Sister Carrie: The Evolution of Character Development by Theodore Dreiser

Sister Carrie, The first novel that was published by Theodore Dreiser in 1900, portrays a timeless cinderella story. Dreiser tends to entrance his characters naive minds with the ornate or quite simply, the irresistible. The overt cultural desire of the unattainable is highly influenced by the ideals of capitalism and the time period in which Sister Carrie takes place. The competitive values of capitalism become apparent in both the professional and private lives of all three main characters in Sister Carrie.

The unfulfilling lifestyles portrayed by Dreiser allows insight into his perception of reality through his intrusive narration style. Theodore Dreiser seeks to question rather than answer the intrinsic problems that are commonly associated with unrestrained desire. Caroline Meeber is consumed, both internally and externally, by the cosmopolitan values of society. The elusive importance of class structure and the compulsive desire for material objects are two values that Carrie accepts the importance of, very early on in the book. She begins to view happiness as a product of these values. The happiness is superficial however and she remains unhappy throughout the book even with her success. It was after the Great Fire of 1871 had claimed victory over the vast majority of the city of Chicago. It was shortly after, Chicago turned its greatest disaster into opportunity. It was the "growth spurt that made it, as the 19th Century ended, the only major city on the planet that hadn't been a city at all at the beginning of that century" (Leroux). Business was booming and "People were rich" in Chicago (3 Dreiser). Unlike rural Columbia City, Chicago was quickly becoming a mecca of industry. A standard for production and of course, consumption.

It was here that in 1899, Carrie Meeber began to define herself, no longer a girl under the protection of her father's house but as a woman on her own, well partially. The advantages of being younger to sister Minnie become less apparent to Carrie and inconsequential, as Dreiser progresses throughout his narrative. Yet without this connection to the big city, Carrie would have never had met her hero, Mr. Chas. H. Drouet. It was right there on the one-way train ride to Chicago, that Caroline understood what the term class really meant, and it was there next to Drouet that "she became conscious of an inequality" (7 Dreiser). The simple and worn dress, along with her meager possessions, had only then become obviously apparent when observed by a fellow traveler, and as Dreiser explains first case that Drouet had a much higher social class standing than she. Upper class had become the next level of sophistication not only in the appearance of dress but in the manner of speech and the body language that one exhibited, especially on the east coast. Drouet, although limited by his infatuation and the art of seduction of beautiful woman, understood what it meant to be comfortable in public. It was also there on the train that Carrie realized she had nothing compared to modest Drouet. It was there on the train that her love affair with the refined pleasures of life, made possible by wealth, consumed her. This country girl on her way to Chicago was perhaps the most naive girl that Drouet had ever come across. She was not only naive but beautiful as well and simple too. This chance occurence may have been an everyday setup for Drouet but for Carrie it was far from ordinary. The impressive material stature of Drouet created a sense of shame and embarassment in Carrie yet the attention she received created an unquenchable thirst for more. Drouet is the one responsible for creating this link between happiness and wealth later on in the book The next crucial sequence of events in the degradation of the moral obligations that Carrie had to herself is due in part to her first residence, 354 West Van Buren. A meager flat at best, rent was predetermined at $17 a month. A cheaper place in Chicago may not have been found, if not for Drouet.

There on the first day in Chicago, Carrie realized that life was not going to be as carefree than she had first thought. No theatres for Carrie, no culture for Carrie, no fun for Carrie. She first had to secure employment. Then surely, the entertainment that Mr. Drouet had talked so openly about would be easily sought out. Jobs were plentiful and as Mr. Hanson pointed out, "It's a big place," he said, "You can get in somewhere in a few days. Everyone does." (12 Dreiser). Carrie was only eighteen years old, ready for anything, or at least she knew she would do whatever it took to not go back home. Dreiser whether intentionally or not, creates single-sided characters that are predictable. Over a century has passed since the first publication of this novel yet the individuals seen in his writing can still be critically analyzed to this day. Minnie, Mr. Hanson's wife, is a dutiful stay at home mom, happy with the life she was leading. Mr. Hanson was a man of few words and his love of money was only limited by his restraint to have fun. A proper home for his family had to be puchased and there was no room for wasteful entertainment in his mind. It was here the differences between Drouet and Carrie become more defined. She was of the same class as her sister and they did not go to evening shows and fancy restaurants, money did not permit that type of activity. Money became not neccessarily a means to achieve happiness (like Mr. Hanson's saving to buy a home for his family) but rather a means to possess happiness, in Carrie's mind. Happiness which Carrie felt her sister and brother-in-law lacked.

