Portrayal Of The Protagonist In Edith Wharton's The House Of Mirth And Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie.
ABSTRACT
Dalam karya ilmiah ini, saya membahas dua buah novel berjudul The
House of Mirth karya Edith Wharton dan Sister Carrie karya Theodore Dreiser.
Topik yang saya angkat dalam Tugas Akhir ini adalah penggambaran tokoh pada
Gilded Era, sebuah era yang terkenal dalam sejarah Amerika pada akhir abad
kesembilan belas. Kedua tokoh utama yang dibahas adalah Lily Bart dalam novel
The House of Mirth dan Carrie Meeber dalam novel Sister Carrie.
Setelah membaca kedua novel ini, saya mendapatkan penggambaran dua
tokoh perempuan yang sama-sama berjuang untuk mendapatkan uang, harta, dan
ketenaran dalam kehidupan mereka, di tengah masyarakat dan situasi zaman yang
sangat mengagungkan prinsip hedonisme. Persamaan yang saya temukan dalam
diri kedua tokoh tersebut adalah kemiripan sifat pada awal cerita serta cara-cara
yang mereka tempuh untuk mendapatkan apa yang mereka inginkan. Selain itu,
ditemukan pula adanya perbedaan yaitu perubahan sifat yang kemudian dialami
oleh salah seorang di antara tokoh tersebut dan perbedaan jalan hidup keduanya di
akhir cerita. Melalui persamaan dan perbedaan ini, saya menarik kesimpulan
bahwa kedua penulis tersebut memiliki tujuan yang sama, yaitu ingin mengkritik
gaya hidup pada zaman tersebut. Saya juga berpendapat bahwa kedua novel ini
baik dan menarik untuk dibaca, baik sebagai bacaan sehari-hari maupun untuk
dibahas secara mendalam.
ii
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................. i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................. ii
ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ........................................................................ 1
Statement of the Problem ....................................................................... 3
Purpose of the Study .............................................................................. 3
Method of Research ............................................................................... 3
Organization of the Thesis ..................................................................... 4
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST
IN EDITH WHARTON’S THE HOUSE OF MIRTH ..................... 5
CHAPTER THREE: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST
IN THEODORE DREISER’S SISTER CARRIE ........................... 20
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ............................................................ 31
BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................... 35
APPENDICES
Synopsis of The House of Mirth .......................................................... 37
Synopsis of Sister Carrie ...................................................................... 38
Biography of Edith Wharton ................................................................ 39
Biography of Theodore Dreiser ........................................................... 40
iii
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
In the late 19th century, after the Reconstruction era, the United States of
America experienced a new era of modernism. This era was thought as the
nation’s golden era; but since what was seen on the outside did not show the true
image of the American society (High 81), it is called the Gilded Age by Mark
Twain, who saw how the real social condition was behind the glittering
appearance. On the one hand, the industrial revolution at that time contributed
magnificent growth to America in every sector, including economy, education,
technology, and population. There were many great factories and mansions built,
universities established, and leisure places developed. “During Gilded Age, every
man was a potential Andrew Carnegie” (“Gilded Age”), so everyone fought to be
rich or get richer in any way. This progress created a lot of newly-rich people,
urbanization, immigration, and labors, but on the other hand, there were
undeniable realities, such as conspicuous differences between the poor and the
rich, poverty, mass strike, business corruption, political scandal, and materialistic
society.
1
Maranatha Christian University
Edith Wharton and Theodore Dreiser lived in this period of time and they
made it the setting of their novels, The House of Mirth and Sister Carrie. In The
House of Mirth, the protagonist comes from an upper-middle class society, but
when her family goes bankrupt, she faces a difficult economic condition. As she
still wants to stay inside the rich circle, she intends to marry for money to cope
with this serious matter. In Sister Carrie, the protagonist is a poor woman who
dreams of a better life, so she goes to Chicago to look for a job. Both protagonists
try to survive in big cities, which are influenced by wealth and social status.
Edith Wharton was a successful American writer and many of her works
have become best-sellers. The major discussion of her fiction deals with manners,
mores and social changes in the American life (Wharton VI). The House of Mirth
is her first major work and it describes the life of New York’s upper class.
