Sister Carrie Essay

3394 Words14 Pages
This thesis will be a study of the representation of one urban women in one literary text studied. Starting with the Theodore Dreiser’s novel Sister Carrie not a usual love story but rather one surrounding sheer desire, a representation of change in gender roles moreover the shift in world of work in terms of women moving upwards and the portrayal of women in an urban city also the fight of survival in a big city, in line with elements of realism. This thesis seeks to investigate the portrayal of woman in this text. By critically considering the roles of an urban woman in the text which will help demonstrate an understanding of the rise of female existence, success and the figure of a woman in social life. Lastly evaluating, if the author has portrayed the urban woman in a positive or negative way furthermore if the representation becomes the success or failure of the character. This essay relies on an urbanised novel where the genre is more surrounded by the social-economic realities and culture of its characters as the urban setting. The 1900’s seemed a rise for urban fiction which is the time period when these novels were published, which is also when the urban experience increased. This essay will not only focus on the representation of an urban woman but also the surroundings therefore the city as it holds a great connection to the characters that are being discussed. When Carrie arrived Chicago was the largest and urban city in the Midwest. A city that was going through incredible growth and Dreiser outlines crucial aspects of the city’s growth in his novel, some that affect women greatly. Dreiser’s novel Sister Carrie dominates in statement rather than symbolism. The reader envisions a journey of a youthful country girl who moves to the big city and begins to recognize her personal ‘American Dream’. From the beginning of the novel Carrie comes

More about Sister Carrie Essay

Open Document