Drouet’s Influence on Sister Carrie

摘 要：小說《嘉莉妹妹》中的德魯埃扮演著不光彩的角色，他是激起嘉麗對物的欲望催化劑作用的人，也是嘉利無意識的啟蒙者，為嘉麗日后走上演員之路埋下了伏筆。《嘉莉妹妹》在看似偶然的因素下面，隱藏著必然因素。從嘉麗人生經歷中我們吸取這樣的教訓，在物欲橫流的社會里，要學會抵制物質和金錢的誘惑，堅持自己的道德底線與原則；遠離那些讓你揮金如土和無所事事的“朋友”。

關鍵詞：嘉莉妹妹；影響；幾點啟示

作者簡介：婁利杰（1979—），女，漢族，河南開封人，中央民族大學外國語學院2009級碩士研究生，主要從事英文翻譯與英文小說評論。

[中圖分類號]：I106 [文獻標識碼]：A

[文章編號]：1002-2139(2012)-01-0017-01

Drouet is a traveling salesman， who is attracted by Carrie’s innocence and beauty on the train from her village to Chicago. Drouet is a dandy， having “a keen desire for the feminine”1P[3]. “He loved to make advances to women， and to have them succumb to his charms” 1P[52] And Carrie is also deeply impressed at the first sight by Drouet’s appearance. So Carrie’s first encounter with Drouet， which has generates her desire for power and success， makes the first step towards her attempt at pursuing her dream.

After Carrie arrives in Chicago， her sister Minnie and sister-in-law Hanson are indifferent to her， and Hanson often implies that Carrie should pay for her board. Carrie ventures into one company after another， but she is refused out of the likely door one after another.

After experiencing a series of defeats， Carrie finds a job with cheap salary--four and a half for a week. But she feels the blood is creeping warmly over her body. Unfortunately， she gets ill and loses her job. The Hansons have already implied that if she still can not find employment， she had better go back home. In the throw of fortune， she meets Drouet again in the street.

1.1 The Eden’s Serpent

In fact， on the train to Chicago， Drouet has portrayed a fascinating and alluring world of ease and pleasure， which stirs Carrie’s imagination and anticipation to her future life in the city.

Drouet represents at this point the full， rich life of Chicago which her imagination has pictured， and that he will supply shelter， warmth， clothing and food on a level far superior to that offered by the Hansons. Carrie’s reason is undeveloped， but her instinct (her need and desire) is too strong， so she follows her desire for pleasure. By the time he presents “two soft， green， handsome ten-dollar bills” 1P[50]into her hand， Drouet consummates the seduction. Moreover， Carrie is innocent and simple. So when Drouet offers to rent a flat for her and he behaves “l(fā)ike a brotherly sort of creature”【1】P[48]， Carrie takes it for granted that Drouet only wants to help her out of the trouble. Like the Serpent in the Eden， Drouet seduces Carrie step by step.

There is also a furious war between her instinct and her reason when Drouet offers help. But Carrie is eager for pleasure and comfort and fears of failure. So she is dominated by instinct and accepts Drouet’s arrangement.

1.2 The Activator of Sister Carrie’s Desire for Material

Soon Carrie is comfortably established in the Ogden Place flat with three furnished rooms. Now she is safe in “a halcyon harbor” 1P[73]. Drouet spends money on her and often takes her to hang out in their spare time. When they take a walk together， he often remarks about the women’s grace and clothes， which makes Carrie feel a desire to imitate it.

Through Drouet， Carrie gains access to department stores， restaurants and theaters. And she has “an array of clothing—more than she had ever possessed before” 1P[74] and she is turned into “a prettier Carrie than she had seen before”1P[75].

1.3 The Unconscious Enlightener for Carrie towards Her Actress Career

Mr. Harry Quincel， a prominent member of the local Elks， wants Drouet to find some young lady to take a part in an amateur play Under the Gaslight. The drummer consents to it because of his “innate good-nature.” But he forgets all about it the moment Mr. Quincel has ceased talking. Until the evening a few days before rehearsal， he is reminded of his promise by a hurrying letter. It is too late for him to find some one that knows something about amateur theatricals. Carrie becomes his only choice to fulfill his promise. Drouet clings to this idea as an easy way out， though she has never played on a stage.

Carrie was possessed of that sympathetic， impressionable nature which， ever in the most developed form， has been the glory of the drama. She is created with that passivity of soul which is always the minor of the active world. She possesses an innate taste for imitation and no small ability. Her performance wins applause and flowers for her. Drouet， excited by her success， has never thought Carrie’s opportunity offered by chance would pave the way for her career. So in some sense， Drouet is an unconscious enlightener for Carrie， though what Dreiser means here is that chance plays an important part in humans’life.

We can learn a lesson from Carrie’s experience: In this material-focused society， it is vitally important to learn how to resist the temptation of material and money and stick to the bottom line of our morality principle. Don’t make friends who are comfortable to be with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up.

NOTES：

【1】Theodore Dreiser， Sister Carrie。

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