Happiness in Sister Carrie

“Sister Carrie,” written by Theodore Dreiser, portrays the life of a young, innocent girl whose lifestyle is drastically changed when she moves into the city. Carrie, the main character, is very optimistic and imaginative. She views life as a dream with its many luxuries and pleasures. At first, she lacks all the things she sees in her dream, but through acquaintances and relationships, she hopes to satisfy her needs and be happy in life. Carrie …

…settled, possessing all the things she dreamed of. However, when Hurstwood is fired and runs out of money, Carrie, with her increasingly larger and successful role in the theater, looks upon Hurstwood as a burden and leaves him in order to fulfill her destiny as an actress. No later does Carrie realize that her whole life is a mess and that she is not truly happy, but has brought down sadness and loneliness upon herself.