The Fall of Carrie and Hurstwood
Sister Carrie, written by Theodore Dreiser, is a tale of Carrie, who comes to Chicago to somehow make the money she has always dreamed of having. In pursuit of the material possessions and success she dreams of, she involves herself with two different characters, Drouet and Hurstwood. She eventually finds herself in New York, where she has a successful performing career. Even with all the success and material possessions she has attained do not bring her happiness. Due to naturalism and pre-existing conditions between Carrie and Hurstwood, human interactions in exchange for materialism lead to the downfall of the two characters.
Early in the text, it is evident that Carrie has an excessive greed for things such as clothing and money. Upon meeting Drouet, she immediately is blinded to the advantages he can bring her, such as expensive and beautiful clothing. Carrier soon realized all the city had to offer her, such as "wealth, fashion, ease every adornment for women, and she longed for dress and beauty with a whole heart" (Dreiser, 21). Carrie is aroused by "something promising in all the material prospect" that Drouet had to offer (Dreiser, 5). While her background does subconsciously caution her momentarily, she ignores her misgivings in exchange for the happiness that Drouet's success might bring her. The same things that entice Carrie to Drouet also entice her to Hurstwood.
Perhaps it is safe to say that Carrie came to Chicago in pursuit of the American Dream because of "the drag of a lean and narrow life" (Dreiser, 11). The exchange of her life from dull Wisconsin to Chicago signifies her chase of a better and more fulfilling life. The realization that her life was still "the drag of a lean and narrow life" (Dreiser, 11) hampered Carrie's hope for the American Dream. Carrie was determined to not be "a common shop-girl" (Dreiser, 51). Once Drouet gives Carrie money, he dominates her life because she loves what he possesses. His possessions are Carrie's ultimate dream and goal in life.
Carrie allows other characters in the story to determine her fate and guide her actions. While Carrie is unaware of it, her relationship with Drouet sets up a pattern that drives her relationship with him and other men.
In the exposition of the story, Minus immediately delves into the characters, introducing us to both and young Carrie Johnson and Mrs. Cado P. Clark, the main characters in the story. She also gives us a physical description of Carrie, as well as a beginning presentation of Mrs. Clark’s character. Of Carrie, Minus writes, “…Carrie had come out of the South, the red clay clinging to her misshapen heels, made migrant by the disintegration of a crumbling age” also “Carrie’s wide brown nostrils...”(Girl, Colored 1940). Of Mrs. Clark’s character as person from the upper class; she writes “A pale blonde woman opened the door. Wisps of inoffensive hair strayed from the leather thongs of a dozen curlers set at variance on her head.”Minus instantly offers a feel for how each character will shape up to be, and presents a chance for us (the reader) to attach ourselves to these perhaps not-so-unique individuals. Without further ado, Minus expounds on her both her characters initial descriptions of throughout the remainder of the story. We learn that Carrie has a quick temper and she easily angered but manages to keep of her emotions under control, Mrs. Clark ha...
The colonists of Roanoke disappeared mysteriously around 1590. All the colonists were gone without a trace and without any exact way of letting anyone know what happened to them. When the governor of Roanoke, John White, arrived to Roanoke in 1590,there was only one clue about the disappearance that remained. The letters ''CRO''were written on a tree nearby. No one had knowledge of what happened to the colonists or where they might have gone. The question that is still being asked is,'' What happened in the time between when White left and returned?'' and , '' How did the events leading up to and after Roanoke affect the later colonies?'' There were eleven children, seventeen women, and ninety men that were supposed to be in Roanoke , but no remained. It is a mystery that hasn't been solved up to this day.
As this occurs, the story takes on a comedic aspect from the view of the reader, and we lose our sympathy for Sister. Sister lives in China Grove, Mississippi, presumably a very small town with only a few occupants. She lives with her mother, grandfather and uncle in their home, being the center of attention for the duration of the time until her younger sister, Stella-Rondo returns home. The return of Stella-Rondo sparks a conflict with Sister immediately because Sister is obviously envious of her and has been even before she came back to China Grove. The reader gets clear evidence of Sister’s jealousy toward Stella-Rondo when Sister says “She’s always had anything in the world she wanted and then she’d throw it away.
In the novel, Lutie faces the realities of the American Dream, which for African-Americans is literally just a dream. Lutie also experiences the harsh effects of poverty and how it shapes one’s life. The limitations forced upon Lutie make her realize the truth behind the American Dream. When Lutie comes to Harlem, she has this idea of the American Dream. She has this notion that “all she had to do was plan each step
Mama compares herself to her barely-living plant exclaiming "It expresses ME," both with simple desires, difficult circumstances, and a staggeringly great amount of fortitude (121). Though Mama 's dream of a new home is ultimately fulfilled, the patience she portrays while waiting is yet another element of perseverance. Asagai explains this concept as he describes, "I will teach and work and things will happen, slowly, and swiftly," just as mama 's dedication and effort eventually paid off (135). Possibly the most fundamental theme represented in A Raisin in the Sun, the concept of the American Dream gives personality to both the characters and the play as a whole. To me, the definition of this dream is having the freedom to be successful in whatever aspirations one chooses to pursue. I think that most Americans view the Dream similarly, with perhaps more of an emphasis on money and materialism. Some of the goals that I personally wish to achieve in my life include being happy, traveling and discovering the world, and making remarkable memories with close family and friends to share in them.
Characterization: as Carrie hopelessly looks for work she can’t help but keep her eyes off of all the expensive and valuable things in life, the readers later learn that Carrie looks at these things as necessities instead of wants. Motif: Dreiser’s showing that in this point of time, Carrie and others soon to come all have this idea where the less important things in life are needed to maintain a high status, confidence, image, etc.
