1. Introduction

1.1 Research background

Theodore Dreiser(1871-1945) has been widely acclaimed asthe firstoutstanding writer in the 20th century American literature , the pioneer of modern novels and one of the realism writer in the history of American literature , whose works centering on the social status and people in the pursuit of something about materialsand desires of the 20th century have profound influence on the trend of works style of realism and established his fame as the author advocating new ideology. In 1944, Dreiser was honored by the national institute of art and literature for the demonstration of naturalism in his works, Sister Carrie in particular, a detailed tragedy about the heroic sacrifice of the American maiden. Dreiser did not gain his famous for his style, but the reality of his works, the development of the characters changing and hisviews of American life. Meanwhile, he cultivated a fascination for books since childhood and family lasted for his entire life, which rendered it available for him to flexibly borrow and utilize the fruits of the predecessors to develop his own writing features,wide social images, rich plot twists, intensive psychological description, different scenarios of contrast methods and characteristics of language, reflected in his works. For example, it can be easily found that people in the pursuit of something about materialsand desiresexerted great influence on most of Dreiser#8217;s works and that like Carrie, born at the bottom of society mill worker's daughter and not willing to live in this boring life in the countryside, she showed strong objection to tragedy life view ”There is nothing so inspiring in life as the light of a legitimate ambition, no matter how incipient ”.It can also be easily found that social status exerted great influence on most of Dreiser#8217;s works and that like Hurstwood, living in the rich powerful and prosperous life before, but once lost money and status , finally fell to the bottom of the capitalist society. As American critics once claimed, Dreiser#8217;s works was loyal to life, bold innovation, Dreiser's influence on American literature lies in the breaking in the "elegance" in American literature tradition through the traditional thinking in American literature and the American novels. Literaturehas brought a revolution to the United States, along with William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, listed as only three novelist of the first world war in the United States. He was also a naturalist and his masterpieces include: Sister Carrie ,Financiers and Jenny girl.In literature and art , the United States awarded him the honorable representation.he is to take the lead in unbiased truthfully described the new urban life in the United States, after whom decoration.

Sister Carrie has been widely recognized as Dreiser#8217;s most popular novel. This novel is based on the blueprint of his parents, brother and elder sister suffered from the bitterness.Based on the late 1880s and early 1890s#8217; Chicago and New York, it tells the story of Sister Carrie, a rural girl , came to the big city Chicago to find happiness. In order to get rid of poverty, she bet her friends and sold her virginity, successive with a salesman and hotel manager cohabitation, and then became a singer by her beauty and voice.Dreiser, that he can turn a rural and poor girl, Carrie, into a refined upper-class lady merely by encouraging her how to speak and behave elegantly as an actress. In 1952, the adapted film Sister Carrie by WilliamWyler on screen for the first time starred Laurence Olivier and Jennifer Jones playing the leading roles whose performanceswere loved by most audience,which proved to be a big success. In the next year, Sister Carrie won Oscar at American Film Academy, includingBest Art Direction and Best Costume Design.

The technique of symbolization and contrastare widely-used techniques in the literary creation, with no exception to works of the most outstanding novelist, Theodore Dreiser, who is the master of them. Sister Carrie, Dreiser#8217;s novel,was borrowing fromrocking chair ,newspapers, cloth,and theater. Therefore, it is hard for readers to read it easily. In 1911, Theodore Dreiser named his new works Jennie gerhardt after mythical figure Carrie in Sister Carrie, which kept his readers in suspense and left them vast room for imagination because the title is generally regarded as the soul of a work and the core of thematic interpretations. Dreiser's works, Jennie gerhardt and Sister Carrie, were hardlypublished at the same time and selected by the 100 best English novels in the 20th century in modern library.

Dreiser, his works lied in something related with the masses#8217; life, honest, bold and the passion of life. By interweaving the mysticalcharacters into the background of a modern 20th-century novel and producing a diametrically ending, Dreiser tried his best to tell us something behind the text. Therefore, symbolization and contrast interpretation of Dreiser's Sister Carrie can help us figure out such intention and enhance a deep understanding of his thematic concerns as well as literary attainments.

1.2 Need for the study

Practically speaking, feminism thoughts in Sister Carrie can provide numerous inspirations for the modern women.Dreiser did well in researching the topic of feminism in that he successfully described a rural and poor girl into a fashionablewoman. Therefore, Carrie#8217;s gradual growth and final awakening can be referred to by modern women, who should know what they really want and try their best to seek independence, self-reliance and self-esteem. Anyway, financial independence is a decisive factor for them to get rid of man#8217;s control.

Theoreticallyspeaking, the techniqueof symbolization and contrast can give scholars more hints at studying Sister Carrie from new research perspectives. They may pay more attention to the correlations between the novel and other works influenced by a number of writers and literary schools. Last but not least, readers can have a comprehensive understanding of Sister Carrie and the literary achievements Dreiser made.

2. Literature review