Abstract:
SisterCarriehasbeencalledthequintessentialmodernAmericannovel.Throughits
charactersandtheirstory,itillustratestheeffectsofthechangingeconomicstructure
onAmericanculture.Myarticle’smainobjectiveistoanalyzehowdoesDreiser’sNaturalisticstylebeexposedthroughthecharacterCarrieMeeberinSisterCarrie.
SisterCarrietellsthestoryoftwocharacters:CarrieMeeber,anordinarygirlwhorises
fromalow-paidwageearnertoahigh-paidactress,andGeorgeHurstwood,amemberoftheuppermiddleclasswhofallsfrom
hiscomfortablelifestyletoalifeonthestreets.NeitherCarrienorHurstwoodearntheir
fatesthroughvirtueorvice,butratherthroughrandomcircumstance.Theirsuccesses
andfailureshavenomoralvalue;thisstancemarksSisterCarrieasadeparturefromthe
conventionalliteratureoftheperiod.
DreisertouchesuponawiderangeofthemesandexperiencesinSisterCarrie,from
grindingpovertytoupper-middleclasscomfort.Thenoveldwellsonthemomentasitisexperienced;thecharacters
areplungedintothenarrativewithoutthereaderbeingtoldmuch,ifany,oftheir
histories.Theiridentitiesareconstantlysubjecttochange,reflectingthemodern
Americanexperiencethathadbeenusheredinbythedevelopingcapitalisteconomy.
Intheprocessofthisdevelopment,thousandsofruralAmericansrushedtothecities
tofindjobsandtobuildthemselves newlivesandidentities.SisterCarriecapturestheexcitementofthatexperience.
Keywords:
virtue,vice,randomcircumstance,ambitious,moral,tragic.
