镀金时代的幻灭——从消费主义看《嘉莉妹妹》

The Disillusion in the Gilded Age——Viewing Sister Carrie from the Perspective of Consumerism

本文运用鲍德里亚、凡勃伦等人的消费理论,通过身体、服饰和住宅这三大消费符号来解读西奥多·德莱赛的《嘉莉妹妹》。小说中的嘉莉在对物的过分崇拜及高度欲望中丧失了自我,精神世界非常空虚。小说反映了在美国镀金时代,人们生活在由消费社会所带来的虚幻之中。由此可见,个人想要通过消费来建构自我身份及追求自我完美根本就是一种空想。

This paper,using the consumptive theory of Baudrillard and Veblen,aims to interpret Theodore Dreiser＇s Sister Carrie from body,clothing and housing these three consumption symbols. Carrie in this novel loses herself in the process of over-worshipping materials and excessive desire. Her spiritual world is very barren. This novel reflects people were living in an illusion brought by the consumptive society in the gilded age. Therefore,it is just a fantasy for individuals to construct self-identity and pursue self-perfect through the act of consumption.