WORDS ON "SISTER CARRIER"

New Roman">Finally I finished reading of the novel SISTER CARRIER by THEODORE DREISER, which has cost me a holiday during the spare time.

As the heroine of the novel, Sister Carrier left for Chicago at the age of eighteen, to make a living. She was full of illusions of ignorance and youth then. Her sister was in Chicago, to whom Carrier went. On the train to Chicago she met a man named Drouet. She made several attempts to seek a job in Chicago; however she either failed or just found the jobs were really hard and had little money in them. Also impoverished, her sister and her brother-in-law developed a dislike to her. Dejectedly one day after leaving a note to her sister, she left, only to stroll on the streets when she met Druet. Without anywhere to go, she became Drouet’s mistress.

Leading a leisured life with the help of Drouet, she acquainted with Hurstwood, who was one of Drouet’s friends and a manager. He was only more attractive than Drouet. Carrier dated with Hurstwood, despite Drouet’s sincere wish to marry her. Later Drouet found out the affair and angrily left Carrier. From Drouet’s mouth Carrier knew Hurstwood was nobody but a married man, with a daughter and a son. At this time, Hurstwood’s wife also got wind of her husband’s infidelity and she determined to divorce Hurstwood.

Being hard pressed by his wife’s insistent desire to divorce, Hurstwood was in a worry since all of his property was under the name of his wife. Divorced he would have nothing to live on. One he happened to find the safe was not locked properly in the company. With hesitation he finally mistakably locked the safe with money in hand. He decided to escape with nearly 10,000 dollars to another place to make a living. He forced Carrier to go with him under some excuses. They went to Montreal, then to New York.

Reported widely in newspaper about his misdemeanor, he was afraid of being detected. He communicated with the company and returned about 9,000 dollars to it. With only about 1,000 dollars at hand he found life was becoming hard for them since the depression came and the job opportunities are rare. After nearly all the money was spent, they were threatened with starvation. During a strike Hurstwood found a job as a driver in a nearby city. However under so many threats and even body attack by the men on strike, he fled back with wounds, too much frightened. With no other means to resort to, Carrier decided to seek a job for herself as an actor. Fortune treated her so well that she made such a great success that she not only got money to sustain herself and even for an extravagant life, but also a bright prospect. Many people around her were obsequious and toady. She was nothing but a great success. In sharp contrast with her, Hurstwood became only a beggar. Having been suffering from a lot of setbacks and humiliations, he died in a shabby room.

At last Carrier was only wondering what blind strivings she was making to achieve more success.

This is the story. I was puzzled at several aspects of it.

1. Is it really a tradition in America that youngsters should leave home and never return to provide any help to the family in return, since throughout the novel Carrier’s parents were only mentioned at the very beginning? And this novel was based on THEODORE DREISER’s own sister, who ran off to New York with a married man.

2. Is the economic situation so poor in America in about 1900 when the novel was published?

3. Why was the novel rejected by several publishers as “immoral”, as obviously there were no obscene descrīptions in the novel, unlike such novels as “LADY CHATTERLEY’S LOVER” by THOMAS HARDY?

4. What was the writer intended to tell, the hardships of the people at that time, the wayward attitudes towards life of Carrier, or something just beyond me?

Whatever, I am happy to finish this one. I am ready now to go on reading the next one, “LADY CHATTERLEY’S LOVER”, which I have finished nearly half when I was reading “SISTER CARRIER”.