Theodore Dreiser의 자연주의적 주인공들에 관한 연구 = (A) Study of the Naturalistic Characters of Theodore Dreiser

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Theodore Dreiser, who developed naturalism in American literature, was a writer who was concerned about the perishing morals and ethics, the state that had saturated material civilization in which the relationship between man and man is estimated not on understanding and trust, but on social position and from the viewpoint of the materialistic side of modern-day life. Through the characters in his novels, Dreiser realistically portrays the life of alienated and collapsed men in the dreary and rough society, and from the standpoint of this view, Dreiser showed his concern about the problems of the human society and how they could be settled.
Man's reasoning and free will cannot be displayed in a mechanical and material civilization. That is to say, human beings are helpless when their existence is determined by external circumstances and in terms of responding to physical-chemical impulses. Accordingly, the life of a man who acts mechanically according to impulse or instinct, ends in tragedy because of the many miserable factors, which Dreiser applied to his major works. The trait of Dreiser in his own naturalistic sphere, was that his characters were not responsible for their actions because they lived passively without free will.
At the time Dreiser was active in creating his works, life was harsh in the American society for the helpless ordinary people because the gap between the wealthy and poor was deepening at a time when America was in a state of financial difficulty, and people were rushing to the big cities from the rural communities. As a result of this growing number of poor people in the cities, the industrial policy switched from agriculture to industry. The violent capitalism that characterized the late 19th and early 20th centuries was an obvious example of the survival of the fittest.
In this period of time, the common goals of American youths were success, pleasure and money. But their desire to acquire them did not fulfill their expectations. These are the principle ideas in most of Dreiser's works, and as such, the substance of this study relates to those factors. Dreiser expressed the tragic lives of people who were controlled by unseen forces which were detrimental to the will of human beings on the viewpoint of "chemism."
Dreiser made an effort to understand the essence of human life to be able to show the reader the real inner heart of human beings and the limitations of desire, through depicting the contrast between rich and poor and between splendor and pitiableness. He is a writer who tried to take the form of human experiences to a more lofty dimension.
This thesis focuses on the motivation and distinction of the generation of naturalism in literature, the relationship French naturalism and American naturalism, and Dreiser's characteristic naturalism through his four major novels; Sister Carrie, Jennie Gerhardt, The Financier, and An American Tragedy.
In Sister Carrie, Carrie's life was instinctive rather than willful, due to external forces in the course of obtaining material success and security. Carrie aimlessly pursues the illusion of wealth and pleasure, but she eventually experiences an unsatisfactory state of heart. Dreiser also depicts Hurstwood as a victim of chance and circumstances. Hurstwood ended in ruin in this height of his life and a tragic death because he could not resist the external forces.
Dreiser found that the tragic factors of man's life are not in the violences and vices, but in the desires, circumstances and chances, which he reveals through this work.
In Jennie Gerhardt, through Jennie's various experiences, such as her relationship with her lovers, Brander and Lester, the social restraints and despisings stemming from her love affairs with the two men, her poor family circumstances, the death of her daughter, Vesta, and so on, she not only matures and becomes much more sensitive, but also develops a broad capacious mind and better understanding of the pains of others.
Though Jennie is in the state of poor family circumstances, Brander and Lester actively show their love and compassion to her, and because the relationship between Jennie and her lovers was based on the thought of providing help for her poor family, and not merely on physical desire and the illusion of wealth, she always had feelings of gratitude for those who had helped her, and never refused to make sacrifices willingly to those who help others.
In The Financier, Dreiser made Cowperwood a victim of his own temperament, reduced the main motives to chemical reactions, and made his central character the instrument or tool of a force beyond his control by connecting the business and love plots. Dreiser showed a new approach to the American dream. He depicted Cowperwood as a man of ability and energy instead of being relatively weak like Carrie, Hurstwood, Jennie, and Lester.
Dreiser depicts Cowperwood as a sort of superman. Cowperwood's morals may not be held up as exemplary in American society, but his intelligence and energy make him the center of affection and concern. Through this novel, Dreiser shows us that the strong and sly may win for a time, but eventually, human desires and emphasis on pleasure become destructive if one is lacking a sense of morality and ethics.
An American Tragedy relates the hopes and failures of the American dream through the life history of Clyde Griffiths. Dreiser shows Clyde as the weakest hero, and Clyde has the least of the inexplicable inner drive which makes a commanding personality.
Clyde's tragedy, caused by the course he took in accomplishing his personal desires, is a common case to ordinary American people. Clyde's "American dream" is confined to money, women, and social position. Therefore, through this novel, Dreiser defines "Tragedy" as the absence of conscience.
In conclusion, in his novels, Dreiser shows us living in the modern-day society the real meaning of mental poverty. It is a pitiable thing that life becomes more harsh and impersonal in an affluent society. This is caused by man's infinite desires which never fulfill his quest for satisfaction. Pursuing an aimless illusion of wealth and pleasure eventually leads to an unsatisfactory state of heart and existence. Dreiser shows us that if a man accomplishes his desires and pleasures based on morality and ethics, he can contribute to his society and will be a genuinely happy person.

