Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser : Character Analysis

 

Caroline Meeber

Carrie, the eponymous character, allows others to guide her actions. This is particularly true of her relationships with men. At the opening of the novel, eighteen-year-old Carrie sits on a train bound for Chicago from the rural Midwest. A Wisconsin farm girl, Carrie dresses true to her ordinary circumstances. She wears a plain blue dress and old shoes, and demonstrates a reserved, lady-like nature. She feels slightly regretful at telling her parents good-bye and leaving the only home and safety she has known, but she looks forward with curiosity and anticipation to her new life in the city. When a salesman named Charles Drouet starts a conversation with her on the train, Carrie does not know how to be coy and is, instead, simply direct in her responses to him. It is this first bold encounter with Drouet that establishes Carrie’s fate in the world that exists beyond her farm home. Carrie lives with her sister and brother-in-law until they are no longer willing to support her. Having run into Drouet on the street and renewed her acquaintance with him, Carrie accepts his invitation to take care of her. Drouet offers all that Carrie desires like nights at the theatre, beautiful clothes, and delicious restaurant dinners.  These same enticements guide Carrie’s actions after she meets George Hurstwood. His expensive dress and money impress her. At about the same time, she has her first acting experience under the stage name Drouet has given her, “Carrie Madenda.” Carrie gains confidence in herself through Hurstwood’s attentions and the response she gets from her first audience. She eventually leaves Drouet behind. Carrie and Hurstwood settle in New York. From this point on in the story, Carrie lives for the good things in life that money and fame can bring her. When Hurstwood fails to provide her with these, she leaves him. As Carrie Madenda, the actress, she lives for herself.

 

Charles Drouet

Charles Drouet travels around the country as a salesman, or drummer, for a dry goods firm. He meets Carrie on the train on her first venture from the farm to the city. Drouet perceives himself as quite a lady’s man. Dressed in a vested suit with shiny gold buttons on his sleeves, he fits the 1880 slang term of a “masher,” or a person who dresses to attract young women. He starts a conversation with Carrie, and she notices his pink cheeks, mustache, and fancy hat. In addition to his fine dress and good looks, he possesses an impressive nature that puts people, especially women, at ease.

 When they met after a while on the street, he takes her out to dinner. He impresses her with his lavish spending and worldliness. He gives Carrie money to buy clothes. Carrie sees him as a kind person; Drouet simply enjoys women. He finally convinces Carrie to move in with him. He is thrilled with his “delicious … conquest.” Unable to keep his conquest to himself, Drouet introduces Hurstwood to Carrie. When Hurstwood and Carrie become too involved with one another, though, Drouet shows his jealousy. He cannot understand why Carrie would be interested in Hurstwood even if he is a bit older than him.

Bob Ames

Carrie meets Bob Ames along with Mrs. Vance . Ames has a high forehead and a rather large nose, but Carrie finds him handsome. She likes even more his boyish nature and nice smile. Mr. and Mrs. Vance and Carrie and Ames have dinner together, and Carrie enjoys Ames’s scholarly manner. He discusses topics that seem of great importance to Carrie, and admits to her that money possesses little value to him.

 

Mrs. Hale

Mrs. Hale lives with her husband in the apartment above the one Carrie and Drouet occupy. Mrs. Hale is an attractive, thirty-five-year-old woman who is Carrie’s Chicago friend. Carrie often accompanies Mrs. Hale on buggy rides to view the mansions neither of them can afford. Mrs. Hale gossips frequently, and Carrie becomes an object of her gossip when Mrs. Hale sees her with Hurstwood while Drouet is out of town.

 

Minnie Hanson

Minnie, Carrie’s sister, meets Carrie at the train station when Carrie arrives in Chicago. Minnie dresses plainly and shows the wear and tear of a woman who has to work hard. Her face is lean and unsmiling. Only twenty-seven years old, Minnie appears older. She views her lot in life as duty to her family and sees no room for the pleasures that people around her enjoy. She disapproves of Carrie’s desire to experience the many attractions that Chicago offers. When Carrie leaves Chicago, Minnie is angry at first and then concerned for her sister’s welfare.

Sven Hanson

An American son of a Swedish father, Sven Hanson is Minnie’s husband and Carrie’s brother in- law. He works hard cleaning refrigerator cars at the stockyards and intends to provide a better life for his family in the future. The money he makes goes toward payments on a piece of property where he will someday build their home. Sven expects Carrie to not only do her share of work, but also to contribute to the family’s well-being.

 

George Hurstwood

At the beginning of the novel, Hurstwood imagines himself a man of distinction. While not yet forty years old, he has managed to achieve a certain level of success as the manager of an elaborate saloon.  Hurstwood impresses Carrie the first time they meet. Not only does Hurstwood’s appearance hint at class, but he also charms Carrie with his gentlemanly deference and refined manners. Carrie feels an immediate attraction to Hurstwood. While Hurstwood associates with Drouet and Carrie as freely as if he was single, he does have a wife and children. Hurstwood’s downfall begins when Carrie discovers that he is married.

He takes money from his employer’s safe. He tricks Carrie into leaving Chicago with him, and the two eventually settle in New York. New York life brings Hurstwood the realization that he will not enjoy the same preference he had known in Chicago. The status to which he was accustomed in Chicago would cost him more in New York. When he looks for jobs, Hurstwood finds nothing comparable to his position in Chicago. He goes into business with a man whom he later finds to be less than desirable. The business begins failing. With it, Hurstwood’s confidence begins to flag, and his conscience nags him about his crime. Hurstwood’s business fails, and he squanders the money he stole. The stress begins to wear on him, and he shows signs of depression. As money becomes tighter and Hurstwood acts more strangely, Carrie feels more dissatisfied. After meeting Bob Ames, a man who represents an entirely different ideal than the men she has always known, Carrie begins to imagine a different life than the one she has with Hurstwood. At the same time, Hurstwood’s psychological state further deteriorates.  After Carrie leaves him, Hurstwood wanders aimlessly through life, one of New York’s homeless, until he can no longer will himself to live.