In the book Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser, you can see Carrie grow all through out the book. She goes from being utterly dependent to completely independent and confident. She eventually gets everything she ever wanted, but has no one to share her glory with. Through Carrie the theme is illuminated through her growth, conflicts, and tone to show all you are willing to risk and the changes you see in yourself from achieving the american dream.
Carrie is able to grow from her experiences from being dependent on men, to being independent. In the beginning she is lost and poor and then meets Drouet, he gives her money and power, but she does everything he tells her to do because he is the one that gave her this superior …show more content…
I’ll tell you what to do,” with this quote you can see how Drouet had the upper hand and he could just tell Carrie what to do and she would immediately do it. Showing how dependent she was on him for the wealthy lifestyle he had, and how she was just basically thrown around. Then when Carrie runs off with Hurstwood, she still lets him have the upper hand in the relationship. Since they were on a budget they had to manage their expenses, but she still depended on Hurstwood for money, “you want to pay me today” she would say, and he would simply respond “How much?” Since Hurstwood was giving her money, she was still dependent on him and felt she had to do as he said or she would be cut off. Carrie did as he said whether it was change the food they were buying, to getting out of the house. Carrie finally realized that she was done being thrown around and got her …show more content…
In the beginning one of Carrie’s biggest problems she is faced with is going to a new city with no experience and no money. Carrie struggled to find a job, with her answers always being “we employ only experienced help.” Carrie struggled to find a job but eventually did, getting paid at the lowest salary. Then once she meets Drouet, she no longer had to work and she just got everything she ever wanted handed to her. After she ran away with Hurstwood, she saw the struggle come back, and she then knew that she had to earn money to live. She knew she had to do something when, “there last fifty dollars were in sight.” I feel at this moment Carrie finally stood up and realized that she had to do something or she would no longer be able to live. At this moment in time she became, her own independent person, and decided to go after her dream, and get a job in acting, to help pay. Little did she know her acting career would bloom so rapidly, “the first week she got her thirty five dollars, it seemed an enormous sum.” I do not think Carrie expected her acting career to develop this fast and be earning this much money all for herself. They only way she was able to start her new independent life, was through all the conflicts she faced. First with herself, then with Drouet, then with Hurstwood, I do not think she would have gotten where she is now