Because Edith Wharton also grows up in this milieu, she gives exact descriptions
about life in this class and boldly shows the bad side of it, which is often hidden
behind fine appearances. This novel is considered as a novel of manners, which
“often shows a conflict between individual aspirations or desires and the accepted
social codes of behaviour” (“Novel of Manners”).
Theodore Dreiser was once a reporter. This experience enabled him to tell
his stories honestly with detailed explanations and descriptions; the details which
make people understand and see the real life in America from both good and bad
sides. His first novel, Sister Carrie, describes how lower-class people view the life
of upper class and how they try to become a part of it. The story is inspired by
Dreiser’s sister’s experience and by what he has heard and seen in his life (Dreiser
469).
2
Maranatha Christian University
As the stories revolve around these protagonists, I think it is best to discuss
characters in this thesis. According to Beaty, character is “a person (or personified
or anthropomorphized animal, object, or deity) who acts, appears, or is referred to
in a work” (604). Thus, I analyze the portrayal of the protagonists in The House of
Mirth and Sister Carrie using formalism.
Statement of the Problem
The thesis discusses these questions:
1. How are the protagonists portrayed in the novels?
2. What are the authors’ purposes in creating such characters?
Purpose of the Study
The purposes of the thesis are:
1. to show how the protagonists are portrayed in the novels.
2. to show the authors’ purposes in creating such characters.
Method of Research
In writing my thesis, I use the method of library research. I begin the study
by reading the primary texts, which are Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth and
Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie. Then I read some references from the Internet
and the books that are relevant to the topic to support my analysis. The
information and the knowledge that I have gathered are then used to analyze the
texts. Finally, I draw a conclusion from the research I have made.
3
Maranatha Christian University
Organization of the Thesis
I divide the thesis into four chapters, preceded by the Abstract, the
Acknowledgement, and the Table of Content. In Chapter One, I present the
Introduction, consisting of the Background of the Study, the Statement of the
Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Methods of Research and the Organization
of the Thesis. In Chapter Two, I analyze the Portrayal of the Protagonist in Edith
Wharton’s The House of Mirth. In Chapter Three, I analyze the Portrayal of the
Protagonist in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie. Chapter Four is the Conclusion.
The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the Appendices, consisting of the
Biography of the authors and the Synopsis of the novels.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After analyzing the two protagonists in The House of Mirth and Sister
Carrie, I would like to draw some conclusion. Both of the authors take the Gilded
Era, an era in the late 19th century America where they lived, as the setting for
their stories. Although Wharton and Dreiser expose different classes, high class
and low class, the whole atmosphere of the this Era is affected by hedonism. All
people fight to get rich or richer, because being rich is believed to be closely
associated with one’s success and happiness. Since this era is closely related to
hedonism, these two stories revolve around a person who makes big efforts to get
pleasures in their lives.
The protagonists of the novels are both women. Lily Bart in The House of
Mirth is an upper-middle class woman. When her family gets bankrupt, she gets
into a difficult economic condition, yet she still wants to maintain her previous
glamorous lifestyle. The other protagonist, Carrie Meeber in Sister Carrie, is a
girl from the lower class, as her family is poor. Nevertheless, she goes to Chicago
to realize her dream of having a better life, something which she knows that she
cannot achieve if she stays in her town. At the beginning of the story, they have
two similar characteristics, which are beautiful in appearance and hedonistic.
31
Maranatha Christian University
Since they are hedonistic, they adore pleasures very much. Pleasures for them
mean having much money and a lot of material things, as well as living in a
luxurious place.
When they have to face their economic problem, each of them uses their
other characteristics to cope with it. Lily uses her beauty to attract rich men,
which makes her a manipulative woman. She does not mind marrying for money.
Carrie does not differ much from Lily. With her strong ambition, she is willing to
do anything to get wealth, material things, and be an artiste. She does not miss a
chance when there are men with money who are attracted to her.
Although the two protagonists are similar, they do have some differences.
Wharton creates Lily as a dynamic character, while Dreiser creates Carrie as a
static character. In the middle of the story, Lily changes her characteristics and
she becomes sincere and no longer hedonistic. She does not consider wealth and
material things as the most important thing in life anymore and she no longer uses
her beauty as an easy way to get what she wants. As a static character, Carrie does
not experience any changes in characteristic. She still has the same personality at
the end of the story as she does at the beginning. This significant difference leads
each of them to the different fate. Lily fails to get what she really wants and dies
of overdose at the end of the story. On the other hand, Carrie gets the pleasures
and the better life she dreams of.
