Abstract：As Theodore Dreiser’s first novel, Sister Carrie is an important landmark in American literature. It tells the story of a young country girl’s rise to a famous actress in Chicago and New York. Through Theodore Dreiser’s depiction, a vivid picture of the late nineteenth-century in America unfolds.

This thesis aims to analyze the symbolic meanings of “theatre” in Sister Carrie. In the late of nineteenth century, theater, as a leisure place, played a vital role in people’s recreational activities. Through the close reading of Sister Carrie, the author analyzes the symbolic meanings of “theatre” in this novel from three aspects. Firstly, the emphasis on theaters’ location, decoration and theatregoers indicates that theatre is a kind of leisure life for those who are wealthy and have a high social status. Secondly, the plays quoted in this novel are appropriate to be an indication of both inpidual’s and the whole society’s abnormal relations. The contents of theatrical plays tend to depict luxurious and dissipated life shared by the upper class, promoting worship of money. Finally, theater as a social space witnessed the changes of protagonists’ social status, and it can distinguish people’s classes. Hence, the thesis reaches the conclusion that “theatre” is a symbol of wealth and status which serves as a catalyst in Carrie’s success and Hurstwood’s failure.

Key words: Theodore Dreiser; Sister Carrie; theatre; symbolic meanings

嘉莉妹妹中“剧院”的象征意义

摘  要：《嘉莉妹妹》是美国作家西奥多·德莱塞的第一部文学作品。这部小说的问世在美国文学史上树立了一座重要的里程碑。德莱塞在《嘉莉妹妹》中讲述了天真的农村少女嘉莉如何从社会底层到跻身于大剧院的名演员之列。通过德莱塞的描写，十九世纪末期的美国社会得以生动地展现。

本文旨在对《嘉莉妹妹》中多次出现的剧院进行分析研究。十九世纪末，作为不可或缺的休闲场所，剧院在美国人民的日常娱乐活动中占有重要的地位。笔者通过对《嘉莉妹妹》的仔细研读，从以下三个方面对剧院的象征意义进行阐述。首先，德莱塞对剧院的地理位置、内部装潢的强调，以及对剧院观众身着华服的炫耀姿态的描绘，体现出剧院已经成为社会名人、富豪聚集的场所，是财富和地位的象征。其次，德莱塞在文中对剧本的引用和借鉴恰如其分。这些剧本不仅隐晦地展现了三个主人公的三角关系，同时也揭露了当时整个上层社会对物质财富的畸形追求。可见这些剧本是对当时社会生活的隐形反映。最后，笔者通过分析嘉莉的成功以及赫斯渥的堕落与剧院之间的联系，得出剧院的社会空间见证了主人公的地位转变。由此，本文最终得出的结论是：剧院作为财富和地位的象征，揭露了十九世纪末上层社会的拜金本质，同时也在主人公命运的起起伏伏中起着重要作用。

关键词：西奥多·德莱塞；《嘉莉妹妹》；剧院；象征意义

Contents

1. Introduction 1

1.1 Overseas Researches 1

1.2 Domestic Researches 1

2. Theatre as a Symbol of Wealth and Status 3

2.1 The location of Theatres: Prosperous Chicago and Established New York 3

2.2 The Environment of Theatres: Magnificent Decorations 4

2.3 The Audience of Theatres: Dressed in Fineries 5

3. Theatre as a Reflection of Life 7

3.1 The Covenant: Satire of Protagonists’ Affairs 7

3.2 Under the Gaslight: Satire of Life in Uppertendom 8

4. Theatre as a Space of Reproducing Social Relations 9

4.1 The Rise of Carrie 9

4.1.1 The Dream: the Spiritual Sustenance 9

4.1.2 Routine: Infatuated with Vanity 10

4.1.3 The Catalyst: the Success of Carrie 11

4.2 The Decadence of Hurstwood 11

5. Conclusion 13

Reference 14

1. Introduction