作者：王崇玉
　　【Abstract】The famous American author Theodore Dreiser is regarded as one of the greatest masters of naturalism and his maiden work Sister Carrie is deemed as his classic work as well as one of the the greatest urban fictions in America. The writer， in a sharp and blunt language， tells us a story that an inexperienced and innocent peasant girl leaves her hometown and goes to the Chicago alone in order to make her fortune and finally she achieves her dream. However， since the work was published， Dreiser suffered serious censure from the press， the critics and the public in that the novel veritably reveals current social situation in America rather than adding sermonizing and moralizing functions of ideal realism. The critics were unanimous that the work was “amoral”， even “filthy”. In the process of Carrie’s pursuit of success， she breaks her moral baseline over and over again in order that her material desire could be gratified at the expense of her virginity. This thesis is bases on the masterpiece， Sister Carrie， by analyzing the heroine’s living surroundings and combining the current social environment in America， so as to analyze the causes for Carrie’s moral corruption， manifestation and the consequences， thus further demonstrating the disillusionment of her American Dream. On the one hand， this thesis aims at giving the readers a deeper understanding of the naturalism in literature and its representative figure， Theodore Dreiser. On the other hand， it helps readers establish proper concept of money and values through condemning Carrie’s unscrupulous behavior.
　　【Key words】Naturalism Desire； Material； Moral corruption； American Dream
　　【作者簡介】王崇玉（1995- ），女，遵义医学院本科在读，研究方向：英语。
　　Introduction
　　It is universally acknowledged that American Dream is an inspiring and heart-stirring word and many of the literature works revolve around it， such as Sister Carrie. Sister Carrie， released in 1900， is one of the masterpieces of American outstanding naturalists， Theodore Dreiser. The work tells us a series of things that happened in the pursuit of happiness of Carrie who leaves her home to Chicago in order to realize her dream. It shows us not only Carrie’s resignation toward reality and her intense pursuit of wealth， but also the author’s complaint about the exploitation that the rich conducted toward the poor. The story happens in the 19th century， American transformational period of society， during which industrialization and urbanization developed rapidly， thus there appears monopolization， then the gap between the rich and the poor emerges. In such a fast-growing society， a large number of rural people leaves their homes for big cities in order that they could gain financial success， that is to say， to realize their American Dream. But the reality is cruel， one can’t achieve his/her goal without any skill， money or social relationships unless he/her uses some kind of ignominious means. Dreiser depicts such an “amoral” world faithfully. He doesn’t express his attitude toward what Carrie has done， but attributes everything to the social environment and heredity，， which is the biggest character of naturalism. His work is so popular and meaningful that people keep them for generations. Undoubtedly， the special writing style and incisive words win a great reputation at home and abroad.