I believe the different fate among these two protagonists is related to the
fact that Wharton is a realist, while Dreiser is a naturalist. In realism, the character
is portrayed just the way the character is with his or her own characteristics, but in
naturalism, the characteristics are determined by the environment or hereditary.
32
Maranatha Christian University
“The Evolution Theory of Charles Darwin provides the greatest influence to
naturalistic writers. That is why stories from naturalistic writers espoused the view
that one’s bloodline and environment determine a person’s character. Realism
presents the character exactly who he or she is.” (Cuizon). Moreover, realism
gives more emphasis on the events which happen based on the character’s choice,
while naturalistic view considers that everything that happens have been
determined. “In realism … the moral or ethical choices facing the character
become the crux of the story. In a naturalistic novel, the writer will temper the
realistic portrayal of events to show the effects and significance of a deterministic
universe” (Pru). Therefore, Wharton really shows Lily’s true characteristics in the
novel and the tragic ending that comes to Lily is the consequence of her choice.
But, Dreiser creates Carrie with characteristics that are shaped by her
surroundings. Thus, in the end, like any other successful people at that time who
have hedonistic and ambitious characteristics, Carrie also becomes successful in
the end.
Wharton and Dreiser have different concepts and styles of writing, but I
conclude that both of them intend to satirize the Gilded Era society through their
works, although they convey this idea in different ways. Wharton uses a dynamic
character with an unpleasant ending, while Dreiser uses a static character with a
happy ending. Both of them satirize the values of the society at that time that
consider physical appearance as most important and that that people should love
all the pleasures that life offers them and get them. In getting the pleasures, they
are allowed to do anything, although it is bad.
33
Maranatha Christian University
From how the authors convey their purposes, I prefer Wharton’s way. In
my personal opinion, it is more effective and the message is much better conveyed
to the readers. They would be able to directly see and understand how life can
really change if they do not live in accordance with the values that society holds.
The readers are also given a clear example of one who becomes the victim of the
society. In my opinion, this way of criticizing is more convincing than Dreiser’s.
He seems to be using a safer way to criticize society by creating a character that is
portrayed as following the values that everyone else holds with a happy outcome.
Still, through their works, Wharton and Dreiser have proven Mark Twain’s
expression for that era, that glittering appearance covers its own badness. “Mark
Twain called the late nineteenth century the "Gilded Age." By this, he meant that
the period was glittering on the surface but corrupt underneath” (“Learn About
Gilded Age”).
I encourage those who want to know deeper about the Gilded Era to read
these two novels, which give them more information about the real life and how
people think in that era. They may also learn about the power of money that is
able to control people’s mind, moreover it can affect the society. Furthermore,
these novels will open our mind about the truth that money is important, but it is
not the most important thing in life and on top of that, money is not the measure
for one’s happiness.
34
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Texts:
Dreiser, Theodore. Sister Carrie. New York: Signet Classic, 1961.
Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Classics, 1997.
References:
Beaty, Jerome. Fiction. Toronto: George J. McLeod Limited, 1973.
High, Peter B. An Outline of American Literature. New York: Longman Inc.,
1986.
Hornby, AS. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2005.
Internet Websites:
Cuizon, Gwen. “What is Naturalism in Literature?.” Bukisa. 2009. 29 Jul. 2011.
“Edith Wharton.” The Literature Network. 2010. 19 Mar. 2010.
“Gilded Age.” American Experience. 2009. 14 May. 2010.
“Learn About Gilded Age.” Digital History. 2011. 22 May.2011.
< http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/gilded_age/index.cfm>
“Novel of Manners.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2009. 19 Apr. 2010.
Pru, Laura. “Differences in Naturalism & Realism in Literature.” eHow. 2011. 29
Jul. 2011.
35
Maranatha Christian University
Riggio, Thomas P. “Biography of Theodore Dreiser.” Penn Libraries. 2006. 19
Apr. 2010.
“Theodore Dreiser.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2010. 19 Mar. 2010.
