Charles H. Drouet Character Analysis in Sister Carrie

Drouet is a traveling salesman with a cheerful personality and simple mind. He is Carrie’s first lover and financial provider, and a frequent visitor of Hurstwood’s saloon. When Carrie first meets Drouet, she is attracted to his modest wealth and joviality, as she was new to the city and living in Minnie and Hanson’s poor, austere apartment at the time. After some hesitation, she accepts his offer to become his mistress, and she lets him shower her with material things. However, after meeting Hurstwood, Drouet’s friend, Carrie notices that Drouet seems financially lacking and insensitive next to the wealthier, suave manager. Even though Carrie chooses Hurstwood, Drouet, nevertheless, holds one redeeming feature: his good nature. He never desires revenge on Carrie for her infidelity. Indeed, upon meeting Carrie again, he is eager to patch up their relationship. Unfortunately for him, Carrie has no interest in picking up where they left off.

Charles H. Drouet Quotes in Sister Carrie

The Sister Carrie quotes below are all either spoken by Charles H. Drouet or refer to Charles H. Drouet. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

As Carrie listened to this and much more of similar familiar badinage among the men and girls, she instinctively withdrew into herself. She was not used to this type, and felt that there was something hard and low about it all. She feared that the young boys about would address such remarks to her—boys who, beside Drouet, seemed uncouth and ridiculous.

Related Characters: Caroline “Carrie” Meeber, Charles H. Drouet

Related Symbols: The City

Page Number and Citation: 29

Explanation and Analysis:

To [Carrie], and indeed to all the world, [Drouet] was a nice, good-hearted man. There was nothing evil in the fellow. He gave her the money out of a good heart—out of a realisation of her want. He would not have given the same amount to a poor young man, but we must not forget that a poor young man could not, in the nature of things, have appealed to him like a poor young girl. Femininity affected his feelings. He was the creature of an inborn desire.

Related Characters: Caroline “Carrie” Meeber, Charles H. Drouet

Page Number and Citation: 45

Explanation and Analysis:

[Drouet] was simply letting things drift because he preferred the free round of his present state to any legal trammellings. In contrast, Hurstwood appeared strong and sincere. He had no easy manner of putting her off. He sympathised with her and showed her what her true value was. He needed her, while Drouet did not care.

Related Characters: Caroline “Carrie” Meeber, Charles H. Drouet, George W. Hurstwood

Page Number and Citation: 95

Explanation and Analysis:

Charles H. Drouet Character Timeline in Sister Carrie

The timeline below shows where the character Charles H. Drouet appears in Sister Carrie. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...the mere words” they are saying to each other. Carrie and the man, Chas. H. Drouet, exchange names and addresses, and tentatively make plans to meet. Neither Carrie nor Drouet can... (full context)

...train approaches Chicago, and Carrie, seeing the marvels of the city, feels renewed interest. After Drouet points out different parts of Chicago, Carrie begins to feel scared about being away from... (full context)

...shift and toil.” Carrie notices the difference between how she feels when she is with Drouet and how she feels when she is with her sister: with Drouet, there was a... (full context)

Carrie decides that Drouet cannot visit her anytime soon, until she finds a job and “establish[es] herself.” She writes... (full context)

...person on the street worth more than a hundred thousand dollars.” She also thinks of Drouet. Carrie feels liberated outside of the small, drab flat and hopes, with a certain apprehension,... (full context)

Drouet never gets around to visiting Carrie. He is having a “gay time” dining at Rector’s,... (full context)

Drouet meets G. W. Hurstwood, manager of Fitzgerald and Moy’s, at Rector’s. Hurstwood, a stylish man... (full context)

Hurstwood likes Drouet for his amiability. The two drink together at the bar and briefly talk about Drouet’s... (full context)

Hurstwood briefly points out a “spiritualist,” Jules Wallace, in attendance before telling Drouet he has something to show him at midnight. Before leaving for a show, Drouet briefly... (full context)

...Minnie and Hanson’s unresponsiveness, Carrie decides to go outside and watch the passersby, and meet Drouet there if he comes. After she leaves, Hanson instructs Minnie to tell Carrie to keep... (full context)

On the fourth day of her job search, a subdued Carrie encounters Drouet, who treats her to a lavish meal as she relays her present difficulties. With Drouet,... (full context)

...it as “something everybody else has and [she] must get.” She feels better off with Drouet’s $20, though she also feels ashamed. Carrie is eager to spend this money on new... (full context)

Drouet is “a nice, good-hearted man” in whom there was “nothing evil.” He gave Carrie so... (full context)

...jacket as the one she would buy. However, as noon approaches, she decides to meet Drouet to return the money. (full context)

When Carrie tries to return the money to Drouet, he refuses to take the money back. He takes her out for lunch and tells... (full context)

...in her new apartment, is eager to find something to do and also wonders what Drouet plans to do with her. The narrator relates that Drouet plans to “delight himself with... (full context)

One evening, after seeing “The Mikado,” an opera, Carrie and Drouet briefly bump into a girl with whom Carrie once worked at the shoe factory. The... (full context)

