representative work of Theodore Dreiser, it marks the peak of creation achievement by the author.The protagonist of the novel, is from a poor family with low social status.He pursues money and high status, finally degenerates into a murderer and is exeeuted to death by electrice hair.Clyde's tragedy is not only the tragedy of an individual, but also the tragedy of America.While sympathizing with the self-destruetion of Clyde, Dreiser diseloses the darkne of the Ameriean soeiety and the corruption of Ameriean polities, revealing the potencial crisis covered by the false prosperity.In the opinion of Dreiser, it is the American soeiety, rather than the murderer himself, shall be responsible for the murder case.At that time in the American society, the value that only the upper cla people are aceepted was prevailing.The novel deseribes the large gap between the rich and the poor and that how the Republican Party and the Demoeratic Party and the judicial system take advantage of the murder case to win the election.people like Clyde have cherished a variety of American dreams, but the dreams are crushed.American tragedy is also a tragedy of morality.Many incidents in the novel show the degradation of the moral beings of the characters.They have no sympathy and what they pursue is only self-interests.At last, American tragedy is the tragedy of love.The lovers in the novel find themselves deceive totally and theirs love affairs destroy.3.1 Meaning of Tragedy in American Dream The early American dream contains progreive spirit, and strees on the way through the individual’s struggle to realize the ideal, but the cruel social reality often make the dreams ruin.3.1.1 The Content of the American Dream The American dream is a recurring cultural motif, its appearance can be traced back to the beginning of American civilization, it is accompanied by the birth of the United States and the birth of the connotations of their dreams with the development of American society and the evolving changes.Today, in the context of increasing globalization, the impact of the American dream has exceeded the boundaries of the geographical and gradually become a “dream”, and the impact on generation after generation has grown up in the World Youth.However, today’s American dream is no longer the dream of a better world in old people’s minds.In the equality of social, just through the
crust of luxury living.The description for Davidson Hotel under the pen of Dreiser let people feel the luxury “his feet are black and white squares marching marble ground.The head is covered with copper, coated with gold colored paint the ceiling…” [4] Impact of this phenomenon on the Clyde luxury can not be underestimated.In order to wear decent clothes, he even deceives his mother, and in order to meet the material needs of his girlfriend, he uses the installment to purchase extravagant clothing.The trees, paths, flower beds, garages, luxury fountain envy him, or even completely charmed to see those beautiful house on the street in his Uncle’s home envy him and make him yearn for the glamorous life.However, the poor condition of no money, no status makes him feel uncomfortable.This view in reality life has been confirmed since Roberta pregnancy.There is no money for Roberta’s abortion, which forces Clyde be in despair.In the materialistic environment, Clyde goes toward the aby of death step by step.3.2 Meaning of Moral Tragedy
The moral power is huge in any society.However, in American society at that time, the young generations were influenced by the bad social style, satisfied with physical pleasure, and lose themselves at last.The wealthy young men were unprepared all day;the poor young men were also unambitious.So people’s morality decaies, in order to get what they want, they could even make the crime and the tragedy.moral standards.4 Negative Influence of Materialism in An American Tragedy
No matter in any time, the exceive spread of materialism will create more problems, either for the whole society or for the individual.The consumption view of materialism let people lose themselves, yearn for beautiful and rich life, pursue luxury life at all costs, A strong desire for money engulfs every people and even the entire society.Pure goodne of people and society disappear, since the desire dominates the mankind and society.4.1 Negative Influence of Materialism on Major Characters In An American Tragedy, Dreiser describes the whole proce of Clyde Griffiths, being affected by the evil society, and gradually evolved, degenerated into a murderer, and finally destroyed himself.The subject of the novel is not new, but it becomes a masterpiece in the hands of Dreiser.Clyde’s personal behavior is extremely weak, and he becomes known as the“moral and mental coward.”
Similarly，the hero’s tragedies also because the widening gap between rich and poor, which makes a negative impact on a generation of young people, makes them seek a shortcut to getting rich, and this manic state of mind finally leads to the tragedy.An American Tragedy looks like a mirror, and shows all the ugly face of American life, so the tragedy in the novel is the tragedy of typical American.industrial city along the Mohawk River, west of Albany.He gets a job at the factory, where he seduces and impregnates Roberta, an attractive and sweet-natured worker, whose social background is similar to his own;at the same time, he rides, swims, and dances with the local smart set, and the debutantes and college boys who flirt him through a long summer.And he falls in love with one of them, the beautiful Sondra Finchley, a kind of provincial teen-age lapper who initially patronizes him but then finds herself attracted to his good looks and his overwhelming desire for her.Exposed to provincial high of marrying into the property-owning cla, Clyde moves from one dangerous point to the next.4.1.2 Negative Influence on Roberta Roberta Alden is a daughter of Titus Alden, a farmer near Blitz, which is a small town in Mimi Country, some fifty miles north.Her father is also an unsucceful person at forty-eight.Roberta herself was partly blamed for her Tragedy.It seems unfair for Roberta to be blamed for her tragedy, but she really should be.Although born in a poor farm family, Roberta is very charming and quite clever.She deserves a better life.Since her childhood, she was dreaming to conquer a man to have a better life that was different from her farm life.With this dream, she even could not insist on her refusal for Clyde’s pursuit.She loses something guided by the dream of bettering herself by marrying Clyde.She even dares not insist on her refusing for
can buy everything, money is everything.Therefore, in order to get money they can do anything.The gap between rich and poor is widening, the rich people are richer, poor people are more and more poor.The rich man lives a life of luxury, in and out of the luxury hotel, drees well, through the dancing party or banquet.But the thought of poor people that through their own efforts, they can be in the upper cla is hard to imagine, and eventually ends up a wall.Conclusion By the analysis of characters and their life experience, we will have a better understanding of the importance of the book.First of all, the work is a very important literary creation because it would tell the truth about human nature and about diverse lives in the national experience around him.American fiction through the first two decades of twenty century continued to maintain a misleading moralizeu and false idealism sharply at odds with most of the behavior and experiences in the contemporary world it supposedly described.As a conclusion, Clyde’s tragedy is both the tragedy of an individual and the tragedy of the American society.Although there is weakne in Clyde’s personality, through the above analysis, it is obvious that in eence, the tragedy of Clyde is a true American tragedy, moral tragedy, and love tragedy.Except these, the negative influence of materialism in An American Tragedy is no mater on Clyde, it’s also on Roberta, in order
Bibiography
[1] Gerber, Philip.1964.Theodore Dreiser [M].New York: Twayne Publishers.Inc.[2] Theodore Dreiser.An American Tragedy [M] Xinjiang: Yili People’s Pre, 2001.[3]Donald Pizer.American Realism and Naturalism [M] Shanghai: Shanghai Education Pre, 2003.[4] Dreiser, Helen.1951.My Life with Dreiser [M].Cleveland: The World Publishing, Co.[5] Dreiser, Theodore.1948.An American Tragedy [M].New York: The World Publishing Company.[6]［美］德莱赛美国的悲剧刘立凡，曹明玉，译 海口: 南方出版社 韩春英,德莱塞与美国悲剧[J].周口师范学院报.济南: 周口师范,1998.[7] 何木英,杜平,美国文学简史与作品选读[M].四川，四川大学出版社，2004.[8] 蒋道超,德莱塞研究[M]上海:师外语教育出版社，2003.[9] 宋谊,美国悲剧的剖析与探索[D].山东师范大学图书馆优秀博士论文.山东师范大学, 2006.[10] [美]西奥多·德莱塞:《美国的悲剧》,北京:人民文学出版社,1999年.
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