36
Maranatha Christian University
Dalam karya ilmiah ini, saya membahas dua buah novel berjudul The
House of Mirth karya Edith Wharton dan Sister Carrie karya Theodore Dreiser.
Topik yang saya angkat dalam Tugas Akhir ini adalah penggambaran tokoh pada
Gilded Era, sebuah era yang terkenal dalam sejarah Amerika pada akhir abad
kesembilan belas. Kedua tokoh utama yang dibahas adalah Lily Bart dalam novel
The House of Mirth dan Carrie Meeber dalam novel Sister Carrie.
Setelah membaca kedua novel ini, saya mendapatkan penggambaran dua
tokoh perempuan yang sama-sama berjuang untuk mendapatkan uang, harta, dan
ketenaran dalam kehidupan mereka, di tengah masyarakat dan situasi zaman yang
sangat mengagungkan prinsip hedonisme. Persamaan yang saya temukan dalam
diri kedua tokoh tersebut adalah kemiripan sifat pada awal cerita serta cara-cara
yang mereka tempuh untuk mendapatkan apa yang mereka inginkan. Selain itu,
ditemukan pula adanya perbedaan yaitu perubahan sifat yang kemudian dialami
oleh salah seorang di antara tokoh tersebut dan perbedaan jalan hidup keduanya di
akhir cerita. Melalui persamaan dan perbedaan ini, saya menarik kesimpulan
bahwa kedua penulis tersebut memiliki tujuan yang sama, yaitu ingin mengkritik
gaya hidup pada zaman tersebut. Saya juga berpendapat bahwa kedua novel ini
baik dan menarik untuk dibaca, baik sebagai bacaan sehari-hari maupun untuk
dibahas secara mendalam.
ii
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................. i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................. ii
ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ........................................................................ 1
Statement of the Problem ....................................................................... 3
Purpose of the Study .............................................................................. 3
Method of Research ............................................................................... 3
Organization of the Thesis ..................................................................... 4
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST
IN EDITH WHARTON’S THE HOUSE OF MIRTH ..................... 5
CHAPTER THREE: PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST
IN THEODORE DREISER’S SISTER CARRIE ........................... 20
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ............................................................ 31
BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................... 35
APPENDICES
Synopsis of The House of Mirth .......................................................... 37
Synopsis of Sister Carrie ...................................................................... 38
Biography of Edith Wharton ................................................................ 39
Biography of Theodore Dreiser ........................................................... 40
iii
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
In the late 19th century, after the Reconstruction era, the United States of
America experienced a new era of modernism. This era was thought as the
nation’s golden era; but since what was seen on the outside did not show the true
image of the American society (High 81), it is called the Gilded Age by Mark
Twain, who saw how the real social condition was behind the glittering
appearance. On the one hand, the industrial revolution at that time contributed
magnificent growth to America in every sector, including economy, education,
technology, and population. There were many great factories and mansions built,
universities established, and leisure places developed. “During Gilded Age, every
man was a potential Andrew Carnegie” (“Gilded Age”), so everyone fought to be
rich or get richer in any way. This progress created a lot of newly-rich people,
urbanization, immigration, and labors, but on the other hand, there were
undeniable realities, such as conspicuous differences between the poor and the
rich, poverty, mass strike, business corruption, political scandal, and materialistic
society.
1
Maranatha Christian University
Edith Wharton and Theodore Dreiser lived in this period of time and they
made it the setting of their novels, The House of Mirth and Sister Carrie. In The
House of Mirth, the protagonist comes from an upper-middle class society, but
when her family goes bankrupt, she faces a difficult economic condition. As she
still wants to stay inside the rich circle, she intends to marry for money to cope
with this serious matter. In Sister Carrie, the protagonist is a poor woman who
dreams of a better life, so she goes to Chicago to look for a job. Both protagonists
try to survive in big cities, which are influenced by wealth and social status.
Edith Wharton was a successful American writer and many of her works
have become best-sellers. The major discussion of her fiction deals with manners,
mores and social changes in the American life (Wharton VI). The House of Mirth
is her first major work and it describes the life of New York’s upper class.
