1% Well-Read: Sister Carrie

Theodore Dreiser had been on my "must read" list for years, and the 1% Well-Read Challenge gave me an excellent opportunity to finally make good on my intention. I'm sorry I waited so long, although I'm very glad that I didn't pair The Grass is Singing with Sister Carrie. If so, I might have been to depressed to breathe.

*Spoiler alert*
I suppose The Grass is Singing came to mind because of the similar themes of financial ruin and the slow, seemingly unavoidable ruin of primary characters in the book. And my desire to shake some sense into both George Hurstwood, which echoed my sentiments about Mary. What a bleak view of human nature Dreiser must have had! Odd, though Carrie left very little impression on me; I didn't dislike her or find her actions to be reprehensible. She was clearly a survivor and adaptable in ways Hurstwood was not, and I certainly got the sense that Dreiser chalked these abilities up to both age and gender. However, Carrie was such a blank slate, for so many around her, that as a reader (and a female reader), I never felt close to her or even all that interested in her decision making. There were a few interminable chapters when I did wish that she would make any decision, or at least the obvious one where Hurstwood was concerned. Rather than a horror, it was a relief when she started to succeed, even though I knew her success would come at the expense of Hurstwood. However, that trade was Dreiser's decision, not an inevitable consequence of Carrie's actions. I suppose Hurstwood was the intended protagonist, and Carrie merely a foil, but that seems so unfair.

Realistically, though, I suppose that I shouldn't be looking to male writers of Dreiser's era to be fair to their female characters. If I had more time in the month to finish the challenge, maybe I'd pick up some Virginia Wolfe to cleanse my palate a bit.

Speaking of the 1% Well-Read Challenge, I also have reviews for Rabbit Redux and The Optimists' Daughter to get written. I've discovered that I own (but have not read) Fugitive Pieces, so I can get another quick read in. However, I am running out of time, and will have to scrap my original list in order to finish. Better pacing next time!