Theodore Dreiser's "Sister Carrie" - Class And Masculinity

Uploaded by : Essays-Now.com

5 pages in length. Expectations of gender and class structure have long carved out predetermined paths for those within global communities, not the least of which includes assigned roles of masculinity/femininity and hierarchy of social status that serves to stratifying social structure in such a way that reflects a definitive separation of economic, political, societal and gender position. Theodore Dreiser had an eye-catching way to blur those otherwise rigid boundaries within the context of his literary works, setting many a Victorian-era reader on edge with strong, independent female protagonists and weak-willed, passive males who defied such stringency. Carrie, Drouet and Hurstwood represent this switch of social and gender standards in Dreiser's Sister Carrie as they continuously struggle with their own meager lots in life while at the same time strive to find solace in their own inadequacies. Bibliography lists 3 sources.