I think it is very difficult to define the exact character of Dreiser’s "Sister Carrie", and his original intention. I would say, "as many eyes, so many opinions", so no wonder there are different approaches and interpretations towards the novel which is influenced not just by the reader’s reading or personal experience, but also by their particular philosophy of life as well as knowledge about the historical background. "Sister Carrie" can be read as a novel of desire, seduction, or the critique of capitalism and consumerism. It’s definitely not the plot or characters which are dominant elements of it. The taste and the literary value of Dreiser’s novel is shaped and created by its setting and the author’s tone. Chicago and New York have almost as organic and important role in the novel as the characters. They do not just form the simple environment for the novel, but they influence its character and a very strong impression. Chicago’s character is kind of more "positive", it is a city of promise, luck, rise (Carrie). We can say that in Chicago, Hurtswood means something. New York ‘s character is different. It’s a city of lies, fall, impersonal isolation of "walled city where surviving is much more difficult than in Chicago. In New York, Hurstwood means nothing. The setting creates different expectations to people. During the reading of "Sister Carrie", I was interested in searching and revealing the different kinds of desire. Generally we can say that Dreiser deals with the desire of wealth, social status, material things which are represented by money. Within this generalization, we can find and identify many other faces and forms of lust and longing. Carrie, as an ambitious and strong woman embodies the social values of the consumer culture. All she longs for is a material wealth, which represents power. She can be seen as a symbol of money. But Carrie lives in a world of prices. Her labor costs $4.50; board $4 a week; car fare $.60; cheap lunch $.10; etc. She imitates everything perfectly and that’s why she is becoming what people want her to become. Her desires come from other people’s desires. It is exactly Drouet, who introduces her to the world of wealth, to materialism. He gives her money, flat even "name when she enters the world of theater. She plays her role according to Drouet’s desires – once acts as his mistress or "wife".
Sister’s perspective is very self-centered and designed to manipulate the reader for selfish purposes. When the story first begins, Sister is trying to get the reader to see that “Of course [she] went with Mr., Whitaker first…and Stella Rondo broke [them up].” Sister wants the readers to know this piece of information so we will think she is a victim in the story. This is a way of getting us, the readers, on “her side” so we will begin to think like her and dislike the person or people that she dislikes.
In conclusion, Gloria Naylor and Alice Walker show that sisterhood is possible and can turn out to be a successful relationship among women; most importantly it is the only way that the women in both novels can survive in a patriarchal society. Sisterhood is very necessary because it breaks the barriers that women have in a patriarchal society. It makes an individual stronger, independent and confident in society.
She believes the American Dream means having family and a home. Her beliefs are not negative, but her attitude regarding obtaining these possessions is negative. She tries to obtain a family or a loving relationship and preserve a home by any means necessary. In the novel, she is portrayed as a separated young woman whom is irresponsible and selfish. She willingly pursues a married man in an effort to have someone she can love and someone to love her back. She does not want to be alone or feel lonely. She disregards the wife and children Lester has at home. After Kathy loses her home, she makes poor choices to retrieve her home. She takes the law into her own hands and disregards the feeling and lives of the new owners of the home. Kathy’s actions are unacceptable, but her view of the American Dream is simplistic and
One girl who chases the American Dream is Lena Lingard, a small farm girl from a poverty-stricken family. "Lena gave her heart away when she felt like it, but she kept her head for her business and had got on in the world." (192). Lena had one thing on her mind: money. To her the American Dream was wealth. She wants freedom from worry about where her next meal would come from. Lena begins her journey to wealth by becoming one of the many hired girls in the town of Black Hawk. There she was apprentice to a dressmaker and before long began to show great potential. Soon she began making money with her hard work, dedication and talent, but she uses this money not to indulge in her own desires, but to benefit her family. She spent her excess funds buying clothes for them, and paying their bills. But this wasn't enough to gain society's approval. She is a hired girl. Because she went to many dances over the summer months, many young men began noticing her, as they never had before. Because of this Lena earns a reputation like those of the hired girls; that ...
... Dream, by many is a dream of wealth and prosperity that is easily achievable in America; however, not everyone thinks of it this way. Janie Crawford and Jay Gatsby both display different views on the American Dream and how it affects them in their lives. Neither Janie or Gatsby dreams for wealth. Instead they dream for a place of equality and individualism. Both characters want to be able to express themselves in their own way without having to conform to society. This shows that societal norms of the era in which both novels were written take different effects for different people, thus suggesting that there is no single American Dream.
The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson is a personal account, written by Mary Rowlandson in 1682, of what life in captivity was like. Her narrative of her captivity by Indians became popular in both American and English literature. Mary Rowlandson basically lost everything by an Indian attack on her town Lancaster, Massachusetts in 1675; where she is then held prisoner and spends eleven weeks with the Wampanoag Indians as they travel to safety. What made this piece so popular in both England and America was not only because of the great narrative skill used be Mary Rowlandson, but also the intriguing personality shown by the complicated character who has a struggle in recognizing her identity. The reoccurring idea of food and the word remove, used as metaphors throughout the narrative, could be observed to lead to Mary Rowlandson’s repression of anger, depression, and realization of change throughout her journey and more so at the end of it.
The first relationship often makes a big impact on the person, one that they will never forget. Carrie’s journey begins on her train ride to Chicago. A very handsome and rich man, Drouet, takes note of Carrie and begins talking to her. She becomes overwhelmed at his quick advancement upon her and becomes weak and vulnerable. She quickly takes interest in him and does not know how to act or what to think as shown in this passage:
In conclusion, the American dream targeted the individual working hard in the pursuit to become successful and wealthy, with high-quality job and prosperity. In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the American dream symbolizes being free from any kind of restrictions and the ability to have the pleasure in the wide-open Western edge. However, The Great Gatsby criticizes the American dream due to moral and social value decay of the society.