This degradation of her standards due to a lack of money leads to Caroline Meeber neglecting to realize that money and material possessions did not guarantee a happy life. Caroline Meeber's definition of money can be seen at the beginning of Chapter VII, "something everybody else has and I must get" (62 Dreiser). Theodore Dreiser provides a means in which Sister Carrie can attain what everyone else has, through her personal connections with first Mr. Drouet and eventually Mr. Hurstwood. The sole factor that permanently ingrains sister Carrie with the notion of attaining more class, is the short stint of employment she has to endure. Carrie manages to early on in the novel yet this one defining moment alongside many other ofactors that contribute to her impoverty only drive her closer to a man for financial shelter. This system of oppression creates a kept women. Carrie had more dreams than simply being a housewife like her sister Minnie was. The differences between class was the level of brainpower that one used. From sitting in an office running the factories like Speigelheim and Co. To the shop girls and obnoxious boys that stiched hats together, Carrie saw the differences of class as hard lines to cross, especially when she was only making four and a half dollars each week. "Under better material conditions this kind of work would not have been so bad, but the new socialism which involves pleasant working conditions for employes had not then taken hold upon manufactoring companies" (39 Dreiser). This was after a great fire that fire had swept through the entire city creating more safety standards but had however neglected to think about the actual working conditions of the working class. "The wash rooms and lavatories were disagreeable, crude, if not foul places, and the whole atmosphere was one of hard contact." (39 Dreiser). Carrie already believed that she was better than the other shop girls to begin with. It wasn't until the working conditions and lack of adequate pay started to take effect when the weather shifted and so did her luck. Drouet is just a stepping stone to the ballroom dance at the end of this cinderella story. Hurstwood's character is what enables Carrie to break cleanly away from Drouet and to start doing what she wanted to do, be a cosmopolitan girl. New York, the big apple, the appeal still remains even after the 20th century has passed into the history books. The definition of fashion and high class originates from major cities across the world. "It cut her to the quick, and she resolved that she would not come here again until she looked better. At the same time she longed to feel the delight of parading here as an equal. Ah, then she would be happy" (324 Dreiser). Carrie has made it to New York on the greenbacks of others. She has seen Broadway and she wants to be a part of it. Thanks to Hurstwood, his social connections, had made it possible to make Carries first stage appearance a success. His acquaintances respond "like Romans to a senator's call" (174 Dresier). Hollywood and Broadway stars are two of the same characters in different time eras. The definition of a being a star is the lead role. The one big name that draws patrons in off the streets. Carrie believed with all her heart that once status as a leading role was attained she would be happy because she all of the things that others had happiness with, material possessions and social standing. If capitalism can be seen as a ladder with a multitude of varying rungs. Caroline Meeber can see herself climbing to the top very early on in Sister Carrie.

In 20th century America and still to this day there is a melting pot of nationalities. The exclusion to this new American identity was only limited, if an individual was of a poor social standing or an undesireable race. The study of both racism and gender in American history tends to conceal the utmost importance of class. The American value of class superiority is undermined and concealed, due in part to the power that the upper class posesses. Since Dreiser first wrote Sister Carrie, the civil rights movement has created more equality, woman's suffrage became a national controversy. Due to the struggle of the minority, the limitations of gender and race are of less importance in comptemporary times. Class however, still retains it dominance over this country. The basis for capitalism stems from competition. It is ingrained into children's minds very early on in society. Sister Carrie creates a story of depression and loss, even with a story of great economical achievement. Hurstwood and Drouet, both lose the one girl that shoudn't have gotten away from them, but then again she was never kept by either of them. She belonged to the people. Carrie allowed society to shape her personality, her body movements and the social interactions that she permitted herself to participate, in order to gain class. The one person she sold herself out to was herself. A capitalistic society is one where prosperity is there for those willing to work for it.

The life experiences one endures throughout their life, only leads to greater success later on. Lesons have to be learned though. Dreiser's limited insight into character development, due to inexperience perhaps, allowed two choices to be made by characters. To act on instinct or not. The dream of America is consumed by Carrie and therefore she becomes the American Dream, a very costly investment in her personal life. She can now only be like her roles on broadway, being directed around the stage, subject to someone else's approval. These are the moral obligations that an individual owes to themselves. Be true to yourself, and go from there. Like a star, Carrie was merely a beam of light shining down upon the "tossing thoughtless sea." (12 Dresier). Carrie got to the top and saw nothin more than Cinderella did at the last stroke of midnight. Theodore Dreiser used this novel to express his deepest concerns towards society as he knew how.