Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie is a simple tale of a young, pretty eighteen year old girl Caroline Meeber also know as Carrie. When Carrie got on the train from Columbia City to Chicago she had only few cheap items in her trunk and her sister’s address on a piece of paper. Being only eighteen she was still "full of the illusions of ignorance and youth"(Dreiser, 7). She was both afraid of the things to come and exited by the countless possibilities offered by one of the largest cities of the late
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
of 1889, Carrie Meeber leaves her small town to find employment in the city of Chicago. Theodore Dreiser, the author of Sister Carrie, informs the reader that, "Self-interest with her was high, but not strong. It was nevertheless her guiding characteristic.". With her youth and innocence she hopes to seek employment so that she can get and buy all the nice things that she wants. Carrie does not have any idea how hard this is going to be. When she tries to find a job, she is scared. Carrie has no skills
Characterization in Sister Carrie The theme of unrequited love and unfulfilled ambitions, against a backdrop of a nation being transformed by industrialism and capitalism, provides the substance of Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie. During the late 19th Century we encounter three main characters who demonstrate this underlying motif: Carrie Meeber, Charles H. Drouet, and George W. Hurstwood. Carrie will fulfill many of her desires for riches and success, but her insatiable appetite will leave
English 11 Fiction Book Study A. Information about the author and novel Title 1. The title of the novel is Sister Carrie. 2. The title is appropriate for this book because the whole focus point throughout the entire point is based on the main character’s viewpoint, whom is Caroline Meeber, or Sister Carrie. B. Author 1. The author of the novel is Theodore Herman Dreiser. 2. He was born in August 27, 1871 and died in December 28, 1945. 3. Theodore Dreiser was an American novelist and journalist of
characteristics amongst heroes and contribute to today's notion of heroism. In order to decide if and to what extent any character lives up to the standards of heroism, one must search for these qualities. Huckleberry Finn, Daisy Miller, and Sister Carrie are three heroes from three different novels. It has already been decided that they are heroes. Therefore, the question is not whether or not they are heroes. The question is to what extent do they fit this notion of heroism? To what extent
Money Makes the Man in Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie Through the social criticism of Theodore Dreiser, the plight of the poor is compared against the actions of the rich. In both An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie Dreiser presents characters who are driven “by ignorance and in ability to withstand the pressures of the shallow American yearning for money, success, fashion -- dreams about which Dreiser himself was indeed an authority” (W.A. Swanberg 254). Throughout
virtue and becomes worse” (568). Rather than conveying the internalized thoughts and concerns of Carrie herself, Dreiser presents his readers with a general setting of the external challenges Carrie—and by extension a populace of late nineteenth century women—faces. Dreiser’s text demonstrates the struggle of being a woman subject to low wages, aggressive bosses and submissive work. In addition, Carrie does not have any vocational skillset that would afford her a “respectable” place in the workforce
Dreiser’s Sister Carrie and Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God When we find a love interest and have an opportunity to commit to him or her, we usually do, not noting the consequences we may face by doing so. The first few times around, however, the outcome is usually not the one we had expected and hoped for. Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie and Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God portray two young women on their trek to find the perfect love. Even though Carrie Meeber
Dreiser's Reversal of Male/Female Roles in Sister Carrie The novel Sister Carrie seems to be the platform from which Dreiser explores his unconventional views of the genders. In the world of Sister Carrie, it would seem that the role of women as trusting, caring creatures, and men as scheming victimizers is reversed; it is Carrie that uses the men around her to get what she wants, and it is those men who are victimized by her. Thus Dreiser uses this novel as a means of questioning the popular
imprint from life experience are Sister Carrie by former newspaper reporter Theodore Dreiser, and The Day of the Locust by screenwriter Nathanael West. In obvious ways Sister Carrie shares its subject matter with the newspaper. As it is well-known, the model for Sister Carrie’s main character is Dreiser’s sister Emma, who fled from Chicago to New York with her married lover after he stole money from the saloon where he worked. Dreiser based the character of Sister Carrie on family experience, but the
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
newspaper, his experiences there are another aspect of his life which shaped some of his writing (Rizzio). He was a naturalist writer who was influenced by the popularity of social Darwinism at the turn of the century. Dreiser’s first novel, “Sister Carrie” is one that was controversial for its time, but would not be considered as such now. Publishers were hesitant to promote this novel, but were not successful in squandering its p... ... middle of paper ... ...n reality. The influences of
obtusely) defying convention, and doubting the ignorant assumptions of society. Three such characters that were born of American realism are found in the novels The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain; Daisy Miller, by Henry James; and Sister Carrie, by Theodore Dreiser -- and the characters of interest to this paper happen to be the very same after which these novels are titled. Though these three stories are vastly different, each places its protagonist in a testing environment, against
military code, impervious to natural justice, prevails). The Red Badge of Courage, as a rejection of the glorification of war, implicitly invites the hope that wars may end. In The Awakening, it is social prejudice that chafes at the heroine. In Sister Carrie, although material want is the initial challenge... ... middle of paper ... ...d, reflecting the reader's discomfort with Dr. Sloper's ruthless incisiveness, asks: "Doesn't geometry treat of surfaces?" (P. 112.) The answer from Dr. Sloper,
the employee could spend at city department stores (such as New York’s Macy’s) but also the income provided greater equality for many minorities as well as women. Theodore Dreiser’s further encouraged the glamorous city life belief when he wrote Sister Carrie (1990). The lure of the city had one drawback, it attracted so many people that soon the cities became vastly overcrow...
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
III Dec. 11th Instinct for Self-Interest in Sister Carrie In Chapter 1 of Sister Carrie, when Carrie boarded on the afternoon train headed for Chicago, “she was eighteen years of age, bright, timid and full of the illusions of ignorance and youth… She gazed at the green landscape now passing in swift review until her swifter thoughts replaced its impression with vague conjectures of what Chicago might be.” (page 3) At the time, we know only that Carrie was an eighteen-year-old girl from Columbia
Hunter's partner made Hunter promise to take care of his little sister Carrie, and also not to seduce her. Seeing how the young girl was only about fourteen, Hunter gave his partner his word of honor to take care of the girl and also never seduce her. The story took a quick turn with the young girl growing up to a beautiful woman. Hunter tried very hard to avoid a romantic relationship with Carrie, but the problem was that Carrie had romantic feelings for Hunter. This love story was interrupted
Women in Society Do women participate more in more often in today 's workforce rather than they did in earlier times? How do the dynamics of the participation, in respect to the times, compare or contrast? In Sophocles ' Antigone and Dreiser’s Sister Carrie, the women must both overcome gender barriers throughout their struggles. Throughout their lives they each displayed strong and pioneering actions. Even when they were looked down upon by men, they persevered. While the number of women who participate