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Theodore Dreiser “Sister Carrie “

The end of the nineteenth century is marked with the generation of Naturalism writers who put their focus on society's disorders. Theodore Dreiser is one such writer, whose novel “Sister Carrie”, is related to the American dream. The novel is about the girl that shifts to a big city and starts grasping her own American Dream. The story is full of desires, decisions, love, sorrow, fame, and relationship. Moreover, it has successfully shown the hypocrisy of middle-class standards and constructed a new practice in fictional realism.

The eighteen-year-old Caroline Member left her home, her mother for the sake of work in Chicago. “When Caroline Meeber boarded the afternoon train for Chicago her total outfit consisted of a small trunk, which was checked in the baggage car, a cheap imitation alligator-skin satchel holding some minor details of the toilet, a small lunch in a paper box and a yellow leather snap purse, containing her ticket, a scrap of paper with her sister's address in Van Buren Street, and four dollars in money. It was August 1889. She was eighteen years of age, bright, timid and full of the illusions of ignorance and youth” (Dreiser, pg.3).

She was displeased with her life in her rural Wisconsin home ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"1dCNLURx","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Dreiser)","plainCitation":"(Dreiser)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":2221,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KZl8ZL3A/items/5Q8CKS3X"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/KZl8ZL3A/items/5Q8CKS3X"],"itemData":{"id":2221,"type":"book","title":"Sister Carrie","publisher":"LIT EDIZIONI","ISBN":"88-6192-779-3","author":[{"family":"Dreiser","given":"Theodore"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2014"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Dreiser). She decided to go to Chicago because her sister was residing there with her husband. She reached to Chicago by train where her sister Minnie lived. Minnie invited Carrie to stay in her family, “She had invited Carrie, not because she longed for her presence, but because the latter was dissatisfied at home, and could probably get work and pay her board here” (Dreiser, pg.10). On her journey to Chicago, she knew there will be two results of her departure from her small home town. First, she will be in a safe hand and will become a successful woman or else some wrong hand can ruin her life (pg.1). She met Drouet during the travel and found him attractive and friendly. They exchange their information and promised to meet again. She was very optimistic for going to Chicago, “She would live in Chicago, her mind kept saying to itself. She would have a better time than she had ever had before – she would be happy” (Dreiser, pg.27). But the things were opposite in reality as on her stay at her sister home, Carrie found that her brother-in-law was not happy to let her stay and paying her expenses. He demanded her to share her earning on home expenses and then one day she lost her job. She searched for another job but got ill. During the time, her brother-in-law was not happy and curious about her ability to find another work. Due to all the circumstances, Carrie decided to leave the sister's home. One day she left the letter to her sister and left her house. She started living at Drouet home whom she met in train and then during the searching for a job.

Carrie struggle for her work and well-settled life. Next morning after she arrived in Chicago she went to the city looking for a job but no luck for her because she has no experience, she got hungry but food in restaurants was expensive. “She was a work-seeker, an outcast without employment, one whom the average employee could tell at a glance was poor and in need of a Situation” (pg.14). Carrie got the job very soon, however, she lost it after sometimes. Afterward, she searched for a job but because of her shy nature she did not get the chance and where she tried, they asked for experience. After all, she left her job, met Drouet on the street, he loans her many to buy shoes, jacket. He understands that she doesn’t want to live with her sister and her husband. “The best proof that there was something open and commendable about the man was the fact that Carrie took the money” (pg. 40). Drouet helped her to find work at the stage show. She got a positive review of her work but suddenly everything changed. She had to leave for New York because of Hurstwood whom she loved. They reached New York and got married. However, due to financial problem, Carrie was not happy and the situation got worse when Hurstwood lost his job and quit for searching a new job. This was the time when Carrie had to search for a job again. With so much struggle she got a job in her favorite field that was acting.

Carrie starting job in the theatre with the name Carrie Madenda. She got the chance in Chorus line with little money. However, with time she got the chance in acting with little high earning. She worked hard and finally got the lead role when suddenly the main actress left the show. Her picture got published in a small article. Her first act did not bring her in a spotlight however, her second act successfully achieved the attention of so many people. She became the reason for the success of her show which helped her to get successful. She got promotions and opportunities which helped her to get fame. Meanwhile, Hurstwood who lost his job and did not try to search a new one was left alone when Carrie shifted into another hotel with her friend. He lost his business, social circle, and started working in the hotel. He caught pneumonia and took several months in the hospital to recover. He approached Carrie for financial help. Carrie gave her all the money that she had when Hurstwood met him. Hurstwood became a homeless and itinerant man. Finally, he committed suicide by turning the gas jet on before going to sleep.

Accordingly, Dreiser in the novel has shown his central characters passing American economic life and the harmful effects of their American dream on their lives. The novel was focusing on realism as well as on-base instincts of humans. Characters in the novel have their superficial needs and in the gratification of those superficial needs, all characters lost their happiness.

Works Cited

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Dreiser, Theodore. Sister Carrie. LIT EDIZIONI, 2014.