摘要

西奥多·德莱塞是二十世纪美国文学中一位杰出的作家，也是美国现代小说的先驱。在美国文学史上，他是不带偏见地率先如实描写了新的美国城市生活。《嘉莉妹妹》是他创作于19世纪末的一部长篇小说，也是他的第一部作品。讲述的是农村少女嘉莉如何从社会底层登上百老汇红舞星宝座的过程，细腻地展示了嘉莉的生存景观及心路历程。当时的美国正由传统的农业国迈向现代化的工业国，处于自由资本主义向垄断资本主义转变的时期。社会转型使得人们变得富有的同时，价值观也得到了改变。勤劳、节俭、自控的生活方式不再盛行，取而代之的是无节制的物质享受和消遣。这部小说以真切的现实主义为鲜明的特征，比较真实地揭露了20世纪初人们狂热的追求美国之梦的悲剧事实，揭示了驱驶人们享乐却最终幻灭的本能主题，说明了在以金钱为中心的美国资本主义社会里不可能有真正的幸福。

本文以主人翁嘉莉、赫斯特伍德，埃德鲁等为中心，从人物分析入手，从当时历史文化背景出发，着重对比嘉莉命运的“崛起”和赫斯特伍德命运的“败落”。同时研究人物在自身发展过程中的心态变化与时代环境和时代心理相互印证的关系。揭示《嘉莉妹妹》写作年代的经济转型和随之而来的价值观的变化。重点反映了十九世纪的美国以金钱为代表的社会价值观对追求者的身心的巨大影响。

本文不仅是对《嘉莉妹妹》这部文学作品的分析，也为当今人们应该如何看待金钱与名利留下了很好的思考空间。

关键词：金钱，价值观，道德，追求，社会转型  

Abstract
Theodore Dreiser is an outstanding writer of the twentieth century American literature, also a pioneer of modern American fiction. In the history of American literature, He was the first one, who described the new urban life in the United States without prejudice. Sister Carrie is a novel he wrote in the late 19th century, also his first work. It traces Carrie's rise from a country girl to a brilliant Broadway star, delicately shows her life experience. At that time, the United States is striding towards a modern industrial country from a traditional agriculture country, monopoly capitalism from free capitalism. Social transformation has made people become rich, changed their values as well. Industrious and frugal way of life is no longer popular, replaced by uncontrolled material enjoyment and recreation. The story reveals the tragic fact that people pursued American dream fanatically in the early 20th century based on vivid realism which demonstrates that people could not gain true happiness in American capitalism society for it takes the money as the center.
Based on the historical and cultural background, this thesis mainly focus on the rise of Carrie and the decline of Hurstwood. Also, it discussed the interactive relations between the mentality changes of the characters in the development process and the environment and psychology of the times. It reveals the economic transformation and the resulting changes in the values in the writing age. Mainly reflects the physical and mental influence of money-first values on the pursuers in nineteenth-century America. The thesis is more of a reminder to let the readers think how to treat money and fame.
Key words: money, values, morality, pursue, social transformation