![]() Perhaps the most important single group of objects is the various rocking chairs upon which Carrie rides to dreamland, beginning in her sister's flat, continuing through the several rooms and apartments where she lives, and culminating in her vast suite in the Waldorf.ĭreiser's symbolism reveals the separate and distinct worlds of Sister Carrie. These comprise the walled and gilded city to which Carrie seeks entrance. The most important patterns of details, in addition to clothing and money, are the theater, hotels, and restaurants. Carrie's sensitivity to details provides the emotional center of the novel. Occasionally, however, he shows a lack of subtlety when he addresses his reader directly to reveal his intention.īy registering carefully Carrie's reaction to specific details, Dreiser shows her moving from her early naive optimism to her final disillusionment and despair. Dreiser generally accomplishes this end through a kind of "incremental repetition" of important details. ![]() The author must make the reader aware that the details are important to the meaning. ![]() Dreiser's use of symbolic detail permeates the novel, ranging from careful descriptions of dress and adornment to descriptions of great American cities and their surroundings. In this way the symbolic level of the narrative is laid directly over the events and occurrences of the simple story itself. The naturalistic writer presents his theme through symbolic detail. ![]()
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