Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Sister Carrie, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Urban Life and Decay
Morality and Instinct
Wealth and Class
Summary
Analysis
The narrator relates that society judges its citizens using a “conventional standard”: “All men should be good, all women virtuous.” In light of this standard, Carrie feels she has failed. Though “comfortably established” and relatively carefree, Carrie is “laden with many new [difficulties] of a mental order.” Carrie feels prettier and improved but felt that in “her own and the world’s opinions,” she is worse. Though Drouet praises her, Carrie cannot help but feel guilty for being a kept woman. The dreariness of winter amplifies these feelings.
Carrie is aware that respectable society does not condone kept women—such women are considered moral failures. However, Carrie does not feel that she has failed, as her living situation and appearance have both drastically improved. In this way, Carrie’s sense of reason is at war with her instinct: reason tells her that she is not respectable, yet her instinct tells her that she has improved. The fact that she stays with Drouet shows that, to a certain extent, instinct has prevailed in Carrie.
Themes
Drouet continues to dote on Carrie, taking her out and spending money on her. One morning, Drouet tells Carrie that he has invited Hurstwood to spend the evening with them and tells Carrie he will introduce her as Mrs. Drouet. Carrie feels this to be “slightly inconsiderate” and tells Drouet they ought to get married. Drouet responds he plans to, “just as soon as [he] gets this little deal of [his] closed up.” He sets a tentative date for January. Carrie accepts this “as basis for hope—it was a sort of salve to her conscience, a pleasant way out.”
Although Drouet has no evil intentions when it comes to Carrie, he doesn’t have particularly honorable intentions either. He has no solid plans to marry Carrie and take her out of a morally questionable situation. It seems that Drouet does not truly love Carrie—he merely likes her and enjoys her companionship. Furthermore, he is rather insensitive when it comes to Carrie’s feelings, planning to introduce Carrie as his wife without asking for her permission to do so.
Themes
Carrie “really [is] not enamoured of Drouet,” being “more clever than he,” and thus begins to see Drouet’s faults. The narrator claims that if Carrie were less clever, then she would be worse off because “she would [adore] him” and, consequently, his noncommittal behavior would be more hurtful. Because she is cleverer than Drouet, Carrie feels comfortable waiting to get married. Overall, Carrie is unsure what she thinks of Drouet or what she wants to do.
Carrie does not appear to truly love Drouet either. Consequently, she is lucid and sensitive enough to perceive that he is not an ideal partner for marriage. Both Carrie and Drouet view each other as temporary companions—neither are as committed as people in love would be. Neither Carrie nor Drouet are in a position where they’ll hurt each other if the relationship ends.
Themes
When Hurstwood visits, Carrie meets “a man who [is] more clever than Drouet in a hundred ways.” Respectful and attentive, Hurstwood is calm and confident, “giving the impression that he [wishes] to be of service only—to do something which would make the lady more pleased.” On the other hand, Drouet is too egotistical to embody the same essence as Hurstwood. Drouet succeeds only with women who lack experience and refinement. Had Carrie been more experienced, Drouet would wouldn’t have a chance with her.
Hurstwood appears superior to Drouet in all aspects—he is smarter and more sensitive to Carrie’s feelings. The fact that Carrie notices shows that she is also Drouet’s superior, and had she met someone like Hurstwood first, she would never have become Drouet’s mistress. Just as Hanson appeared cold next to Drouet’s warmth, Drouet appears foolish next to Hurstwood’s sensitivity.
Themes
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For Carrie, Hurstwood is delightful company. He displays better taste than Drouet, his soft calf leather shoes much more distinguished than Drouet’s patent leather. The three play euchre, with Hurstwood directing Carrie, as she does not know how to play. Carrie feels comfortable and amused in Hurstwood’s presence.
Hurstwood has better taste than Drouet, indicating that he is of a higher class. Carrie’s immediate attraction to Hurstwood’s manner of dressing reinforces the idea that she has an instinctual leaning towards the ways of the upper classes. Hurstwood appears to be a better match for Carrie than Drouet.
Themes
After the euchre game, the three dine and Hurstwood invites Carrie and Drouet to attend the theater with him. Before leaving, Hurstwood observes to Drouet, “when you leave your wife alone, you must let me show her around a little.” Drouet readily agrees. Carrie is “thoroughly impressed” by the behavior Hurstwood displayed this evening: “she had never come in contact with such grace.”
Hurstwood’s invitation and desire to show Carrie around Chicago indicates that he is also quite impressed by Carrie and wishes to spend more time with her. Drouet’s willingness to let her go shows that he is in complete ignorance of the mutual interest between Carrie and Drouet. Indeed, for Carrie, Hurstwood becomes a new sort of masculine ideal, next to which Drouet, no doubt, appears insufficient.
Themes
