Abstract: Sister Carrie is a masterpiece of the American naturalistic writer Theodore Dreiser. In this novel, the protagonist sister Carrie is a rural girl, who is born in a small place and pursues her dream life in the metropolis. She does not only have the virtue of simplicity, self-improvement and persistence, but also the social defects of vanity, corruption and luxury. This article aims to analyze sister Carrie’s strong desire for money and material, and sense of lost in the pursuit of American dream, so as to reveal the origin of ecospiritual crisis. In order to inspire readers, we need to find our own position in the materialized society and learn to think over and over again to enrich our spirit when we face the spiritual emptiness and depression.

Key words: American dream; desire; ecospiritual crisis

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

  1.1 Introduction to Theodore Dreiser-1

  1.2 Introduction to Sister Carrie-2

  1.3 Introduction to Ecospiritual Crisis-2

2. The Embodiment of Ecospiritual Crisis in Sister Carrie-3

  2.1 Strong Desire for Money and Material-3

2.2 Sense of Lost in Pursuit of American Dream-4

3. The Origin of Ecospiritual Crisis-6

  3.1 The Effect of Environment-6

  3.2 The Instinct of Desire-7

  3.3 The Female Consciousness-8

4. Conclusion-9

Bibliography-10

Acknowledgements-11