Sister Carrie and Echos of the Past

I have to say I really enjoyed the excerpts from Dreiser's Sister Carrie, and I have to say that I would have liked to read it if we had more time! (As a side note I found a free electronic copy so I know what I'll be doing during the break). Anyway, back to the book. It is interesting to see so many of the conventions of "city" novels being used in an American context. We are presented with the usual coming of age tale right off the bat. I always enjoy experiencing the first impression of a big city through the eyes of a character, it allows us to see what we often take for granted. Her train ride exposes her to so many sights and emotions, feelings that I am reminded of when I rode the Metro into CSULA for the first time. I guess that is what is enchanting about coming of age novels, they are able to refresh what has become common everyday practices for us. Anyway, we see Carrie's fear of the city, it's overwhelming nature that is simultaneously frightening and intoxicating. Sister Carrie reminded me so much of the Romantic plot found in Mary Barton. We are presented with a young girl that is enticed by the luxuries that a smooth talking young man can offer. Drouet IS young Mr. Carson, down to the casual attitude toward young women and his flaunting of money. Of course we cannot have a young Mr. Carson without the fatherly captain of industry, Mr. Hurstwood (Carson Sr.) These men are driven by fine things and appearances, and Chapter 5 reveals to us that they are all part of a hierarchy that they are all aware of. Each man has his place within society, and are careful to remain within their boundaries. We also see the factory girls presented as uncivilized and rough. It is interesting that Carrie makes so much fuss about their inappropriate behavior around the men in the factory, yet she is the one that crosses all the boundaries that are in place for a respectable young girl. Just like Mary Barton, Carrie is obsessed with material objects that lead her down a path of impropriety. However, unlike Mary who wanted to help make a better life for her father, Carrie is motivated only by her materialism. The moment Carrie enters the city she seems to lose her morals, and is willing to sell herself out for a nice coat and new shoes. Mary is also the flanuer, and just as we have seen, she is at one point questioned as a woman of the night. It seems like almost everything we have read up to this point in all found in this novel. Even the streets, though not as crowed as London, still have that feeling of being difficult to navigate, and while Dreiser makes mention of the room that is found in the city of Chicago we are presented with the cramped workshops. When Carrie enters into the workshop that is filled with boxes, and is cramped and dark, I was taken back to the London cities and factories of novels past. I found myself wondering if I was meant to like Carrie and feel sorry for her, or if I am supposed to condemn her actions and see this as a cautionary tale. As I was reading I found my self basically yelling at her for falling for Drouet's promises, I have seen this too many times to know that this cannot end well in the timeframe it was written. Anyway, it is difficult to say much more without reading more of the novel, but I will state again that this novel seems to encompass everything that we have read about in the past 11 weeks and is a shame we did not have time enough for it!