Because Edith Wharton also grows up in this milieu, she gives exact descriptions
about life in this class and boldly shows the bad side of it, which is often hidden
behind fine appearances. This novel is considered as a novel of manners, which
“often shows a conflict between individual aspirations or desires and the accepted
social codes of behaviour” (“Novel of Manners”).
Theodore Dreiser was once a reporter. This experience enabled him to tell
his stories honestly with detailed explanations and descriptions; the details which
make people understand and see the real life in America from both good and bad
sides. His first novel, Sister Carrie, describes how lower-class people view the life
of upper class and how they try to become a part of it. The story is inspired by
Dreiser’s sister’s experience and by what he has heard and seen in his life (Dreiser
469).
2
Maranatha Christian University
As the stories revolve around these protagonists, I think it is best to discuss
characters in this thesis. According to Beaty, character is “a person (or personified
or anthropomorphized animal, object, or deity) who acts, appears, or is referred to
in a work” (604). Thus, I analyze the portrayal of the protagonists in The House of
Mirth and Sister Carrie using formalism.
Statement of the Problem
The thesis discusses these questions:
1. How are the protagonists portrayed in the novels?
2. What are the authors’ purposes in creating such characters?
Purpose of the Study
The purposes of the thesis are:
1. to show how the protagonists are portrayed in the novels.
2. to show the authors’ purposes in creating such characters.
Method of Research
In writing my thesis, I use the method of library research. I begin the study
by reading the primary texts, which are Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth and
Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie. Then I read some references from the Internet
and the books that are relevant to the topic to support my analysis. The
information and the knowledge that I have gathered are then used to analyze the
texts. Finally, I draw a conclusion from the research I have made.
3
Maranatha Christian University
Organization of the Thesis
I divide the thesis into four chapters, preceded by the Abstract, the
Acknowledgement, and the Table of Content. In Chapter One, I present the
Introduction, consisting of the Background of the Study, the Statement of the
Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Methods of Research and the Organization
of the Thesis. In Chapter Two, I analyze the Portrayal of the Protagonist in Edith
Wharton’s The House of Mirth. In Chapter Three, I analyze the Portrayal of the
Protagonist in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie. Chapter Four is the Conclusion.
The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the Appendices, consisting of the
Biography of the authors and the Synopsis of the novels.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After analyzing the two protagonists in The House of Mirth and Sister
Carrie, I would like to draw some conclusion. Both of the authors take the Gilded
Era, an era in the late 19th century America where they lived, as the setting for
their stories. Although Wharton and Dreiser expose different classes, high class
and low class, the whole atmosphere of the this Era is affected by hedonism. All
people fight to get rich or richer, because being rich is believed to be closely
associated with one’s success and happiness. Since this era is closely related to
hedonism, these two stories revolve around a person who makes big efforts to get
pleasures in their lives.
The protagonists of the novels are both women. Lily Bart in The House of
Mirth is an upper-middle class woman. When her family gets bankrupt, she gets
into a difficult economic condition, yet she still wants to maintain her previous
glamorous lifestyle. The other protagonist, Carrie Meeber in Sister Carrie, is a
girl from the lower class, as her family is poor. Nevertheless, she goes to Chicago
to realize her dream of having a better life, something which she knows that she
cannot achieve if she stays in her town. At the beginning of the story, they have
two similar characteristics, which are beautiful in appearance and hedonistic.
31
Maranatha Christian University
Since they are hedonistic, they adore pleasures very much. Pleasures for them
mean having much money and a lot of material things, as well as living in a
luxurious place.
When they have to face their economic problem, each of them uses their
other characteristics to cope with it. Lily uses her beauty to attract rich men,
which makes her a manipulative woman. She does not mind marrying for money.
Carrie does not differ much from Lily. With her strong ambition, she is willing to
do anything to get wealth, material things, and be an artiste. She does not miss a
chance when there are men with money who are attracted to her.
Although the two protagonists are similar, they do have some differences.
Wharton creates Lily as a dynamic character, while Dreiser creates Carrie as a
static character. In the middle of the story, Lily changes her characteristics and
she becomes sincere and no longer hedonistic. She does not consider wealth and
material things as the most important thing in life anymore and she no longer uses
her beauty as an easy way to get what she wants. As a static character, Carrie does
not experience any changes in characteristic. She still has the same personality at
the end of the story as she does at the beginning. This significant difference leads
each of them to the different fate. Lily fails to get what she really wants and dies
of overdose at the end of the story. On the other hand, Carrie gets the pleasures
and the better life she dreams of.
