A pioneer of naturalism in American literature, Theodore Dreiser equally deserves a place in American literature for his vigorous attack on the genteel tradition and his long and active interest in American social problem. Showing the readers an actual American society that is maintained with money worship, hedonism, individualism, his works make the readers so suffering and so astonished that some readers could hardly bear. In this paper, a brief introduction is given to Dreiser’s life and the critical story of An American Tragedy, and then the causes of Roberta’s tragedy are analyzed. Through analysis the real origin of the tragedy is exposed to be the evil capitalist social system, and Roberta’s tragedy is also the American females’ tragedy.
Key Words
Theodore Dreiser; tragedy; Roberta; Clyde; American Dream.
摘要......................................................................Ⅱ
关键词....................................................................Ⅱ
Introduction..............................................................1
Ⅰ.The Author and the Novel...............................................2
A. A Brief Introduction to Theodre Dreiser...............................2
B. A Brief Introduction of An American Tragedy...........................3
Ⅱ.The Analysis of Roberta's Tragedy......................................6
A. Roberta’s Destiny....................................................6
B. Analysis of Roberta’s Tragedy on the External Causes...............8
C. The Original Causes of Roberta’s......................................9
Tragedy...................................................................16
D. The Analysis of Roberta's Tragedy on ..................................12