搜索
NaturalSelectionandtheSurvivaloftheFittestThistermIhavereadabookSisterCarrie.ItisanovelwrittenbyTheodoreDreiseranditisaboutaruralgirlwhocametothebigcitytofindwell-being.Thegeneralplotisthis:Carriewasabeautifulgirlandshelovedthelifeofcities,soshecametoChicagotomakealiving,hopingthathersisterwouldhelpher.However,grimrealityshatteredher.Hersisterdidn’thelpherandsheonlyfoundajobwithlowsalary,What’smore,afteraperiodoftimeinChicago,sheexperiencedunemploymentanddisease.Whenshewasindesperation,shemetasalesmanDrouetandshethendecidedtobehismistressandlaterasaresultofagreaterdesire,shebecamethemistressofHurstwood,ahotelmanager.Then,tosomereasons,HurstwoodtookhertoNewYork,andaftertheycametoNewYork,asaresultofchanceandherefforts,shebecameastar,gottheupperreachesofsocietyandrealizedherdream.Afterreadingthisnovel,Ifoundsomethinginteresting—thetrajectoriesofCarrie’sandHurstwood’slifearetotallyreversed.Carrie,althoughshewasborninapoorconditionandthepathtopursueherbetterlifewasfullofdifficulties,shestruggledtosurvive,tohavebatterlifeandfinallyshebecameafamousstarofBroadway,gettingabetterlife.ButHurstwood,atfirstheatChicago,hewasagloriousman,havingadecentjobandhavingarelativelygoodlife.However,afterhiselopementwithCarrietoChicago,hecouldnotadapthimselftothisnewenvironmentwell,sohislifewasdeterioratingdaybyday.WhenIwasreadsomebookreviews,Iknewthattheauthor,TheodoreDreiserisoneoftheoutstandingAmericannaturalisticwritersandhiswritingisgreatlyinfluencebyDarwinandsuddenly,somethingjumpedintomymind:thedifferentlifetrajectoriesofCarrieandHurstwood,tosomeextent,reflectstheDarwinism.IaminterestedinthistopicandtrytofindmoreabouthowDarwinismisrepresentedinthebook.Carrie,herlifecanbedividedintothreeperiodsaccordingtothechangeofenvironment.ThefirstperiodiswhenshestayedwithhersisterinChicago.Inthisperiod,sheexperiencedthelowestpointofherlife.Asanewcomerincities,shewaslackofexperienceandskillssowhenshetriedtofindajob,shewasthwartedateveryturn.Whenittheweathergotcolderandcolder,shedidn’thavethickclothes,gotaseriousillnessandlostherjob.Underthiskindofcircumstance,shemetDrouetandlivedonher.Whenshelivedwithhim,herlifecameintothesecondperiod.Sheexperiencedthelifeofrichpeople,begantoadornherselfwithfineryandevenstartedtoactlikearichman.Though,inthisperiod,sheseemedtojustknowtodependonothersandliveanupper-crustlife.However,actuallyinthisperiod,shelearnedalot.Shewasgoodatthinkingandsummarizing.Andtheprocessofthinkingandsummarizingwasactuallytheprocessofadaptingherself.ThroughDrouet,shegottoknowHurstwoodandtheywereattractedbyeachother.Andthenforsomereasons,HurstwoodtookCarrietoNewYork.Shecameintoherthirdperiodofherlife.AftercametoNewYork,Hurstwood’spoorconditionwasabigblowbutatthesametime,itforcedhertofindajob,forcedhertosupportherself,andforcedhertobecomestrongerandstronger.Atthatmoment,shewasnotwhatsheusedtobe.Shewasnotthewomanwhodependedonothersanddidn’tknowanythingaboutthecitylife.AfterherexperiencesinChicago,sheknewheradvantages—niceappearance,youthandencourage,whichwereallhercapitaltoperuseherdream.Throughherefforts,shesoonfoundajobandseizedtheeveryopportunitytodevelop.Finally,shebecameoneofthemostpopularactressesandadaptedherselftoupper-classlifeofNewYork.Lookingbackonherlife,thoughshehaddependedonothersinsometimes,themostimportantofhersuccesswasherstruggleandherself-adaptive.Evenwhenshewasdependentonothers,shewaslearningandadapting.Onthecontrast,let’sseethelifeofHurstwood.Hislifecanbedividedintotwoperiods:whenhewasinChicagoandwhenhewasinNewYork.HissuccessinChicagowascloselyrelatedwithhisadaptiontotheenvironment.InChicago,hewasyoung,hadrichpersonalconnectionandaccumulatedmanyexperience.Allofthesewerehisadaption,andallthesewerefavorabletohissuccessinChicago.However,thenhecametoNewYork,acitymorebustlingandfullofrichpeople.Facingsuchanenvironment,hetriedtoadapthimself,flinginghimselfuponhiswork,tryingtoreducetheoverhead,butstillhedidn’tdowellandhisconditionbecameworseandworse.IwasimpressedbyDreiser’sdescriptiononHurstwood.Isawthatonewhowasonceasplendidmanagerbutdidn’tadjusthimselfwellwheninanewenvironmentturnedintoone,wholosthisjob,abandonedhimselfanddiedfinally.Thecontrastofthetwocharacterslifetrajectoriesisobviousandfromitwecanseethesocialrule—naturalselectionandsurvivalofthefittest.Maybetheruleiscruelbutitexists.Forus,weshouldlearnhowtoadaptourselvestonewenvironments.Onlywhenweadaptwell,wecanbethefittest.