THEORETICAL ASPECTS IN THE FORMATION OF
PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCES
International scientific-online conference
24
FRACTURED IDEALS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF WOMANHOOD
IN “SISTER CARRIE” AND “JENNIE GERHARDT”
Mamatova Dilorom A’zam qizi
Department of Foreign Languages
Qarshi State Technical University
Email: dilorombobur567@gmail.com
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16601657
Abstract.
This comparative study explores the depiction of womanhood in
Theodore Dreiser’s
Sister Carrie
and
Jennie Gerhardt
, two landmark novels of
American literary naturalism. Both works portray female protagonists
navigating economic hardship, social expectation, and moral ambiguity in a
rapidly modernizing society. Through the characters of Carrie Meeber and
Jennie Gerhardt, Dreiser reveals the fragility of ideals such as love, virtue, and
ambition when confronted by the forces of class disparity and gender
oppression. While Carrie pursues material success and adapts to urban
capitalism, Jennie embodies self-sacrifice and emotional dependency within a
more traditional moral framework. By contrasting these two female journeys,
the study highlights Dreiser’s evolving vision of womanhood—complex,
conflicted, and deeply shaped by the deterministic pressures of their
environments.
Keywords:
Dreiser, Sister Carrie, Jennie Gerhardt, womanhood, naturalism,
morality, gender roles, American literature, identity, determinism
Introduction.
Theodore Dreiser is widely regarded as a key figure in
American naturalism, a literary movement that emphasized environmental and
social forces over individual agency. Among his most significant contributions
are Sister Carrie (1900) and Jennie Gerhardt (1911), two novels that explore the
shifting roles and inner lives of women in turn-of-the-century America. In both,
Dreiser investigates how social class, economic conditions, and gendered
expectations shape female identity. While Sister Carrie traces a young woman’s
rise to material success amid urban modernity, Jennie Gerhardt offers a portrait
of self-effacing devotion shaped by poverty and traditional morality. This article
aims to compare these two protagonists to uncover Dreiser’s evolving
representation of womanhood, as well as the naturalist underpinnings that
inform both narratives.
Main analysis.
In Sister Carrie, Dreiser introduces readers to a rural girl
thrust into the dynamic world of Chicago and New York. Carrie’s aspirations,
first modest, soon grow into a desire for comfort, luxury, and social status. Her
journey reveals not only her adaptive capabilities but also the hollowness of
THEORETICAL ASPECTS IN THE FORMATION OF
PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCES
International scientific-online conference
25
urban capitalist values. Carrie achieves fame, yet her emotional life remains
unfulfilled, suggesting a disconnect between material success and inner
satisfaction.
In contrast, Jennie Gerhardt centers on a working-class woman whose quiet
strength and emotional depth define her experience. Jennie becomes involved
with two wealthy men, each of whom leaves her vulnerable and stigmatized. Her
moral choices are driven not by ambition but by loyalty, compassion, and a deep
need for emotional connection. Unlike Carrie, Jennie does not seek public
approval or success, yet her sacrifices and suffering render her character deeply
tragic.
While both women are caught in systems beyond their control, Dreiser’s
treatment of them differs. Carrie is passive in some respects, but ultimately finds
ways to thrive within the capitalist system. Jennie, on the other hand, remains
constrained by familial duty, gender roles, and societal judgment. The
comparison underscores Dreiser’s evolving literary technique: Carrie’s story
reflects the urban spectacle of consumer culture, while Jennie’s narrative evokes
sympathy for quiet resilience.
Both novels share a commitment to portraying the psychological and social
dimensions of female experience. Dreiser avoids moralizing either character,
instead presenting them as shaped by the limitations of their environments. In
doing so, he challenges the romantic ideal of womanhood, replacing it with a
more fragmented and conflicted identity.
Textual evidences
To illustrate Dreiser’s naturalistic portrayal of womanhood, both
Sister
Carrie
and
Jennie Gerhardt
offer powerful narrative moments that reflect the
psychological depth and societal pressure surrounding their female
protagonists.
In
Sister Carrie
, Dreiser opens the novel with a deterministic tone:
“When a girl leaves her home at eighteen, she does one of two things. Either
she falls into saving hands and becomes better, or she rapidly assumes the
cosmopolitan
standard
of
virtue
and
becomes
worse.”
This statement frames Carrie’s transformation as inevitable within the forces of
urban life and moral ambiguity.
Later in the novel, as Carrie ascends to theatrical fame yet feels internal
emptiness, Dreiser writes:
“Amid the tinsel and shine of her state, she found herself growing weary of it
all.”
THEORETICAL ASPECTS IN THE FORMATION OF
PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCES
International scientific-online conference
26
This highlights the dissonance between material success and emotional
fulfillment—a central theme of her journey.
In
Jennie Gerhardt
, Dreiser’s depiction of the heroine contrasts sharply with
Carrie’s ambition. Jennie is described with quiet reverence:
“Her sympathy was of that rare kind which is more potent than beauty.”
This line establishes her moral and emotional depth, framing Jennie not as a
striver but as a nurturer shaped by hardship.
Through such key passages, Dreiser reinforces the idea that his female
characters are not wholly autonomous, but rather subjects shaped and often
constrained by social expectations, class structures, and emotional need—
hallmarks of literary naturalism.
Conclusion
The comparative reading of Sister Carrie and Jennie Gerhardt reveals how
Dreiser used the naturalist mode to depict womanhood as a product of social,
economic, and emotional forces. Through Carrie’s pursuit of independence and
Jennie’s acts of devotion, Dreiser explores the fractured ideals that define female
identity at the turn of the century. These two novels, while distinct in tone and
outcome, share a critical vision of how women’s lives are constrained—and
occasionally reshaped—by forces beyond their control. By placing these works
in dialogue, this article illuminates Dreiser’s nuanced, and at times
contradictory, vision of the modern woman.
Furthermore, the contrast between the assertive ambition of Carrie and the
self-effacing loyalty of Jennie reflects broader ideological tensions within
Dreiser’s work—between self-realization and social determinism, desire and
duty. Carrie becomes a symbol of adaptation and reinvention in a consumer-
driven society, while Jennie symbolizes emotional endurance and moral struggle
within traditional constraints. Their divergent fates challenge any singular
interpretation of feminine success or virtue.
Ultimately, this comparative study underscores Dreiser’s literary
commitment to exposing the invisible mechanisms of power—whether
economic, patriarchal, or emotional—that shape individual destiny. In
portraying womanhood not as fixed, but as fragile and context-bound, Dreiser
contributes to a broader discourse on gender, class, and the human condition in
American literature. His female protagonists remain compelling figures not only
for their time, but for ongoing conversations about autonomy, resilience, and the
costs of survival.
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PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCES
International scientific-online conference
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References
1.
Dreiser, Theodore. Sister Carrie. Edited by Donald Pizer, Norton Critical
Edition, W. W. Norton & Company, 2006.
2.
Dreiser, Theodore. Jennie Gerhardt. Signet Classics, 2008.
3.
Pizer, Donald. The Novels of Theodore Dreiser: A Critical Study. University
of Minnesota Press, 1976.
4.
Kaplan, Amy. “The Sentimental Possibilities of Naturalism: Dreiser and the
Sheen of Romance.” American Literary History, vol. 2, no. 4, 1990, pp. 685–706.
5.
Berkey, Jonathan. “Freedom and Fatalism in Dreiser’s Fiction.” Studies in
American Naturalism, vol. 5, no. 1, 2010, pp. 1–19.
