1/26/20

I definitely draw many parallels between Sister Carrie and naturalism. One reason being that characters in naturalism are usually in pursuit of freewill but their circumstances limit them. The setting is often in an urban setting. In chapter one, we read about her adventure into the city which is the powermove she makes to escape the small town she grew up in and the bubble she feels was entrapped by. On her way there she is seduced by a man who reveals to her the wonders of the city life and she in turn falls prey to the appetizing appearance. So to say the least, she is definitely in pursuit of something new and something that the place she was living in before could never offer her, something only the city life could offer her.

The second paralell that can easily be drawn is that she indeed was limited by her circumstances that she can not change. Such as, being a woman. She walked from building to building with high hopes of building a new life for herself, but she was turned down employer after employer that were all men. She went to an urban place so that she would no longer be entrapped by her rural town, but now she is entrapped by her gender.

The third characteristic of naturalism that I foresee happening in Sister Carrie is that her circumstances are likely to get worse and worse. Not much has happened yet because the plot is just being set, but I can definitely see how some of her existing circumstances could be made much worse; such as the poor job she accepted as well as the suspicious attractive man she gave her attention to. I suspect the direction that the plot could potentially be heading towards.

Leave a comment

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started