Literature review

Feminism originated from the western mind movement that advocated equality between men and women. It contained feminist theory research and equality between men and women. Feminism is a range of movements and ideologies that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve political, economic, cultural, personal, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment. A feminist advocates or supports the rights and equality of women. Later in the 19^th century of the American Civil War, women organized the association against slavery and the first feminist movement started. The climax of the second feminist movement in Europe in the 1960s turned the criticism of the outside world to rational thinking. The feminist movement accelerated the comprehensive study of the women studies, literature and aesthetics. Women re-observed themselves in their own consciousness and explored the female personality and real status formed by the compulsory culture.

Throughout the Chinese and foreign literature, more bildungsroman could be found everywhere. By contrast, few people paid attention to women growth and changes because of the denial, disrespect and misunderstanding to women in patriarchal society. The novel Sister Carrie written by American writer Dreiser narrates a country girl that struggles from relying on others to economic independence and ultimately realizes her dream. Dreiser shows a challenger in secular society. Sister Carrie challenges the traditional secular patriarchal society. She wants to go outside and integrates into society to pursue economic independence. She is eager to realize self-value with her talents.

This novel guides generation after generation of readers with its unique charm to pay attention to the growth of the female, the increase of independent consciousness and then awaken women#8217;s subject consciousness, develop female literature and guide women to independence and freedom.

As the classic of female literature, academia had a considerable amount of researches of Sister Carrie. Some were from naturalistic perspective; some were from the view of consumer culture; some were compared with other researches; some were discussed from the perspective of character. The present feminist research mainly focused on women#8217;s pursuit of independence, equality and freedom and the awakening of feminine consciousness. There were also many feminist researches about Sister Carrie. So this paper will focus on research from the viewpoint of feminism, so as to guide people to pay more attention to women#8217;s growth and have a certain sense of enlightenment for modern women.

Zhang Li (2011) analyzed the image of Sister Carrie from the angle of feminine literature. It highlighted the root causes in binary opposites within female images. The basis of standards was male so as to satisfy the men#8217;s desire. Analyzing women from binary opposites as men#8217;s opposite sides was a kind of gender discrimination. It revealed the equality of male standard values and advocated civilized standard of literary criticism and built a harmonious society. It required eliminating the phenomenon of binary opposition between men and women, the binary opposition of unequal society and traditional prejudice. It also needed to establish a pluralistic society and set up progressive values then establish new female images.

Zhang Shuguang (2015) analyzed the growth process of Sister Carrie from the point of feminine. She changed from the material pursue to the spiritual pursue and finally indulged in pursuit of the beauty of art. She turned from relying on others to economic independence. From the budding to maturity of feminine consciousness, Carrie finally became a modern independent woman.

Shi Yanfang analyzed the historical background and characteristics in daily life and work. It reflected that Carrie went out and stepped into society. Ultimately, she became an independent new female representative.

Huang Qian analyzed from the point of feminine. Carrie turned from a country girl to a popular star. It successfully showed the change of feminine from others-thinking to self-thinking.

Jin Huaifang, Hu Zongfeng (2004) tried to re-explore the new image of Carrie and pointed out the limitations of the culture roots by combining with Simone de Beauvoir#8217;s novel The Millstone. Carrie existed in the text as the second gender all along. At the same time, it made an explanation of Dreiser#8217;s internal contradictions from the angle of feminism.