ipl-logo

What Is The Primary Purpose Of Sister Carrie

1312 Words6 Pages

Title: Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser, 1871-1945. Lived in Terre Haute, Illinois, Hollywood, California. Sister Carrie originally published in 1900. Four Main Characters: Carrie Meeber – A young girl infatuated with the cosmopolitan consumerism of Chicago and constantly dissatisfied with her life. She first abandons her sister and brother-in-law to live with Drouet, unwed, and then leaves Drouet for Hurstwood, whom she discards as a result of his personal decline and her rise to fame. Charlie Drouet – A traveling salesman Carrie meets on the train ride from Wisconsin to Chicago, who later rescues Carrie from the bleak and impoverished life she has to endure at her sister’s house. George Hurswood – Harboring an unmitigated infatuation for …show more content…

Initaially Carrie is the embodiment of innocence, inexperienced and untouched; until she meets Drouet, “assuming theology’s favored position for the Devil,” a young and charming man with flush, colorful cheeks and a light mustache. Drouet lures Carrie into a world she knows nothing about; steering her away from her traditional moral upbringing by blinding her with the golden, shimmering ideals of wealth and social status. Drouet’s ideology progressively becomes Carrie’s and eventually shapes her identity and perception towards the world: she is never contended with present and constantly imagines a picture perfect future, but in the meantime fails to finds happiness, or grow as person. Essentially, Carrie never grows up to be responsible and independent; her entire success as progress is dependent on sheer qualities, such as charm and beauty. Dreiser’s representation of women is fundamentally anti-feministic; as all female characters in the novel only care for clothes, and other material assets, and do not necessarily display intelligence, or the ability to form original …show more content…

This short extract demonstrates how humans are not all good or all bad, therefore women should not be perceived on the basis of a black and white scale, but rather a gray scale that does not fail to measure the complexity of moral dilemmas. This references how the narrator presents the audience with the rules of the game, and the characters who proceed to break them, and the consequences of their actions. Through Jessica she might rise a little. Through George Jrs.'s possible success she might draw to herself the privilege of pointing proudly.” (Page 84, spoken by narrative) Parents are known to wish a better life for their children compared to the ones they had; and this thought represents a parent’s selflessness, except in this instance. Mrs. Hurtwood’s thoughts of her children climbing the social ladder exposes a dark and rather selfish aspect of wanting the best for her children – her children’s social and/or economic successes would reflect directly on her image, and would not only depict her as a good parent, but would also elevate her social status. Personal

Open Document