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Chapter 17
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Sister Carrie, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Urban Life and Decay
Morality and Instinct
Wealth and Class
Summary
Analysis
Hurstwood works subtly in the background to spread the word about Carrie’s showing. He tells influential friends about the show and pulls strings with a newspaper friend to have advertisements printed in the local papers. As a result, ticket sales are unusually high. Indeed, “the members of the Custer Lodge [can] scarcely understand why their little affair [is] taking so well.”
Hurstwood, despite not belonging to the wealthiest tier in society, holds a lot of influence. He has many powerful connections who, presumably, have other powerful connections. In this way, readers can see that the city is a place that thrives on networking—knowing people is the key to success.
Themes
Carrie has “mastered her part to her own satisfaction” but remains nervous about performing. She finds comfort in the atmosphere of the dressing room and the opportunity for “disguise” that it offers. Her new environment as an actress is “more friendly,” welcoming her like the people and places of her newly affluent lifestyle never have. During her time in the dressing room, Carrie thinks how wonderful it will be if she can perform well and establish herself as a “real actress.”
Carrie is quite drawn to the atmosphere of theater, even more so than she is drawn to shows of luxury. The fact that she is drawn to the disguise of her role parallels her desire to disguise her provincial origins and present herself as a sophisticated, well-dressed city girl. Carrie feels at home in the theater, much more so than she has anywhere else. Indeed, it seems that through this amateur experience, Carrie has discovered a potential calling for herself.
Themes
Because of Hurstwood’s promotion of the play, this showing became a “full-dress affair.” The attendees are all wealthy and of high status. Hurstwood is of the more well-known members of this social circle, and he holds immense influence and an image of “solid financial prosperity.” At the showing, Hurstwood is “in his element” and enjoys small talk with many of the gentlemen present. When one man brings up Mrs. Hurstwood’s absence, Hurstwood simply replies that she’s feeling under the weather.
The audience is filled with members of the upper classes. In this way, Hurstwood has brought Carrie her ideal audience—she has the opportunity to be recognized by those whom she considers to be superiors. The fact that Hurstwood outright lies about his wife’s absence shows that he is growing less cautious about the affair—less afraid that she might find out that he is no longer interested in maintaining any sort of relationship with her.
Themes
The theater is full of “successful voices” and “fine clothes” due to Hurstwood’s outreach, and Hurstwood stands as the “member of an eminent group.” People regarded him with respect and reverence. The narrator considers Hurstwood’s standing to be a sort of greatness, “small as it [is].”
Hurstwood is a great man—he has achieved the American dream. Although he is not yet a part of the American aristocracy, Hurstwood is well-regarded and has attained the very recognition for which Carrie yearns. Among his own social tier, Hurstwood is at the top, as evidence by his power to entice successful people into attending an amateur play.
Themes
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