Sister Carrie Research Paper

Maureen O’Grady

Maluchnik

American Literature

04 May 2016

Sister Carrie novel that was published in 1900 explains Theodore Dreiser’s, the author's, belief that human beings are conditioned and controlled by chance, intuition and heredity though he also writes that there are a few individuals who are primitive and extraordinary who decline to acknowledge their fate (Dreiser and Donald, 11). Such individuals strive, though without success, to find purpose and meaning for their survival. Also, the author explains further that the mysterious quality of life is interesting even if it is cruel. Carrie Meeber who is the novel’s main character realizes that she is just a symbol in a world that is so heartless even though she strives to seize the life’s

She is incapable of buying new clothes that she desires and life with Minnie and Hanson proves to be very difficult as she has to meet the demands of the two with her small salary (Gale). The suggestion by Hanson that she goes home because of her failure to get another job after losing the first job when she falls sick is not pleasant to Carrie. “Carrie Meeber’s two marriages are fakes--the one to Drouet is a mere facade, the second one to George Hurstwood is formally contracted, but is a mock wedding since Hurstwood has not even been legally divorced from his first wife.” (Gammel,2) Carrie realizes the Drouet is wealthy because of the expensive dresses that he puts on and his capability to buy her expensive meals. Also, Drouet offers to rent Carrie an apartment. It is through Drouet that Carrie meets Hurstwood who is also a financially stable man. Carrie gets into the path of these two men because of their wealth and also because she is jobless yet she has desires that she longs meet. By befriending the wife of Mr. Hale, Carrie discovers that she is very poor since Mr. And Mrs. Hale are rich people with a big house and have expensive clothes. Her desire for wealth just makes her to be easy going towards the rich