Reading Overview
Who are the main characters in Sister Carrie?
Carrie Meeber, Minnie and Sven Hanson, Charles Drouet, George Hurstwood, Julia Hurstwood
True. Sister Carrie “Mixed philosophical speculations about the nature of existence together with scenes that presented much of the gritty details of city life.”
What year was Sister Carrie first published?
True or False: The Progressive Era saw reforms in politics, women’s rights and roles in society, workers’ rights, prohibition, and many other areas of social controversy.
Name three themes related to Darwinism or Naturalism in the first two chapters of Sister Carrie.
2) Women's' Roles in Cities vs. Men's Roles
3) Money and Wealth
4) Children, Marriage & and Family
*other answers can be accepted upon discussion*
Because his depiction of some aspects of life, such as sexual promiscuity, offended authorities and challenged popular standards of acceptable opinion. Because of this, Dreiser had trouble finding a publisher and had to release an edited version to please the publisher, the same publisher that printed McTeague. Sister Carrie was released to mixed reviews which either praised the realism and themes of the story or noted the unpleasantness and the inappropriate nature of much of the book.
*Answers may vary*
Wealth, Determinism, the American Dream, Flashiness, Urban development, Female roles, Money
True or False: Sister Carrie, while it is a well-written description of urban life for a female at the time, does not give an accurate representation of the Darwinian female.
False: Sister Carrie is a perfect example of the Darwinian female; there is an emphasis on natural selection when choosing the male to assist her in her struggle for success and survival.
Find one section of the reading that depicts how the economy was during the time period Sister Carrie was published in
Give a short synopsis of how/where/when they met, what they may have spoken about, and how their relationship developed.
ired of rural Wisconsin, Carrie travels to Chicago and moves in with her sister Minnie and her husband Sven. She meets Charles Drouet, a well-off traveling salesman. After losing her job, she goes to dinner with Drouet where she becomes showered with whatever material things she desires. She moves in with Drouet and her taste becomes much posher. After bringing her to a popular bar, she starts an affair with the owner, George Hurstwood a married man. They flee to Canada with stolen bar funds but are found and forced to return them. Unable to return to Chicago, they go to New York where they have to live much less lavishly as before. Carrie becomes involved in Theatre and leaves George, who ultimately ends up poor and commits suicide.
Sister Carrie (1900)
Jennie Gerhardt (1911)
The Financier (1912)
The Titan (1914)
The "Genius" (1915)
Free and Other Stories (1918)
An American Tragedy (1925)
Chains: Lesser Novels and Stories (1927)
The Bulwark (1946)
The Stoic (1947)
(among others)
Find one section of the reading that describes the way city life had developed/looked during the time period Sister Carrie was published in.