Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (1900)

“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??