"Even then he stood there, hidden wholly in that kindness which is night, while the uprising fumes filled the room. When the odor reached his nostrils, he quit his attitude and fumbled for the bed. ’What’s the use’ he said, weakly, as he stretched himself to rest. " The above is quoted from Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie. Briefly tell the situation that leads to Hurstwood’s suicide and interpret his final words—"What’s the use".
参考答案:A. When they live together, Carrie becomes mature in intellect and emotion, while Hurstwood, away from the atmosphere of success on which his life has been based, steadily declines. So their relations become strained. At last, she thinks him too great a burden and leaves him. After Carrie deserts Hurstwood, he is in great despair. Feeble and penniless, Hurstwood wanders in a cold winter night with nobody trying to help. Extremely hopeless and totally devastated, he turns the gas on in a cheap lodging-house and ends his life.
B. By making that comment, Hurstwood seems to have realized that it is useless to continue to fight against fate. His fate is not controlled by his own efforts but by some social forces too strong for him to resist, so he decides to give up.