I believe the different fate among these two protagonists is related to the
fact that Wharton is a realist, while Dreiser is a naturalist. In realism, the character
is portrayed just the way the character is with his or her own characteristics, but in
naturalism, the characteristics are determined by the environment or hereditary.
32
Maranatha Christian University
“The Evolution Theory of Charles Darwin provides the greatest influence to
naturalistic writers. That is why stories from naturalistic writers espoused the view
that one’s bloodline and environment determine a person’s character. Realism
presents the character exactly who he or she is.” (Cuizon). Moreover, realism
gives more emphasis on the events which happen based on the character’s choice,
while naturalistic view considers that everything that happens have been
determined. “In realism … the moral or ethical choices facing the character
become the crux of the story. In a naturalistic novel, the writer will temper the
realistic portrayal of events to show the effects and significance of a deterministic
universe” (Pru). Therefore, Wharton really shows Lily’s true characteristics in the
novel and the tragic ending that comes to Lily is the consequence of her choice.
But, Dreiser creates Carrie with characteristics that are shaped by her
surroundings. Thus, in the end, like any other successful people at that time who
have hedonistic and ambitious characteristics, Carrie also becomes successful in
the end.
Wharton and Dreiser have different concepts and styles of writing, but I
conclude that both of them intend to satirize the Gilded Era society through their
works, although they convey this idea in different ways. Wharton uses a dynamic
character with an unpleasant ending, while Dreiser uses a static character with a
happy ending. Both of them satirize the values of the society at that time that
consider physical appearance as most important and that that people should love
all the pleasures that life offers them and get them. In getting the pleasures, they
are allowed to do anything, although it is bad.
33
Maranatha Christian University
From how the authors convey their purposes, I prefer Wharton’s way. In
my personal opinion, it is more effective and the message is much better conveyed
to the readers. They would be able to directly see and understand how life can
really change if they do not live in accordance with the values that society holds.
The readers are also given a clear example of one who becomes the victim of the
society. In my opinion, this way of criticizing is more convincing than Dreiser’s.
He seems to be using a safer way to criticize society by creating a character that is
portrayed as following the values that everyone else holds with a happy outcome.
Still, through their works, Wharton and Dreiser have proven Mark Twain’s
expression for that era, that glittering appearance covers its own badness. “Mark
Twain called the late nineteenth century the "Gilded Age." By this, he meant that
the period was glittering on the surface but corrupt underneath” (“Learn About
Gilded Age”).
I encourage those who want to know deeper about the Gilded Era to read
these two novels, which give them more information about the real life and how
people think in that era. They may also learn about the power of money that is
able to control people’s mind, moreover it can affect the society. Furthermore,
these novels will open our mind about the truth that money is important, but it is
not the most important thing in life and on top of that, money is not the measure
for one’s happiness.
34
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Texts:
Dreiser, Theodore. Sister Carrie. New York: Signet Classic, 1961.
Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Classics, 1997.
References:
Beaty, Jerome. Fiction. Toronto: George J. McLeod Limited, 1973.
High, Peter B. An Outline of American Literature. New York: Longman Inc.,
1986.
Hornby, AS. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2005.
Internet Websites:
Cuizon, Gwen. “What is Naturalism in Literature?.” Bukisa. 2009. 29 Jul. 2011.
“Edith Wharton.” The Literature Network. 2010. 19 Mar. 2010.
“Gilded Age.” American Experience. 2009. 14 May. 2010.
“Learn About Gilded Age.” Digital History. 2011. 22 May.2011.
< http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/gilded_age/index.cfm>
“Novel of Manners.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2009. 19 Apr. 2010.
Pru, Laura. “Differences in Naturalism & Realism in Literature.” eHow. 2011. 29
Jul. 2011.
35
Maranatha Christian University
Riggio, Thomas P. “Biography of Theodore Dreiser.” Penn Libraries. 2006. 19
Apr. 2010.
“Theodore Dreiser.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2010. 19 Mar. 2010.
36
Maranatha Christian University