Q's Views

I just finished Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreisser. This is one of those books that I just don't know how to react to it. I enjoyed it and I was truly interested in the ultimate disposition of the characters, but there are several aspects of the novel that intrigue me.

First, the title. There are essentially only three characters in the book -- Charles Druet, George Hurstwood, and Carrie. The story, like so many of the novels of this period, is about money and class structure. Carrie is the thread that runs like a straight line from one end of the story to the other, but at times she seems incidental. She's more of a catalyst than the primary focus of the action. The story for the most part is Hurstwood's. He is a man of moderate means working as the manager of a prominent Chicago tavern. He has a wife and two grown children. He chucks all of that to have clandestine meetings with Carrie, who at the time he believes to be married to Druet. I'll get back to Hurstwood in a minute.

The second intiguing aspect is Druet. Dreisser does an excellent job of creating this travelling salesman. He's the perfect mix of charm and scumbag, and yet he's not quite the scumbag he could be.

The third aspect is the scandal behind the novel. Originally, according to the introduction to my edition of the novel, the publisher's wife had him discontinue publishing the book in 1900. It wasn't until 1907 that the book was distributed in wide release. Looking at the book from the perpective of 2008 culture, the book is not shocking, but I can see how it could have been. Carrie comes to Chicago from Wisconsin to live with her sister and quickly discovers that she wants much more from life than working in a factory will ever provide. Druet, who Carrie had met on the train to Chicago, runs into Carrie one day and insists on buying her a coat and some shoes. Before you know it, they are living in rooms together. People think they're married, but Carrie keeps asking and Druet keeps putting her off (there's your whiff of scumbag). Druet eventually introduces Carrie to Hurstwood who becomes infatuated with her.

Hurstwood's wife finds out and he panics. All of his property is in her name and she lowers the boom. He does something really stupid, tricks Carrie into running away with him (essentially kidnapping her), marries her in Montreal, and sets up shop in New York with her. OK, back to Mrs. Doubleday's problem with the book.

Did she have a problem with Carrie living in the same Chicago flat with Druet unmarried? Nope.

Did she have a problem with Carrie marrying a man who was already married? Apparently not.

Her issue was that by the end of the novel, Carrie has risen to be a successful actress and Hurstwood is a penniless pauper. I'm sorry, but I would have never pegged that as the scandalous part of the novel.

The story is essentially about Hurstwood. His fall is similar to Silas Lapham's in William Dean Howells novel, but much harder, much more decadent, and far more tragic. Of all the tragic figures in the novels I've read to date, not one has unravelled like George Hurstwood. However, in this case, it was interesting to watch. I read some of Stephen Crane's sketches of the poor in New York and Hurstwood echoed many of the circumstances Crane had described. This character's story was just fascinating to me.

And, finally, there's Carrie. Her story isn't interesting at all. She's about as deep as a saucer of milk. She's like the opening act so we can meet Hurstwood. She is little more than a spectator to Hurstwood's situation. Dreisser at one point likens her to a wisp of mist on the sea. Well that wisp of mist hovers about and watches George get sucked into a whirlpool and instead of throwing him a rope, abandons him and strikes out on her own to find success. Which she does. I found myself ambivalent to her, sorry for Hurstwood but not entirely sympathetic.

I found this to be a fascinating read.

Reading list update:
Four more until Dos Passos. Two by Sinclair Lewis and two by Fitzgerald.