LONELINESS AND THE ILLUSION OF SUCCESS: A PSYCHOLOGICAL READING OF “SISTER CARRIE”

Authors

  • Mamatova Dilorom A’zam kizi Department of Foreign Languages Qarshi State Technical University

Keywords:

Theodore Dreiser, Sister Carrie, psychological realism, loneliness, materialism, American Dream, modern woman, identity

Abstract

This article explores the psychological complexity of Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (1900), focusing on how material success and personal fulfillment diverge within the protagonist’s journey. Carrie Meeber, a young woman from a rural town, arrives in Chicago with dreams of a better life and gradually ascends into the world of fame and wealth. However, as she gains social recognition and financial independence, she also experiences increasing emotional detachment and existential loneliness. This study argues that Dreiser’s portrayal of Carrie exposes the illusion behind the American Dream, revealing how external achievements often mask inner dissatisfaction. Drawing on psychological realism and naturalist elements, the article highlights how Dreiser dissects ambition, identity, and the spiritual emptiness of modern urban life, particularly for women navigating a patriarchal and capitalist society.

References

Dreiser, Theodore. Sister Carrie. Edited by Donald Pizer, Norton Critical Edition, W. W. Norton & Company, 2006.

Pizer, Donald. Realism and Naturalism in Nineteenth-Century American Literature. Southern Illinois University Press, 1984.

Kaplan, Amy. “The Sentimental Possibilities of Naturalism: Dreiser and the Sheen of Romance.” American Literary History, vol. 2, no. 4, 1990, pp. 685–706.

Lingeman, Richard. Theodore Dreiser: An American Journey. John Wiley & Sons, 1990.

Riggio, Thomas P. “Dreiser’s ‘Sister Carrie’ and the Urban Experience.” American Quarterly, vol. 24, no. 4, 1972, pp. 547–561.

Campbell, Donna M. “Naturalism in American Literature.” Literary Movements, Washington State University, 2015.

Cady, Edwin H. The Realist at War: The Mature Theodore Dreiser. Syracuse University Press, 1958.

Trachtenberg, Alan. The Incorporation of America: Culture and Society in the Gilded Age. Hill and Wang, 1982.

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Published

2025-07-11

How to Cite

Mamatova Dilorom A’zam kizi. (2025). LONELINESS AND THE ILLUSION OF SUCCESS: A PSYCHOLOGICAL READING OF “SISTER CARRIE”. Ethiopian International Multidisciplinary Research Conferences, 106–108. Retrieved from https://eijmr.org/conferences/index.php/eimrc/article/view/1107

Issue

2025: Ethiopian International Multidisciplinary Research Conferences

Section

Articles

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