Analysis and summary of "Sister Carrie" by Theodore Dreiser

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:46

"Sister Carrie" is the first novel by American writer Theodore Dreiser. It was not immediately accepted by the American public and critics. The novel was rejected for the fact that its idea did not correspond to American values. Dreiser raised in his realistic novel the problem of realizing the "American Dream". There are three main characters in the center of the novel.

A young girl Kerry, passive and dreamy, who was brought up on the basis of classical moral values. The summary of "Sister Carrie" shows that life's difficulties quickly lead her astray.

Charles Drouet, young salesman, frivolous and fluttering through life like a moth.

George Hurstwood is a we althy man, a respectable family man who lost everything he achieved by the end of his life.

Coming to Chicago

The time described in the novel is the end of the 19th century. The action takes place in America. The main character is Caroline Meiber, an eighteen-year-old girl whom all household members called Kerry's sister. She travels from her hometown of Columbia City to her sister in Chicago, who lives there with her family.

On the train Kerry meetstraveling salesman Charles Drouet, who openly flirts with her. From the summary of "Sister Kerry", the reader learns that Kerry has only four dollars in her pocket, but this does not stop her from dreaming of a beautiful and happy life in this big city.

Sister Kerry's summary shows that she was very disappointed when she arrived there. The sister is preoccupied with the problems of the family and the household. Her husband earns very little by cleaning ice-cars at the slaughterhouse. They are oppressed by constant lack of money, they cannot afford any frills and entertainment, they lead a boring measured life.

Kerry is forced to look for work, she wanders around the city in search of her. But, since she does not know how to do anything, she is refused everywhere. Finally, she manages to get a job as a worker in a shoe factory. This job is monotonous and poorly paid. All her complaints to relatives about the severity of the work do not find sympathy. With the advent of winter, the girl, having no warm clothes, fell ill. Thus, she loses her job.

Realizing that she is a burden to her sister's family, Kerry decides to return to her hometown. The summary of "Sister Carrie" shows that a chance meeting with an acquaintance young salesman Charles Drouet changes her plans.

Kerry and Drouet

Drouet convinces Kerry to borrow money from him for warm clothes and settles the girl in a rented apartment. He offers her his concern for her life. She agrees and accepts his advances. However, Kerry does not like him, althoughI agree out of gratitude to become his wife. Drouet is in no hurry to marry her, telling her about the need to first settle all matters with the receipt of some kind of inheritance.

Meet Hurstwood

Soon, Drouet introduces the girl to George Hurstwood, who manages a rather respectable Fitzgerald and Mine bar. Through years of hard work, diligence and perseverance, Hurstwood rose from bartender to manager of a prestigious bar. Over time, he became the owner of his own house and a solid bank account.

After reading the summary of Dreiser's "Sister Carrie", Hurstwood can be imagined as an exemplary family man who leads a respectable lifestyle. He has two adult children: a son and a daughter. However, not everything is going well in his family, relations with his wife are becoming more and more tense. Hurstwood immediately takes an interest in the pretty young provincial Drouet. On Kerry, his impeccable manners and lifestyle make a strong impression. Compared to Drouet, she sees him in a better light.

At the beginning of their acquaintance, Hurstwood and Kerry meet in the presence of Drouet. Then they begin to meet in secret from him. Hurstwood's offer to move from Drouet to Kerry refuses. She only agrees to do so on the condition that he marry her.

Stage debut

Hurstwood is negotiating a lead role for her in an amateur play. Kerry's debut is a success, despite the fact that she performs on stage for the first time. Manytalk about her artistic talent, and for the first time she feels what independence can bring success.

Summary of "Sister Kerry" by Theodore Dreiser tells that at this time Drouet has suspicions about Kerry's betrayal: the maid with whom he flirts during Kerry's next absence informs him of Hurstwood's frequent visits. The bar manager's wife has the same suspicions.

She does not love her husband, but she is very jealous of him and is ready to take extreme measures and leave her hated husband a beggar, especially since all his property is registered to her. His wife kicks him out of the house. Hurstwood is desperate. He decides to commit a crime: taking advantage of the trust of the owners, he steals a large amount of money from the bar's cash desk and leaves the city with Kerry, tricking her into going with him.

