Abstract: Sister Carrie is one of the representative masterpieces of Theodore Dreiser, an American naturalistic writer. This works presents an important theme——if people want to pursue their American Dreams by the extreme or abnormal ways, then their dreams are just illusions and will never come true. Generally speaking, The American Dream is a belief that everybody has opportunities to achieve their goals and become rich if they work hard enough. The two main characters utilize uncommon measures to pursue their dreams, and the necessary result is that they will draw water with a sieve. 

Key words: Theodore Dreiser; Sister Carrie; American Dream

摘要：《嘉莉妹妹》是美国自然主义作家西奥多·德莱塞的代表作之一。本书揭示的主题是如果人们通过偏激、怪异的途径去追求自己的美国梦，那么美国梦只会成为一个虚幻的梦想，不切实际且永远无法实现。从一般意义上说，“美国梦”是指在美国，无论地位、出身、种族和性别等方面的差异，只要具备聪明、勤奋和坚忍不拔等必要条件，任何人都可能在相同的条件下，通过自己的诚实劳动与他人进行公平竞争，获得最终的成功和幸福，使自己的梦想变成现实。而本书的男女主人翁则是通过不正常的手段去实现自己的美国梦，这样的结果必然使他们无法梦想成真。

关键词：西奥多·德莱塞；《嘉莉妹妹》；美国梦