국문 초록 (Abstract)

미국의 자연주의 작가 Theodore Dreiser(1871-1945)는 포화상태의 물질문명속에서 잃어가는 정신과 도덕적인 문제에 관심을 기울였던 작가이다. 현대사회에서 인간과 인간과의 관계는 신뢰와 이해로서 이루어지는 것이 아닌 물질적인 측면과 사회적 지위의 높고 낮음을 바탕으로 한 가치관에 의해서 이루어지고 평가된다. Dreiser는 이러한 삭막하고 각박해져 가는 사회속에서 소외되고 파멸되어가는 인간을 재조명 해보므로서 무엇이 문제이고 어떠한 해결책이 있는가에 관심을 가진 작가였다.
이러한 물질문명과 획일화된 기계문명속에서 이성과 자유의지는 발휘될 수 없는 것이다. 즉, 물리, 화학적 충동에 의해 반응하고 또한 외부의 환경과 조건에 의해 이끌려가는 개성이 말살된 기계적이며 반복적인 일상생활에는 비참한 요인들이 많기 때문에 자연 비극적으로 끝을 맺을 수 밖에 없다라는 것이 Dreiser의 대부분의 소설들에 적용된 자연주의적 개념이다.
그래서 Drieser의 인물들은 자유의지가 없이 수동적으로 살아가기 때문에 그 행위에 책임이 없다는 것이 Dreiser 자신의 독자적인 문학적 개념이다.
Dreiser가 작품활동을 했던 시기의 미국은 경제적 어려움에도 불구하고 빈부의 격차는 심했으며, 산업정책이 농업에서 공업에 역점을 두게되어 농촌인구의 도시이입이 증가하였으며, 도시빈민의 발생과 증가, 낮은 임금과 실업자의 증가, 그리고 무법적이고 야만적인 기업가들의 착취와 음모로 보통의 무기력한 일반시민은 더욱 비참한 생활을 면하기 어려운 상황이었다.
이러한 상황속에서 Dreiser는 부와 빈곤, 화려함과 비참함의 대조를 통해서 인간의 진실된 내면과 욕망의 한계를 보여줌으로서 인간의 삶 그 자체를 이해하려고 노력하였을 뿐만 아니라 보다 더 높은 차원의 인간경험의 원형을 형성하려고 노력하였던 작가이다.
본 논문에서는 자연주의 문학이 발생하게 된 동기와 특징 그리고 프랑스 자연주의와 미국의 자연주의와의 관계와 Dreiser 자신의 독특한 자연주의를 이해하는 데 역점을 두었다.
그리고 작품 분석에 들어가서 Sister Carrie에서 Carrie는 끝없이 욕망을 추구하나 결국은 만족을 하지 못하고 심적 갈등을 느끼게 되는 그녀의 모습과 Jennie Gerhardt에서 Jennie의 자기희생적 숭고한 삶과 결말에 이르러 내면의 평온한 심적 상태를 얻는 그녀의 삶과 The Financier에서 Frank Algeron Cowperwood의 법과 도덕을 초월한 초인간적인 삶의 활약상과 An American Tragedy에서 나약한 의지를 가진 한 젊은이가 그가 감당못 할 사회 환경속에서 타락하여 결국 파멸로 끝나는 과정을 살펴보기로 하겠다.
결론적으로 Dreiser의 이 네 작품을 통해서 자연주의의 특징인 외부의 힘에 의해서 무력한 모습으로 인간성을 상실한 채 살아가고 있는 비극적 주인공들을 살펴보고 이들의 삶에 작용하는 비극적 요인인 환경, 우연과 욕망 그러고 성적욕망이 어떠한 역할을 하는지를 살펴보고자 한다. 그러므로서 현대사회에서 인간의 진정한 행복이란 무엇을 의미하며 어디에서 찾을 수 있는지를 연구하고자 한다.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 목차 = 0
• 국문요약 = i
• Ⅰ. 서론 = 1
• Ⅱ. 미국의 자연주의 = 9
• Ⅲ. Sister Carrie ： 끝없는 욕망의 Carrie = 23
• Ⅳ. Jennie Gerhardt ： 희생정신의 Jennie = 46
• Ⅴ. The Financier ： 법과 도덕을 초월한 Cowperwood = 67
• Ⅵ. An American Tragedy ： 나약한 성격의 Clyde = 88
• Ⅶ. 결론 = 117
• BIBLIOGRAPHY = 124
• Abstract = 128