Naturalism in An American Tragedy

【Abstract】Theodore Dreiser is a great realistic and naturalistic novelist in the world. His masterpiece An American Tragedy is regarded as one of the most representative naturalistic novels. It describes the degeneration of an American young man， which has direct relation with American society. This article aims at analyzing the naturalistic features of the novel.

【Key words】Theodore Dreiser； An American Tragedy； naturalism

Theodore Dreiser， the “wheelhouse of American Naturalism”， is a master at naturalistic novels， and his masterpiece An American Tragedy strongly proves that. This article aims at analyzing its naturalistic features from the aspects of the authenticity and objectivity in its source， narrative discourse and hero Clyde.

Firstly， the source of An American Tragedy is authentic， which is mainly based on a truly happened law case about Chester Gillette who killed his lover for money and social status. Dreiser lays great groundwork and consults many materials about this case and others alike. Factual details also add to the authenticity of the novel. For example， in Chapter 42， Clyde receives two letters respectively from Sondra and Roberta. The language in Sondras letter sounds artificial while that in Robertas is plain. The contrast makes sense as Sondra is a flirtatious and hypocritical girl who doesnt treat her relationship with Clyde seriously while Roberta is simple and innocent who really loves Clyde. This difference accords with the difference between the characters， which demonstrates the authenticity derived from the combination of reality and artistic fiction.

Secondly， the narrative discourse is calm and naturalistic that can keep readers from guessing the attitude and emotion of the author so that they can follow the story objectively. In Chapter 42&43， Dreiser lays emphasis on Clydes psychological activities when he wants to murder Roberta but hesitates. Such narrative discourses present Clydes inner conflicts directly， from which readers can feel his mental struggles and have a deeper understanding of this character.

Thirdly， the hero Clyde is objective and authentic. Naturalism emphasizes the combination of science and literature， and the objective creation of characters based on scientific attitudes. Clydes life proves that human beings are determined by laws of heredity and environment， basic drives which we cant control. Clydes depravity， incontestably， is due to his biological instincts—drives for money and status. He tries to dump pregnant Roberta because money matters more to him than kinship. Sondra， however， is just a steeping stone that gets him into the upper class. Besides， the poverty and growth environment also contributes to Clydes tragedy. He knows that poverty is a great disadvantage in society， so he is determined to get wealthy and enter the upper class， which leads to his sin and crime.

In conclusion， naturalism in An American Tragedy faithfully depicts society and people in that era， and makes the story authentic and impressive， thus arousing readers reflection on humans destiny， society and universe.

參考文献：

[1]吴翔林.英美文学选读[M].北京：中国对外翻译出版公司， 2005.

[2]杜磊.《美国悲剧》浅析[J].时代文学，2008，（1）：78-79.

作者简介：孙颖（1996.08-），女，汉族，江苏高邮人，南京师范大学在读、学士在读，研究方向：英美文学。endprint