One of the driving forces behind Sister Carrie is its rooting in the genre of Naturalism. An important and pioneering staple of 19th-century American literature, Naturalism espouses the idea that environment plays a central role in shaping individual behavior. This genre suggests that an individual's actions and fate are largely determined by what surrounds them. In Sister Carrie, urban life, with its hustle, allure, and hardships, becomes the crucible that forges Carrie's destiny. The complexities of Carrie’s interactions within the city's environments significantly change the trajectory of her growth. The obstacles she faces and the people she meets mold Carrie's choices and path. This is typical of Naturalist novels, which highlight an individual's lack of control in the face of overarching societal factors.
The novel also falls into the bildungsroman—or "novel of development"—genre. It follows Carrie's evolution from an innocent, naive girl into a woman, tracing not just her chronological age but her emotional, moral, and sexual maturation. As a bildungsroman, it delves deep into her experiences, from her initial starry-eyed perception of the city to her eventual self-discovery and disillusionment with wealth and glamour. This journey through various stages of life, marked by trials and self-reflection, offers the reader a panoramic view of her coming-of-age process.
As part of its key narrative of personal growth, Sister Carrie functions as a sharp critique of the socioeconomic conditions prevalent in 19th-century urban America. Through the microcosm of Carrie's experiences, Dreiser asks the reader to pay close attention to broader issues of class disparity and social injustice. The novel thinks carefully about the stark dichotomies of urban life, where extravagant displays of affluence by the elite are juxtaposed with the grim, often dehumanizing existence of the working class. The representation of women's challenges is also very central to Dreiser’s political commentary. Carrie's experiences in the job market, her interactions with men, and her attempts to assert her agency while hemmed in by societal constraints underscore the many prejudices and limitations faced by women.
