Naturalistički elementi i društvena kritika u romanu "Sister Carrie" Theodorea Dreisera

The novel Sister Carrie (1900) reflects the period in which it was written, the era of emerging capitalism and consumerism. This era corresponded perfectly with American literary naturalism, which spanned the last ten years of the nineteenth century and the turn of the twentieth century. Naturalism essentially contains a philosophical thesis that includes notions of determinism and causality, which results in portraying human beings as animals whose life is ruled by external forces. The author of the novel, Theodore Dreiser, is also noted for being a social historian who documented important changes and developments of the latenineteenth-century American society. Sister Carrie is a naturalist novel, portraying the life of a young woman who arrives in the industrially booming Chicago in search of a better future, and ultimately becomes a famous actress. Carrie achieves wealth and fame in the American society by adapting to its norms and conventions as she does everything that is required of her to succeed. Thus, Carrie’s character is a true epitome of the naturalist philosophy since she thoroughly embodies the phrase “survival of the fittest.” This paper discusses the influence of the naturalist philosophy on Dreiser’s novel as well as Dreiser’s critique of the American society and its artificialness. It also demonstrates how a society dominated by greed for wealth, which became its main value, lacks true emotion and rather resembles a theatrical performance