Question
What are the determinist elements in Sister Carrie and how do they affect the characters and the situations that unfold?
Answer
In Theodore Dreiser’s “Sister Carrie,” determinism plays a crucial role in shaping the characters and the unfolding situations. The novel is a prime example of American naturalism, where characters are depicted as being at the mercy of external forces beyond their control, such as environment, social conditions, and economic systems.
Determinist Elements
Lack of Control: Characters like Carrie, Hurstwood, and Drouet are portrayed as having little control over their destinies. Their actions and fates are depicted as inevitable outcomes of their temperaments and circumstances, rather than acts of free will (Bader, 1985; Blažeković, 2020).
Economic and Technological Forces: The novel illustrates a form of mechanical determinism, where the characters’ lives are influenced by the economic transformations of the time, such as the shift from rural economies to a commodity-based economy. This economic backdrop acts as a deterministic force, shaping the characters’ actions and outcomes (Gurman, 2017).
Naturalism and Social Darwinism: The novel employs naturalistic themes, suggesting that human behaviour is governed by natural forces and survival laws. Characters are depicted as victims of their environment and inherent weaknesses, with their fates determined by their ability to adapt to their surroundings (Zeng, 2021; Xue and Suhua, 2014).
Effects on Characters and Situations
Carrie’s Social Ascent and Unfulfilled Desires: Although Carrie achieves social mobility, her desires remain unfulfilled, highlighting the deterministic theme that personal happiness is elusive despite material success (Blažeković, 2020).
Hurstwood’s Decline: Hurstwood’s tragic downfall is portrayed as a result of both his personal flaws and the overwhelming power of circumstance. His inability to adapt to changing conditions leads to his eventual demise, illustrating the deterministic interplay between character and environment (Zender, 1998).
Character as Puppets: The characters are depicted as “modern puppets,” controlled by social, psychological, and economic forces, rather than traditional heroic figures with agency (Rad and Pishkar, 2018).
Conclusion
“Sister Carrie” uses determinism to explore the limitations of human agency in the face of overwhelming external forces. Characters are portrayed as being driven by their environments and inherent weaknesses, leading to inevitable outcomes. This deterministic view underscores the novel’s naturalistic themes, emphasizing the power of circumstance over individual will.
References
Bader, R., 1985. Dreiser’s Sister Carrie, More Pupil than Victim. The International Fiction Review, 12.
Gurman, E., 2017. ‘‘Onward, Onward’’: Sister Carrie and the Railroad. Canadian Review of American Studies, pp. -.
Blažeković, P., 2020. The Portrayal of Female Characters in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie and Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. **.
Zeng, X., 2021. A Study of the Reflection of Naturalism in the Heroine in Sister Carrie. Theory and Practice in Language Studies. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1109.12
Xue, J., & Suhua, Q., 2014. The Construction of Social Darwinism in Sister Carrie. Overseas English, pp. 186-187.
Zender, K., 1998. Walking Away from the Impossible Thing: Identity and Denial in ‘Sister Carrie.’. Studies in The Novel, 30, pp. 63.
Rad, F., & Pishkar, K., 2018. Frederic Jameson’s Determinism and Modern Antiheros: A Case Study of Theodore Dreiser’s Novels. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 5, pp. 42-51.
Dreiser, T. (1995). Sister Carrie. London: Penguin Classics.
