“The
lights, the rattle of trams, the lingering whispers of the city, speak money
and tell of its power: “I will be happy”, she thought all day long.”
Caroline
Meeber, nicknamed Sister Carrie, is an 18-year-old country girl who moves to
Chicago. Shy and discreet, but fiercely ambitious, she soon realises that her
beauty can conceal her humble origins.
From
one lover to another, she becomes a kept woman, and she seizes every
opportunity to be finally accepted in high society. She will know glory,
certainly, but happiness?
Author:
Theodore Dreiser was an American novelist of German origins. He was born on
August 27, 1871 in Terre Haute, Indiana, U.S. He graduated from Indiana
University. He began his writing career as a newspaperman, working in Chicago,
St. Louis and Pittsburgh. “Sister Carrie” was his first novel. After publishing
of “The Financier” in 1912, he was able to give up newspaper work and devote
himself to writing. His most famous novel is “An American Tragedy” (1925).
Dreiser is known as one of the principal exponents of American naturalism and,
in 1944, he was awarded the Merit Medal for Fiction by the American Academy of
Arts and Letters. He died in 1945 at the age of 75 in California.
My
thoughts: This novel was suggested to me by Judy, the author of “Keep The
Wisdom”, a fabulous book review blog. I read this spectacular novel in May and
I loved each of its 700 pages. I loved Dreiser’s style: very thorough in the
description of the characters, very detailed in relation to the characters’
traits, their state of mind, their lifestyle and the cities of Chicago and New
York at that time.
One
theme that often recurs is the immense loneliness of these characters, their
desire to escape their condition, whether material or emotional. All of them
want to be loved and admired. They live in an environment of appearances, alas,
not conducive to happiness... I think this novel is very modern: it somehow
reflects our society today. Therefore, I highly recommend this masterpiece to
you.
Carrie
leaves her native country, Columbia City, to go to Chicago to realise her
dream. Carrie is housed by her sister and her husband. She finds a factory job,
but feels miserable and cramped at her sister’s.
Following
the loss of her job, Carrie agrees to move in with Charles Drouet, whom she had
met on the train that brought her to Chicago. She becomes the mistress of
Drouet, a young, charming and womanising sales representative, a somewhat
futile individual.
At
first, Carrie is in perpetual conflict with herself. She examines all the valid
reasons that pushed her to become a kept woman (the poverty). On the other
hand, her inner voice (her conscience) examines all the reasons not to be an
easy girl.
One
day, through Drouet, she meets a refined and mature man with a better social
position than Drouet, named George Hurstwood. The latter succumbs to the beauty
and charm of Carrie. He falls in love with her candour and innocence because
Carrie is different from the women in his entourage. Unlike his wife and
daughter, Carrie is not grasping.
Caught
in the whirlwind of his life, Hurstwood steals money from his employer and runs
away. He convinces Carrie to follow him to the New World, to Montréal, to start
a new life. They change their names to Wheeler and they marry.
Hurstwood,
alias Wheeler, does not like Montréal. He is also found by a detective,
whereupon he decides to return the money stolen from his employer and leaves
for New York to rebuild everything again.
In New
York, they fall gradually into a drifting existence, encountering financial
problems. However, Carrie finds solace and help from her neighbour and only
friend, Mrs. Vance, a distinguished young woman. Sadly, this does not last long as her
neighbour soon moves away.
To
cope with the difficulties that she and her husband meet, Carrie is hired as a
dancer in a music-hall show. There she befriends Lola Osbourne, a young, very
confident and resourceful dancer. Carrie abandons her husband and moves in with
Lola, driven by a hectic existence far from her depressive husband.
Gradually
Carrie discovers that she has a real talent for dancing and acting. She becomes
a well-known artist, she meets with success and earns a place in high society.
Carrie
now has no man in her life but has always nurtured a crush on the smart, wise and
young Robert Ames, Mrs. Vance’s cousin...Has she found happiness??
