Sister Carrie (1900), Theodore Dreiser's debut novel, is a landmark of American naturalism. It follows Caroline Meeber, an eighteen-year-old small-town girl who travels to Chicago seeking a better life. Swept into the city's seductive world of consumerism, she drifts through relationships with the charming salesman Charles Drouet and the prosperous married manager George Hurstwood. After fleeing with Hurstwood to New York, Carrie discovers her talent for acting and rises to Broadway stardom, while Hurstwood spirals into poverty and despair. Unflinching in its portrayal of desire, materialism, and urban ambition, the novel boldly challenged the moral conventions of its era.
