Discuss the common themes in the novels of Theodore Dreiser. Answer with suitable examples.
The common themes in the novels of Theodore Dreiser. Answer
with suitable examples. Theodore
Dreiser was born in Sullivan, Indiana, as the ninth of the ten children. Dreiser's
father, John Paul Dreiser was a German immigrant who worked as a weaver. He
harried Sarah Schanab, daughter of a Mqravian farmer. John Dreiser raised
enough money by working as production manager in a mill to set up a woollen
mill of his own. However, tragedy struck the family when the mill was destroyed
in a fire. Reduced to penury, the family moved to Terre Haute, where Theodore
was born on 27 August 1871. Faced with the task of bringing up ten children -
five boys and five girls - John Dreiser found himself drifting from one job to
another. They had to constantly move houses, each time to a smaller one, as
they could not afford rent. The poverty of his family in the long years of
childhood left a deep impression on Dreiser's mind. With father unable to find
a regular job, the family lived in constant dread of destitution.
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Dreiser as a young boy even had to
steal coal from railway yards to help the hily survive the winter. Dreiser had
a clear view of society from the lower end of the social spectrum, at a very
young age. In 1871, the family had to split up as they found it was impossible
to survive as one large group. Theodore accompanied his mother to Vincemes and
then to Sullivan, Indiana.
Apart from novels, Dreiser has written stories, plays,
poetry, anthropological works, a travelogue and several occasional,
non-fictional pieces for periodicals. Of these the eight novels he wrote form
the basis of his reputation as an American writer. Discuss the common themes in
the novels of Theodore Dreiser. Answer with suitable examples. These novels
capture something essential about American life in the opening decades of this
century. His sharp observations of the manners and mind-set of people, the
portrayal of conflicts between various classes and the depiction of
complications that arise out of rap-woman relationships rriake his novels relevant
even today for those interested in American society and culture. Sister Carrie
and An American Tragedy have attained the status of classics in American
fiction. We shall briefly review his works here so that you have a clear
picture of his oeuvre as a writer.
Sister Carrie communicates the felt quality of a
historically located society. The American society of the late 19' century
comes alive on the pages of the novel. Dreiser's representation of this society
underlines the social divisions of this society and the consequent conflicts
between various groups and segments. Discuss the common themes in the novels of
Theodore Dreiser. Answer with suitable examples. In analysing Dreiser's
depiction of social change, which is done both in covert and overt terms. our
purpose is to clarify his social vision. The very nature of his descriptions
and narration evoke certain view-points regarding the nature of society his
characters live in. For instance, the detailed description of all the things
Carrie put in her small trunk in the very opening paragraph of the novel places
her in a certain social frame. Similarly the clothes worn by Drouet, the
interiors of Minnie's flat and the working conditions of the girls in the shoe
factory forcefully establish the disparities in social class. Discuss the
common themes in the novels of Theodore Dreiser. Answer with suitable examples
The novel also shows
the American family
in a state of transition. The forces of industrialisation and urbanisation
undermined the stability of American family as a social and economic unit. In
traditional societies the family is a cohesive economic group as it takes part
in the production of goods. This is particularly true of agricultural families.
Dreiser grew up in an urban family which was constantly on the move in search
of work and shelter.
Carrie’s desertion of Hurstwood can be interpreted as cold and cruel, but she stays with him until it is clear that there is nothing anyone can do to save him. To try to save him would only mire her in his downward spiral. The counterpoint of Carrie’s rise and Hurstwood’s fall is the final irony of the novel. Discuss the common themes in the novels of Theodore Dreiser. Answer with suitable examples Carrie and Hurstwood reach their final disappointments in almost the same basic terms.
Hurstwood dies tired of the
struggle and Carrie realizes that she has finally arrived and there is nothing
more to conquer or achieve. Only the promise of an aesthetic world beyond
material affluence offers hope for Carrie, and that hope seems illusory. The
ubiquitous rocking chair is the perfect symbol for Sister Carrie. It is an
instrument that forever moves but never goes anywhere and never truly achieves
anything. Discuss the common themes in the novels of Theodore Dreiser. Answer
with suitable examples Carrie’s every success is ultimately unsatisfying and
every new horizon offers only a hollow promise.
Sister Carrie was
stillborn in the
first edition. Published but suppressed by the publisher, it did not reach the
public until seven years later, when it was given to a new publisher. The novel
contains the seeds of most of Dreiser’s themes.
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