Analysis of Interpersonal Relationship in the Consumer Society Context in Sister Carrie

Abstract: Carries characterization is a familiar topic in the criticism in Sister Carrie. However, how it could be reviewed in the context of the consumer society is relatively a new issue. This paper attempts to analyze the interpersonal relationship in the context of a consumer society. It explores the consumer societys influences on the lovers and family. In addition, it points out Dreisers ambivalent attitude towards consumer ideology.

Key words: Sister Carrie; consumer society; commodity; ambivalence

中图分类号: H319文献标识码: A文章编号:1672-1578(2009)11-0029-02

1 Introduction

After the Civil War, the United States quickly transformed from an agricultural country into an industrial country. The monopoly capitalism began to pop out. Factory production and mass distribution in the modern city all helped create unprecedented fortunes and conspicuous consumption. Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) lived in this transitional period. Born in a small town in Indiana, he spent a very poor and unhappy childhood. He had done many different jobs while growing up, so he could gain first hand experience which enabled him to faithfully portray peoples life in the new consumption environment.

Sister Carrie is Dreisers first novel which was published in 1900. It tells a story of Carries rise from a poor country girl into a famous Broadway star. The story mainly takes place in two large cities of the United States: Chicago and New York. This novel can be seen as a mirror of the early consumer society during the end of the19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries in America.

2 Analysis of interpersonal relationship in the consumer society

2.1Carries relationship with her two lovers

Drouet and Hurstwood are two important people, lovers to be exact in Carries life. Carrie is a village girl without background. What does she have that can be exchanged for her survival and the goods she wants? According to Diane(2000),“In a materialistic society, sex becomes a commodity, something that can be sold and exchanged for goods.” The capital is in the form of sex. As for the Drouet and Hurstwood, they both find their desires in Carrie.

Drouet, a salesman is sensitive to beautiful and attractive women, as the novel reveals:“let him meet with a young woman once, he would approach her with an air of kindly familiarity” (Dreiser:3). His initiative conversation with Carrie is a way of showing and being attracted. We can see from the novel that, when he persuades Carrie to live with him he has no plan to marry her and give her a fair status as Mrs. In other words, Carrie is not that serious and important to him. To some degree, Carrie is a commodity to Drouet—he pays money to furnish Carrie and get much pleasure from her.

Hurstwood is a man of forty. When he meets Carrie, he “stands at the apex of his career, solidly established in a fine position, and esteemed member of monied circles ‘the first grade below the luxurious rich”(Philip). However, in fact he was not satisfied as the surface shows. In the family, he loses authority. His property is in the name of his shrewd wife. His two children are indifferent and insufferable snobbish. From Carrie, he regains his self-esteem. To Hurstwood, Carrie is a luxury commodity which could demonstrate his social status and authority. While in Carries eyes, he offers better material conditions than those she enjoys with Drouet. When Hurstwoood declines in New York, she leaves him relentlessly.

2.2 Family relationships

In such a consumer society, the traditional family tie becomes loose, and the links of family members are economically directed. Here are two relationships to be discussed: Carrie and the Hansons and the Hurstwood family.

Carrie leaves her home town for the big, unfamiliar Chicago, and her sister Minnie and brother-in-law Hanson accommodate her in their meager flat. However, the Hansons dont show any warm welcome to Carries arrival. To Hanson, “the presence or absence of his wifes sister was a matter of indifference” (Dreiser: 9). Their intention to have Carrie live with them “is not because of she (Minnie) longed for her presence”, but because in their eyes Carrie “could get work and pay for her board here” (Dreiser: 11). Five dollars a week could relieve their burden and better their present life. When Carrie complains the hard and boring work in the shoe factory, no comforting words are offered in the family.It seems that the relationship between Carrie and the Hansons is a commercially exchanging one in the market —a landlady and her lodger. Its no wonder that later Carrie leaves the family secretly and would rather live with a stranger met in the train Drouet. Even when she becomes a very successful star, she never goes back and offer any help to the poor family of her sister.

The loose and seemingly commercial family tie is the same with that of the Hurstwoods. Traditionally, the father or the husband is the head of the family, but Julia as a wife doesnt obey Mr. Hurstwood. There is not love between he and his wife any more. The marital relationship is kept out of mutual benefits. To Mrs. Hurstwood, she needs her husband to meet her material requirements, and to Mr. Hurstwood, a happy family could hold his position and social image: “He couldnt complicate his home life, because it might affect his relations with his employers. They wanted no scandals. A man to hold his position must have a dignified manner, a clean record, a respect home anchorage (Dreiser: 70).” However, when Hurstwood always turns down Julia and their daughters

suggestion of trips, or entertaining activities which may show their upper-class status, when Mrs. Hurstwood sees no prospect of her husbands promotion for many years as a manager, when she is sure much of her husbands property is in her name, Mrs. Hurstwood breaks up their relationship. In the surface, the divorce is because of Hurstwoods affair with Carrie, but the real reason is the emotional links are too weak in the consumer society.

3 D reisers view on the consumer culture

This novel reflects Dreisers complicated attitude towards the new consumer society, and its hard to conclude that he is for or against the consumer ideology. On the one hand, Dreiser boldly betrayed the dominant puritan ethics and depicts the consumer society. The traditional moral standard is questionable. The characters as the Hansons who lead the traditional ethic life, restrict their life to daily circle of early rising and long, hard work at the job nearly cant make ends meet; and Carrie has tried to make a living by honest work but failed. While Carries success as a star in a sense demonstrates consumer ideologys success (Chen: 48). On the other hand, in this book, Dreiser exposes his doubt towards the new economy and its consumer ideology. As representatives of in the consumer society, Hurstwood goes bankrupt and commits suicide; Carrie, though becomes a famous, high-paid actress still feels disappointed and void in her deep heart.

Reference:

[1]Diane Andrews Henningfeld. Overview of “Sister Carrie”[J].Novels for students, Vol.8, The Gale Group, 2000.

[2]Philip L. Gerber. A Waif Amid Forces: Sister Carrie[J].In Twaynes United States Authors Series Online. New York: G. K. Hall & Co., 1999. Previously published in print in 1964 by Twayne Publishers.

[3]陈静宜. 消费语境下《嘉莉妹妹》解读[J]. 淮海工业学院学报, 2006,(3).

[4]西奥多·德莱塞. 嘉莉妹妹[M].西安:世界图书出版公司,

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作者简介:张恩秀,女,聊城大学大学外语教育学院助教,文学硕士,主要从事外国语言学及应用语言学研究。