Kerry and Hurstwood

From the chapter-by-chapter summary of Sister Carrie, the reader learns that on the train Hurstwood reveals that he has broken off relations with his wife and is awaiting a divorce. He invites Kerry to stay with him, promising her his loy alty. He doesn't say a word to her about stealing the money.

So, their life together began with theft and deceit. They got married in Montreal. But there a detective is already waiting for him, who was hired by the owners of the bar. Hurstwood has to return most of the stolen money. Thanks to this, he can return to the United States.

To New York

Hurstwood and Kerrymove to New York. There, he puts the rest of the stolen money into the bar, buying its share and the position of manager. The summary of the novel "Sister Carrie" tells that their life becomes more stable and prosperous.

Kerry meets neighbor Mrs. Vance. They spend a lot of time together, visit restaurants with her and her husband, go to theaters. Kerry meets Mrs. Vance's cousin, the young engineer Bob Ems, whom she made a great impression on. However, Ems is very serious and respectful about marriage, so this acquaintance has no continuation, and he returns home to Indiana.

For a girl, he became an ideal. She compares him to other men close to her, noting for herself his superiority.

Crisis

The summary of Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie describes that after three years, Hurstwood's troubles begin again. The bar passes to a new owner and the partner breaks off all relations with him. The business that gave him income fell apart.

Hurstwood is left destitute. He is trying to find a job. But over the years he has not learned anything new. Hurstwood listens to rejections over and over again. His former connections do not help him either, since he can no longer use them.

Hurstwood and Kerry move into a cheaper apartment, start saving on everything. But the money runs out very quickly. Hurstwood starts to sink: doesn't take care of himself, plays poker,who in the past years played very skillfully. Soon he loses all the last money.

Kerry understands that Hurstwood can no longer be hoped for. She starts looking for work on her own. Kerry remembers her success in the amateur production of the play, so she is looking for work on stage.

From the summary of "Sister Kerry" by T. Dreiser, it becomes obvious that her attempts were crowned with success: Kerry is taken to perform in the corps de ballet. Over time, she manages to become a soloist.

Hurstwood is desperate. He was exhausted by constant refusals in search of work. In the end, he decides to earn some money and during the strike of the Brooklyn streetcars he is hired as a carriage driver. But the work turns out to be beyond his strength: he listens to constant insults and threats, he has to dismantle the barricades on the rails.

Then he is attacked by mutinous trammen and wounded. The wound turns out to be not serious, but Hurstwood no longer has the strength to endure all this. He leaves the tram during his shift and goes home. He does not tell Kerry anything about these events, so she believes that her husband does not want to work.

Kerry's success

Kerry rehearses a lot, directors have noticed her talent. She gets another promotion and leaves Hurstwood, leaving him twenty dollars goodbye and a note saying she doesn't want to support him anymore.

From now on everything starts going in the opposite direction. Kerry is the favorite of the public, all theatrical critics favor her, she is surroundedwe althy admirers who want to woo her company. Hurstwood is in complete poverty. He has nowhere to live, he sleeps where he has to. Hurstwood has to queue for free food. Once the manager of the hotel took pity on him and gave him the dirtiest job for which he paid pennies. But Hurstwood was also very happy about it.

The end of the story

Hurstwood's he alth is undermined, he falls ill with pneumonia and ends up in the hospital. After recovering, he again finds himself unemployed. He has nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep. Hurstwood becomes a beggar. Beneath a brightly lit advertisement for a play featuring his ex-wife, he begs.

Kerry meets Drouet again. He wants to reconnect with her. However, for Kerry, this is no longer interesting, she does not need him.

Inventor Bob Ems arrives in New York. He has been successful in his own state and is now planning to open a lab in New York. He is present at the next operetta, in which Carrey plays. Engineer Ems believes she is capable of more serious roles than those offered to her. He convinces her to try drama.

Kerry is flattered by his opinion, with which she agrees. But she does not want to change anything in her life. She is overcome with sadness. Drouet left her life. Hurstwood is not around either. She does not even realize that he, unable to withstand the blows of fate, committed suicide by poisoning himself with gas in one of the New York flophouses.

The main character doesn't know what she wants. Analysis and summary of the novel "Sister Kerry" shows that nothing brings her happiness. From the outside it seems that all her affairs are going well, life is going well. But victories do not make her happy. In search of happiness, she forgets what real life is.