Sister Carrie

Set against the backdrop of early 20th-century urban life, the novel explores Carrie Meeber's journey from the countryside to Chicago, where she grapples with her ambitions and societal expectations. After meeting the charming salesman Charles Drouet, she faces a choice between financial security and her passion for acting. Her entanglement with the manipulative Hurstwood complicates her life further, highlighting themes of desire, ambition, and the harsh realities of social mobility. This naturalist fiction remains a poignant critique of American society.