| 摘要: | 西奥多．德塞的嘉麗妹妹自一九零零年出版以來，就一直被批評家熱切的討論著．一方面，這本書是描述嘉麗這位出生貧寒的女孩在大城市中奮鬥成功的故事，另一方面，書中對郝斯特伍德由富而貧的不幸遭遇也有深刻的描述，據唐納德．派樂所說，德塞自己也認為這本書是郝斯特伍德的悲慘故事。一位批評家更宣稱，郝斯特伍德這個角色發展才是整本書的重心。其他如威廉．瑞迪。哈里斯．里昻等人亦持相同看法。由此觀之，郝斯特伍德角色的重要性是無庸置疑的。
與嘉麗比起，來郝斯特伍德的故事更戲劇化，也帶給讀者強烈的悲愴之感，盡管唐納德．派樂認為嘉麗的角色更有深度而耐人尋味，我各人認為，書中對郝斯特伍德內心世界的描寫，他的自傲，激情，與挫折等等，均不比嘉麗的故事稍有遜色。事實上，郝斯特伍德的故事不僅使我們心靈淨化，更讓我們清楚目睹人在無怨，無恨，無情的自然中與命運抗掙的悲壯過程。
為了對郝斯特伍德這個角色有更深刻的認識，並瞭解德塞是如何成功地描繪這個書中人物，我們將詳細的分析郝斯特伍德的心理情結，其中包括他的自傲、不滿、激情、挫折、自我解釋，以至於他最終對生命的眷念與絕望。
Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie has been closely studied and discussed since it was first pubished in 1900. On the one hand, the book is about Carrie who tries to find a better life for herself in big cities. On the other hand, the book is a story of Hurstwood as well. As Carrie rises from poor status, Hurstwood falls down from his comfortable life to a tragic death. According to Donald Pizer, Dreiser himsef, in 1907, called Sister Carrie the story of "the tragedy of a man's life."1
One critic even claims that the attention of this novel "is focused even more directly on the figure of George Hurstwood than on Carrie herself." 2 And in William Marion Reedy's words, "it is the delineation of the man's gradual sinking or linking into degradatio that the author shows his real power."3
Or, in Harris Merton Lyon's words, "Hurstwood reminds you of yourself, of each one of your friends. He epitomizes your theory of life."4
Dreiser's own comments, and the critics'opinions at least show that Hurstwood is an important role in the novel.
In comparison with Carrie's adventures in Chicago and New York, Hurstwood's story is more dramatic and pathetic. As Donald Pizer puts it, Carrie's character is more comlpex than Hurstwood.5
But in my opinion, Hurstwood's inner world, pride passion, and his inner conflicts, are not less powerful than Carrie's ceaseless pursuit of a better life. In fact, Hurstwood's story not only evokes in us a sense of catharsis, but it helps us witness, more clearly,the indifferences of nature to man and man's struggle against his fate. Hurstwood strikes the cores of our hearts by arousing in us a sense of helplessness and irrevocability. and especially a kind of sympathy for the fallen hero.
In order to have a full understanding of Hurstwood. to know how Dreiser delineated this character successfully, we shall try to study Hurstwood's psychic tendencies in detail. These psychic tendencies include Hurstwood's sense of self-importance, pride, dissatisfaction, passion, self-rationalization,inner conflicts, loss and compensation, and above all, his frustration and disillusion of life. |