At about the same time that Drouet is walking Carrie home, Minnie has a dream about Carrie. In the dream, Carrie is... (full context)

Meanwhile, after seeing Carrie home, Drouet makes his way to Fitzgerald and Moy’s to visit Hurstwood. After exchanging greetings, Drouet, “as... (full context)

...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... (full context)

Drouet continues to dote on Carrie, taking her out and spending money on her. One morning,... (full context)

Carrie “really [is] not enamoured of Drouet,” being “more clever than he,” and thus begins to see Drouet’s faults. The narrator claims... (full context)

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... (full context)

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... (full context)

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... (full context)

...fine clothes are “a vast persuasion”—she would rather go hungry than to forgo her appearance. Drouet’s company feeds Carrie’s eagerness to learn about the finer world. She takes his praise “at... (full context)

...a harp vibrate when a corresponding key of a piano is struck.” One evening, while Drouet is out, Carrie hears a particularly “soulful and tender” piece, and, becomes “for the moment... (full context)

Drouet returns and sees Carrie crying. He assumes that his absence caused this sadness and suggests... (full context)

Because of Carrie’s constant efforts toward self-improvement, the Carrie that Drouet first met is very different from the Carrie that Hurstwood first met: “the primary defects... (full context)

A few weeks later, Drouet encounters one of his “well-dressed lady acquaintances” and takes her to dine. Hurstwood, happening to... (full context)

One evening, Drouet tells Carrie that he will take her to the show. At first, Carrie refuses the... (full context)

...other, which fills Carrie with “a flood of feeling as she had never before experienced.” Drouet is dull in comparison, and by the end of the third act, Carrie finds him... (full context)

On the night that Hurstwood attended the theater with Drouet and Carrie, his son, George Jr., also happened to be there. Hurstwood did not see... (full context)

...perceives that there is a bigger, more cosmopolitan life than that which she shares with Drouet. She feels “as if all her state [is] one of loneliness and forsakenness.” (full context)

...tells Carrie that Hurstwood has come to visit. Carrie assumes that Hurstwood does not know Drouet is out of town. Carrie has seen little of Hurstwood during the winter but was... (full context)

...she has special feelings for Hurstwood, the likes of which she has not felt for Drouet. For Carrie, “Hurstwood’s glance [is] as effective as the spoken words of a lover, and... (full context)

...he thought her fate mingled with his was better than if it were united with Drouet’s,” as she is superior to Drouet. (full context)

...departure, Carrie is confused and cannot make sense of her feelings. Carrie is grateful to Drouet for helping her but does not feel particularly bound to him. The narrator relates that... (full context)

...Mrs. Hale and the chambermaid notice that Carrie has gone to meet another man when Drouet is out of town and people in the house begin to gossip. Carrie thinks little... (full context)

The next afternoon, Hurstwood sees Drouet at the resort. After exchanging cordial greetings, Hurstwood relays that he “called once” on Carrie... (full context)

Drouet returns to Carrie’s rooms and greets her as usual, but Carrie “[responds] to his kiss... (full context)

Drouet then relates that he met Hurstwood, who invited them to attend the theater. Carrie accepts... (full context)

After seeing Drouet’s return, Hurstwood immediately writes to Carrie saying that he claimed to have visited once. Carrie... (full context)

At the theater, Carrie and Hurstwood secretly flirt. Carrie almost forgets about Drouet, “who babble[s] on as if he were the host.” Hurstwood is careful and does not... (full context)

...arrives and the two casually chat before Hurstwood asks her to “come away and leave [Drouet].” Carrie replies that in the case that she leaves Drouet, she should like to leave... (full context)

Drouet is back in Chicago and spends some time with his secret society, the Freemasons, as... (full context)

Soon after, a letter announcing the first rehearsal arrives and Drouet realizes he forgot to find a young woman to play Laura. He makes plans to... (full context)

Little does Drouet know that Carrie has long been drawn to the idea of being an actress; she... (full context)

Drouet tells Quincel that he has found a young woman called Carrie Madenda to play Laura,... (full context)

...the brevity of the part but concludes that she can play Laura. By the time Drouet visits the next night, Carrie already has the part memorized. She performs a certain scene... (full context)

...pleased and “charmed by the development of the fact that the girl had capabilities.” Both Drouet and Hurstwood admire Carrie more, and their feelings for her make her aspirations seem more... (full context)

...dress-suit affair and give the little girl a chance.” In the next day or so, Drouet visits Hurstwood’s resort and, after brief greetings, Hurstwood asks Drouet about the play in an... (full context)

...Carrie. Carrie leaves rehearsal satisfied and excited to relate her experiences to Hurstwood and even Drouet, who, at this time, is still “an object for her confidences.” (full context)

Unfortunately for Carrie, Drouet is distracted and does not pay attention to her when she tries to tell him... (full context)

The play begins. Hurstwood and Drouet both notice that Carrie is not on stage and continue whispering in their box. The... (full context)

Both Hurstwood and Drouet notice that Carrie is nervous. During her first appearance, she performs with a feeble and... (full context)

