Only because of the destiny ?

Having read the book Sister Carrie written by Theodore Dreiser,a very complicate feeling struck me,for the society,the people in America in the late 19th century.We can see clearly about the decadent and hypocritical moral principles of the bourgeois.They pursue only position,authority and money.Pleasure is their honest companion.

The society was developing rapidly and the people's living standards were also improving.Yes,the prosperity appeared.But on the other hand,the gap between the poor and the rich was strengthened.While some people were playing and drinking,the other people were working,even begging.Behind the happiness,hiding much misery.Facing all of these,I am confused whether I should happy about the development of the society or I should sad about the cruel.

But I know I will give much sympathy to all of these people,no matter they rich or poor.I am sorry that the rich have lost their good morality,their sympathy and I think they are blank in their spirit..The poor,of course,are busy all the day for supporting themselves and their family,no time enjoying the life.All of them are the sacrifices of the society.

In this book,,only Sister Carrie can present us all of these.At first,she was poor.She had to work hard,but only made ends meet.She admired the pleasure, quick to

understand the keener pleasures of life, ambitious to gain in material things.You know, Of an intermediate balance, under the circumstances, there is no possibility. The city has its cunning wiles, no less than the infinitely smaller and more human

tempter..Their beauty, like music, too often relaxes, then wakens, then perverts the simpler human perceptions.Then, not only did Carrie feel the drag of desire for all which was new and pleasing in apparel for women, but she noticed too, with a touch at the heart, the fine ladies who elbowed and ignored her, brushing past in utter

disregard of her presence. She realized in a dim way how meant for women, and she longed for dress and beauty with a whole heart.Her craving for pleasure was so strong that it was the one stay of her nature. She would speak for that when silent on all else.As a result,she left her sister,following Chas.H.Drouet,a salesman.So she has the beautiful room,has the satisfied dress and so on.For a pereid of time,she was happy and satisfied.But drived by the desire,Sister Carrie wants more. In Carrie-as in how many of our wordings do they not?- instinct and reason, desire and understanding, were at war for the mastery. She followed whither her craving led. She was as yet more drawn than she drew.When she went to the theatre with Drouet that spectacle pleased her immensely. The color and grace of it caught her eye. She had vain

imaginings about place. and power, about faroff lands and magnificent people. When it was over, the clatter of coaches and the throng of fine ladies made her stare.

CARRIE WAS AN APT STUDENT of fortune’s ways-of for Time’s superficialities. Seeing a thing, she would immediately set to inquiring how she would look, properly rated to it. Be it known that this is not fine feeling, it is Not wisdom. The greatest minds are not so afflicted; and On the contrary, the lowest order of mind is not so disturbed. Fine clothes to her were a vast persuasion; they spoke tenderly and

Jesuitical for themselves. When she came within earshot of their pleading,desire in her bent a willing ear. The voice of the so－called inanimate!If we can say,then she

falls in love with Hurstwood,maybe pursuits something in spirit which cannot get from Drouet who seeks the enjoy all day and only cares about himself.With the developing of the story,we can see Carrie going through some difficulties,eloping with Hurstwood.But at last,in New York,Carrie became an actress by chance and turned out to be one of New York's most popular actresses.Nevertheless,she was not quite happy but felt lonely and void.To the result,I am thinking,maybe this is inevitable.This is the fate in that society.

In the novel,too much gave me a deeply impression,especially the enormous change of Hurstwood.From the manager of a saloon to a beggary,Hurstwood had stolen money from the safe in order to elope with Carrie,but finally committed

suicide.What is the reason,who is wrong.Perhaps nobody knows,we cannot say Carrie or his families leading to this.Maybe this is the so-called destiny.But still seems to some deceiving ourselves.

Let us have a look at the other people,the families of the Hurstwood,his wife and daughter,only love the vanity and seek the pleasure.They are cold and selfish.We cannot find the happiness that belongs to a family,Hurstwood cannot feel the

warm..Another person,Drouet, He loved fine clothes, good eating, and particularly the company and acquaintanceship of successful men.He has vanity and ambition. He might suffer the least rudimentary twinge of conscience in whatever he did, and in just so far he was evil and sinning.He also loves women. Drouet had a habit,

characteristic of his kind, of looking after stylishly dressed or pretty women on the street and remarking upon them. He had just enough of the feminine love of dress to be a good judge-not of intellect, but of clothes. He saw how they set their little feet, how they carried their chins, with what grace ands sinuosity they swung their bodies.

A dainty, self-conscious swaying of the hips by a woman was to him as alluring as the glint of red wine to a toper. He would turn and follow the disappearing vision with his eyes. he would thrill as a child with the unhindered passion that was in him. He loves the thing that women love in themselves, grace. At this their own shrine, he Knelt with them, an ardent devotee.He lost the higher dreame.

No matter the result of these people is good or bad,I will feel sorry for them.They are the sacrifices of the society.We cannot only regard these as the destiny.Something else has led these.Of course, we also cannot say it is the fault of the developmental society.Maybe what we can do is keep ourselves with our best.

第二篇：嘉莉妹妹英文读后感

Vivid Heroine

——On Sister Carrie

Carrie was such an ordinary rural girl at the beginning of the story. Sitting on the seat of a bus, she couldn’t help feeling exciting at the sight of the metropolis’ spectacle. She was impressed deeply by large crowd on the avenue, the spacious square or tall buildings.

Far more different from other heroines, Carrie was not a plain pure angel like Snow-white, nor was she brave enough to be a heroine of revolutionist or even a reformer, nor was she so clever as to be a successful career woman who start from scratch.

What attracted her most, after her entering this huge metropolis was the incredible fineries, fashion shoes, smart handbags displaying in the shop windows, the jewellerys shining brightly behind the glass. She dreamed that one day, she could wear all of these, jogging gracefully into the most luxurious hotel with focused sights of admiration.

And this was not merely a dream. Because she had large eyes which can earn others’ sympathy, even love. She had wonderful figure which can win others’ hearts. However, anything she got, anywhere she reached, had not come from her ambition. Things happened, and then she accepted. That’s what she had just done — just to accept

willingly from the bottom of her heart. She was not at all an evil woman who would give anything for the fortune or fame. However, she would give uo something for a better life when her instinct defeated her intellect.

That was Carrie, a girl had her own desire, a human being just like many others in the realistic world.

There’s one sentence written in chapter VIII:” When this jangle of free-will instinct shall have been adjusted, when perfect

understanding has given the former the power to replace the latter entirely, man will no longer vary.” However, how many people can go that further.

And I want to quote another sentence to wind up my essay: “In Carrie — as in how many of our wordings do they not? — instinct and reason, desire and understanding, were at war for the mastery.”