Abstract: Theodore Dreiser is the first prominent writer in the American literature history in the 20th century, as well as the pioneer of American modern fiction. Sister Carrie is Theodore Dreiser’s first novel. The novel describes the tragic destiny of a girl who comes from a poor family to metropolis. This paper analyzes both the internal and external factors which lead to Carrie’s tragedy. The author holds that the external factors include commercialism and the family environment and the internal factors include Carrie’s rebellious personality, her selfish characters, her intensive desires for material wealth and the fame as well as the lack of rational education. The paper concludes that both external and internal factors lead to her tragedy.

Key words: Sister Carrie; tragedy; the external factors; the internal factors

CONTENTS

Abstract

中文摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. External Factors of Carrie’s Tragedy-3

2.1 Commercialism-3

2.2 The Family Environment-4

3. The Internal Factors of Carrie’s Tragedy-5

3.1 Her Characters-5

3.1.1 Her Rebelliousness-5

3.1.2 Her Selfishness and Indifference-6

3.2 Her Own Greed-7

3.2.1 Her greed for Material Wealth-7

3.2.2 Her Greed for Social Status and Fame-7

3.3 Lack of Rational Education-9

4. Conclusion-9

Bibliography-11

Acknowledgements-12