Tag Archives: theodore dreiser

Sister Carrie – A Dialogue. Part IV

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The final quarter of Sister Carrie, and the final part of the dialogue between Nancy (Silver Threads) and myself. On this occasion I lead the discussion.  Please be aware.  There are SPOILERS.
1. Sarah
Chapter 37 begins with the downfall of Hurstwood. His hasty and ill-considered flight from Chicago, under a cloud of his own making, has crippled his financial security, and matters now take a turn for the worse.  A further narrowing of his prospects leads to a sapping despair.  He will not consider beginning again from scratch and his desire to rejoin affluent society, at a level above that which he can realistically achieve, effectively negates his remaining chances.   Hurstwood is capable of lowering his sights, but there is always a lag, and he continually readjusts too little, too late.

Carrie begins to scent the spectre of poverty, and it isn’t what she signed up for.   The shifting balance of power is obvious, the resulting action against Hurstwood tangible:

‘He gave the matter no more thought, but slept.  In the morning she was not beside him.  Strange to say, this passed without comment.

Night approaching and a slightly more conversational feeling prevailing, Carrie said,”I think I’ll sleep alone tonight.  I have a headache.”

“All right,” said Hurstwood.

The third night she went to her front bed without apologies.

This was a grim blow to Hurstwood but he never mentioned it.’

Carrie is finally motivated to take the initiative, and begins to think again of seeking employment on the stage.

‘In a flash he thought he foresaw the result of this thing.  Now when the worst of his situation was approaching she would get on the stage in some cheap way and forsake him. Strangely, he had not conceived well of her mental ability.  That was because he did not understand the nature of emotional greatness.  He had never learned that a person might be emotionally instead of intellectually great.  Avery Hall was too far way for him to look back and sharply remember.’

Is this a fair and accurate assessment of Carrie’s nature and Hurstwood’s insight?
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Sister Carrie – A Dialogue. Part III

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Nancy, of Silver Threads, and I continue our discussion of Theodore Dreiser’s novel, Sister Carrie. This section covers Chapters 25 through 36.

Nancy found these wonderful illustrations in a 1939 Heritage Press edition of Sister Carrie


1. Nancy
You could call this section a tale of three cities. Carrie leaves Chicago, goes briefly to Montreal, then settles with Hurstwood in New York. Initially Carrie had found Chicago intimidating, but she came with an intent to enjoy it if she could and, mostly, she did.

Montreal does not interest her much, but Hurstwood promises her New York: “You’ll like that. It’s a lot more like a city than any place outside Chicago.” Carrie’s initial reaction is rather negative.

“Where is the residence part?” asked Carrie, who did not take the tall five-story walls on either hand to be the abodes of families.

“Everywhere,” said Hurstwood, who knew the city fairly well. “There are no lawns in New York. All these are houses.”

“Well, then, I don’t like it,” said Carries, who was coming to have some opinions of her own.

As Carrie gains knowledge and some small experience of the luxury and gloss of New York, she is very impressed.

Carrie walked with an air equal to that of Mrs. Vance, and accepted the seat which the head waiter provided for her. She was keenly aware of all the little things that were done–the little genuflections and attentions of the waiters and head waiter which Americans pay for. The air with which the latter pulled out each chair, and the wave of the hand with which he motioned them to be seated, were worth several dollars in themselves. Once seated, there began that exhibition of showy, wasteful, and unwholesome gastronomy as practiced by wealthy Americans, which is the wonder and astonishment of true culture and dignity the world over.

When I started the book I thought Dreiser was using Chicago as a model of a big city and its influence on those who come to it. Then he changed the locale to New York. Do you think this makes any difference in the story?
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Sister Carrie – A Dialogue. Part II

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Sister Carrie, the dialogue, continues. This time it is my turn to pose questions, which Nancy answers. As before, our commentary may be found both here and at Silver Threads.

1. Sarah
The second quarter of Sister Carrie continues in much the same vein as the first. The characters are forced through life according to their station and disposition, and Dreiser explains why it is so. Received wisdom says that the author should show not tell, and my feeling is that Dreiser does a lot of telling. Perhaps Dreiser feels this too…

Let me not be quarreled with for predicating these psychologic truths of the two individuals. The great forces of nature must not be arrogated by the intellectual alone. Refinement is nothing more than the perception and understanding of these things, and whoso understands and feels that these things are true is refined. But the forces themselves may be perceived by the wise, working in the commonest moulds. [...] We have been writing our novels and our philosophies without sufficiently emphasizing them – we have been neglecting to set forth what all men must know and feel about these things before a true and natural life may be led.

I haven’t noticed much overt symbolism or metaphor in Dreiser’s writing, but perhaps it is his sparing use of such devices which renders them vivid. The image of the building storm is extensively used in conjunction with Hurstwood’s dealings with his wife:

If we think of the approach of the thunderstorm we shall get a very good impression of the Hurstwood household at this stage of the game – the thunderstorm that rolls up on even a warm, halcyon summer’s day. At such times, though the atmosphere be heavily charged with electricity and the air ominously still, there is nothing disagreeable about it. [...] its approach enlivens the nervous system, makes wires of the muscles and plays upon the whole body such a symphony of activity as to stir the blood and create pleasurable feeling.

Do you feel that Dreiser is “breaking the rules” with regard to exposition? How would you describe his style generally?
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Sister Carrie – A Dialogue. Part I

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Nancy of Silver Threads, and I, discovering that we both planned to read Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie, are experimenting with a question and answer format for our joint reading project, which will be posted on both blogs. We have arbitrarily chopped the novel into quarters, and Nancy is leading off with the first twelve chapters. Neither of us had read beyond the first twelve chapters at the time of writing so our dialogue is to some extent speculative.

 

Illustration by Reginald Marsh

1. Nancy
When the novel opens, it is 1888 and an attractive and naïve young woman is on the train to Chicago. Dreiser quickly introduces two important themes: the fate of attractive and naïve young women and the importance of Chicago.

When a girl leaves her home at eighteen, she does one of two things. Either she falls into saving hands and becomes better, or she rapidly assumes the cosmopolitan standard of virtue and becomes worse. Of an intermediate balance, under the circumstances, there is no possibility. The city has its cunning wiles, no less than the infinitely smaller and more human tempter. There are large forces which allure with all the soul fullness of expression possible in the most cultured human. The gleam of a thousand lights is often as effective as the persuasive light in a wooing and fascinating eye.

Is Dreiser saying here that Carrie is not responsible for what happens to her?
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