Drouet remarks to Hurstwood that Carrie is “too nervous” and decides to visit her backstage. Drouet... (full context)

Hurstwood goes backstage to see Carrie. She is still with Drouet, “whose affection [is] also rapidly reviving.” Hurstwood feels jealous that Drouet can be intimate with... (full context)

...the end of the first act but still plays her part well. Both Hurstwood and Drouet’s feelings for Carrie rise. Toward the end of the last act, Hurstwood notices that her... (full context)

...be “beside himself with affection.” He whispers to Carrie to meet tomorrow, and “now [hates] Drouet” for keeping them apart. On the other hand, Drouet feels a renewed admiration for Carrie.... (full context)

Hurstwood experiences a new, profound agitation with regards to Carrie and Drouet, tortured by the thought of his lover being held by another man. He begins to... (full context)

Drouet feels that he needs to rebuild his relationship with Carrie and brings up the idea... (full context)

Drouet returns to the house to pick up some forgotten bills and finds only the chambermaid,... (full context)

Drouet heads out and encounters the chambermaid again. He asks her more regarding Hurstwood’s visits and... (full context)

Carrie begins to doubt her decision to leave with Hurstwood. She feels sorry about leaving Drouet, as he had helped her during a difficult time. Furthermore, she is now living a... (full context)

Carrie remains absorbed in her thoughts until Drouet’s return. Drouet is “flushed and excited and full of determination to know all about her... (full context)

Carrie and Drouet begin to talk about Hurstwood. Carrie denies Hurstwood’s visits; however, she grows increasingly guilty, “flushing... (full context)

Drouet, though irritated, is “fascinated” by Carrie’s show of feeling. He protests against Carrie’s anger by... (full context)

Carrie, mortified, tries to leave the house. Drouet is still sympathetic and tries to prevent her from leaving, as the thought of losing... (full context)

Drouet pretends to pack while Carrie watches him. Carrie realizes that “throughout this argument [Drouet] had... (full context)

Carrie remains tightlipped and continues to blame Drouet, telling him “whatever has happened is your own fault.” Drouet becomes angry and leaves. Carrie... (full context)

After Drouet storms out of the apartment, Carrie begins to think about how she can support herself—“to... (full context)

...She walks to the business district to look for work—she wants nothing to do with Drouet or Hurstwood, and decides she wants to earn her own money. As she wanders among... (full context)

...“vagaries of mind and spirit” and feeling that “things were not so bad.” She remembers Drouet’s advice about becoming an actress, and decides “to take up that opportunity on the morrow.” (full context)

After returning home, Carrie discovers that Drouet took some of his things, “so his going was crystallising into staying.” Carrie feels that... (full context)

...clean linen and goes out to purchase ties before returning to the hotel. He glimpses Drouet going up the stairs and asks the clerk whether Drouet is staying alone; the clerk... (full context)

...in the morning. He then takes a cab to Carrie’s apartment and informs her that Drouet “is hurt and in the hospital” and wants to see her. Carrie dresses rapidly and... (full context)

Carrie continuously asks Hurstwood about Drouet’s location and injury. Hurstwood responds with only vague replies. As Hurstwood seems serious, Carrie believes... (full context)

...limits, Carrie grows increasingly nervous and begins to doubt that they are going to see Drouet. To Carrie’s surprise, Hurstwood that they aren’t and declares that he wants to go to... (full context)

...at Sherry’s are uncommonly high. Carrie remembers the “far different occasion” when she dined with Drouet and the times when she was “poor, hungry, drifting at her wits’ ends.” The waiters... (full context)

...talks to Ames, she feels that “he [seems] wiser than Hurstwood, saner and brighter than Drouet.” Ames relates his indifference toward wealth, a new concept for Carrie. There is something about... (full context)

...more. Carrie still finds that “she could not talk to him as she had to Drouet,” as “there was something in the man’s manner of which she had always stood in... (full context)

Lola introduces Carrie to several “gay and festive” young men. Carrie is unenthusiastic: “After Drouet and Hurstwood, there was the least touch of cynicism in her attitude toward young men.”... (full context)

One day, while Carrie is playing in New York, Drouet comes to visit her backstage. He still exhibits an “exuberant good-nature” and the two chat... (full context)

The two enjoy a pleasant dinner the next day. After Drouet asks, Carrie relates to him that she no longer knows where Hurstwood is. Drouet tells... (full context)

Drouet calls on Carrie again, “but now he was not even seen by her.” The show... (full context)

Meanwhile, Drouet is in the lobby of a hotel, planning to go to dinner with “a couple... (full context)

...be happy at the next, but she never achieves happiness. She sees no more of Drouet and never learns of Hurstwood’s death. Carrie is disillusioned. Indeed, “even had Hurstwood returned in... (full context)

Sister Carrie

Charles H. Drouet Character Analysis

Charles H. Drouet Quotes in Sister Carrie

Chapter 4 Quotes

Chapter 7 Quotes

Chapter 14 Quotes

Charles H. Drouet Character Timeline in Sister Carrie