意志和命运的斗争——《嘉莉妹妹》和《珍妮姑娘》的自然主义解读

An Interpretation of Carrier Sister and Jenny from the Perspective of Naturalism

德莱塞的姐妹篇《嘉莉妹妹》和《珍妮姑娘》打破了维多利亚时期小说的传统,开辟了继现实主义小说之后的实验性小说——自然主义小说创作的先河,反映了作家自然主义的哲学观:人的行为是内在的本能和外在的环境共同作用的结果,人只是被动的实施者。本文从命运观、两性观、金钱观三方面通过对小说中主人公性格的变化及最终命运的阐释,揭示了德莱塞自然主义创作哲学的另一视角:人在自然和社会环境中并不是完全任其摆布的,人具有主观能动性并且人的意志和命运之间存在永恒的斗争。

Theodore Dreiser＇ s companion volumes Carrier Sister and Jenny challenge the novel＇ s tradition of the Victoria Era and brail a trail for novelists of naturalism succeeding those of Realism. These two novels refleet the author＇ s philosophical view of naturalism： human behaviors are influenced by the coactions of inherent instinct and external environment, and human beings are just passive creature. However, there exists another perspective in the writings of Dreiser＇ s naturalism by the analysis of the changes of protagonists＇ characters and the explanation of their final destiny. Meanwhile, the essay reveals that human beings are not manipulated by nature and social environment completely, rather than they possess subjective initiative and their will struggles with destiny forever.