Symbolic Meanings of Newspaper in Sister Carrie
Abstract：Newspaper, with its regular appearances in the book, has some symbolic meanings. Firstly, the news reported in newspaper is not always reliable and accurate. And some newspaper readers are hypocritical. Secondly, newspaper is a reflection of social status. People who are reported in the papers are famous and have high social positions. This symbolic meaning is embodied sharply by Carrie. Thirdly, newspaper reports the news in the past. It stands for the past and has no power for future. Similarly, newspaper readers in Sister Carrie like Hanson and Hurstwood indulge themselves in the past and do not look ahead. As a result, Hanson is always a laborious worker and leads a poor and dull life. Hurstwood cannot adapt his new life and eventually ends his life by suicide. By contrast, Carrie and Mrs. Hurstwood have a foresight and they both have a plan for their future. So in the end Carrie become a hot actress and Mrs. Hurstwood leads a happy life with her daughter and son-in-law. Newspaper is a reflection of their personalities and attitudes toward life and these in the end determine their destinies.
Key words: Sister Carrie; newspaper; social status; character
《嘉莉妹妹》中报纸的象征意义
摘 要：报纸这个意象在《嘉莉妹妹》中多次出现，具有一些象征意义。首先，报纸报道的消息并不总是可靠准确的，有些人也显得虚伪假意。其次，报纸是社会身份的象征。那些被刊登在报纸上的人物或事物都是有身份的。这个象征意义在嘉莉妹妹身上有着很明显的诠释。再者，报纸登记的都是过去发生的事情，它代表着过去和对未来的一种无力。在《嘉莉妹妹》中有两个主要的报纸读者，汉生和赫斯渥汉森是一个勤劳的工人，过着贫穷而乏味的生活。赫斯渥没有办法适应新社会新生活最终自杀结束了生命。相反的，嘉莉妹妹和赫斯渥夫人对她们的未来都有所期望和规划。最终嘉莉妹妹如愿成为纽约当红演员，赫斯渥夫人也和她女儿与金龟婿过上了幸福的日子。报纸可以反映出人物的性格和对生活的态度，这对他们的未来和结局产生了重大的影响。
关键词：《嘉莉妹妹》；报纸；社会地位；性格
Contents
1. Introduction 1
2. The Critique of Journalism in Sister Carrie 2
2.1 Some Reports on the Newspaper Lacking in Accuracy 2
2.2 Hypocrisy in Sister Carrie 2
3. Newspaper: A Reflection of Social Status 4
3.1 Newspaper and Celebrities 4
3.2 Newspaper and Carrie's Social Position 4
4. Newspaper: A Representative of Past and Conservation 6
4.1 Hanson: A Traditional Worker and Newspaper Reader Preferring a Normal and Stable Life 6
4.2 Hurstwood: A Tragic Character Indulging in News Reading and Past But Can not Look Ahead 7
4.3 Carrie: An American Dream Pursuer Reading Newspaper Most for Recognition 8
4.4 Mr.s Hurstwood: A Long-sighted Mother Caring Less about Newspaper But Planning for the Future 9
5. Conclusion 10
References 11
1.Introduction
In this thesis I argue that newspaper is a reflection of social status and it is also a symbol of people who are indulged in the past but do not look ahead. Sister Carrie is an American novel by Theodore Dreiser, considered as “the wheelhorse of American naturalism” and “chief spokesman for the realistic novel” (Wu Dingbo, 2013: 134). In his time, America was undergoing a drastic social change: on the one hand, American capitalist economy was developing fast, and on the other hand, the conflict between the capitalists and the working class was increasingly intensified. Influenced by the theories of realism, naturalism and social Darwinism and based on his own experiences, Dreiser developed a pessimistic view of American society. Sister Carrie was set in the late 19th century. At that time mechanization improved the efficiency of production and the surplus rural laborers entered the city. As a result, America underwent industrialization and urbanization and a great number of big cities emerged. The city was undoubtedly the center of modern life and attracted many young people. Carrie was one of them. There were no convenient devices such as smart phones and internet in the 19th century. People received information mainly through newspaper reading. Paper was almost everywhere and provided much information. However, it had its detrimental side so that many writers wrote articles to criticize it. Theodore Dreiser himself had worked for various newspaper for years. In the eyes of Dreiser, American journalism was failing its readers, leaving them with incomplete or inaccurate pictures of reality (Canada, 2010: 228). There are some related critiques in Sister Carrie. And “newspaper also serves as a “mediating object,” which both Hurstwood and Carrie employ to achieve other ends” (Fisher, 2006: 507). 《嘉莉妹妹》中报纸的象征意义:http://www.chuibin.com/yingyu/lunwen_205495.html