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Identifier	Thesis 1813
Author	Wachi, Arata
Title	Chemism, determinism, and beyond
Publisher	Central Connecticut State University
Date	2005
Resource Type	Master's Thesis
Notes	What is predominant among Theodore Dreiser's works is "chemism" (Spiller, Literary Theory 1201). We see such terms as "chemic" (Dreiser, Best 51), "chemical" (Dreiser, Myself 51), "chemistry" (Dreiser, Genius 689), and "chemical affinity" (Dreiser, Genius 157) dispersed in Dreiser's major works. This study clarifies Dreiser's definition of "chemism" and applies it to decode his major works. Exploring the problems Dreiser encountered in chemical determinism and his search for their solutions, the essay eventually aims at determining what Dreiser is: a naturalist, a determinist, a humanist, or a communist. After the origin of Dreiser's "chemism" (Spencer's influence on Dreiser) has been introduced, the first chapter focuses on the definition of Dreiser's "chemism." Dreiser regards a human as a "chemical atom" which is simply a tool controlled by this unknown force. This whole process of humans being ruled by an unknown cosmic force is called "chemism" in Dreiser's words and this is peculiar to Dreiser's naturalism. Basically, its theory does not differ from that of other naturalists: humans are impotent against the external cosmic force. Applying chemistry to a human, however, suggests humans as substances with no free will. Therefore, Dreiser's chemical determinism is a strengthened version of naturalism. Chapters II, III, IV appliy the "chemism" theory to Dreiser's major works in order to see how Dreiser developed this theory. In chapter II, Sister Carrie is discussed as an early example of Dreiser's chemical determinism. Human instinct plays an important role in this work. This chapter looks at how capitalism creates humans' insatiate desire, which is a major element of human instinct. Therefore, Sister Carrie is discussed in relation to a city of capitalism. In chapter III, The Financier is studied as a development of Dreiser's "chemism" theory. Cowperwood in The Financier is a character of instinct. At this point, Dreiser has not used the term, "chemism." Instead, he talks of "chemistry." The term "chemistry" itself suggests a change. Either as a financier or as a lover, Cowperwood's life is full of changes. Individual atoms (Cowperwood, lovers, financial giants, brokers, etc.) are put together and cause chemical reactions. This chapter studies "chemism" in terms of Dreiser's law of change (Dreiser, Hey 19). Also, "Chemism" in terms of balance is discussed here. Dreiser believed in "The law of the survival of the strongest" (Dreiser, Hey 166), in which an individual is born with his own "atom" and it affects the "chemistry" in his life. Behind this superficially unfair law, according to Dreiser, there is "The law of balance of equation" (Dreiser, Hey 165). Chapter IV discusses Dreiser's consummation of "chemism." In An American Tragedy, for the first time, Dreiser uses the term, "chemism." Most characters in Dreiser's literature are impotent against the law of nature and this feature is best seen in this work. Therefore, the chapter studies how Dreiser's "chemism" is applied to and developed in this novel by analyzing the protagonist, Clyde, from various angles. At the same time, the above three chapters (II, III and IV) present the deficiency in Dreiser's "chemism" theory. Even though Dreiser believed in "chemism" he was unable to explain why "chemism" occurs and what the unknown force that determines a human's fate is. While this imperfect theory enabled Dreiser to write "life as it is" the bare description of human life circumscribed Dreiser's ultimate goal, which is a social redemption. This is because his "chemical determinism" is detached from humanity. The final chapter focuses on two works in the late period of Dreiser's life. "Fine Furniture" well shows the effect of social system on an individual. Up to An American Tragedy, Dreiser's focus had been on "chemism." In these two works, "Fine Furniture" and The Bulwark, however, Dreiser never uses "chemism" related terms. Instead, Dreiser focuses more on humans. Dreiser believed that humanity cannot exist in the society where one's benefit sits upon the other's sacrifice and anticipated that only the society of equality in economy has room for humanity. In The Bulwark, he discusses the effects of hard labor at a factory and the individual worker's condition. Furthermore, he emphasizes the importance of humans' caring for each other. Dreiser shows that a human can be a God by being loving, which leads to an equal society. The epilogue, therefore, aims at defining Theodore Dreiser as a writer who found an answer to the despair of "chemism" in the possibilities of communism.
Subject	Dreiser, Theodore, 1871-1945 -- Criticism and interpretation
Department	Department of English
Advisor	Doyle, Christine
Type	Text
Digital Format	application/pdf
Language	eng
OCLC number	713735075
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