What is the plot of the Jennie Gerhardt?
Plot summary Jennie Gerhardt is a destitute young woman. While working in a hotel in Columbus, Ohio, Jennie meets George Brander, a United States Senator, who becomes infatuated with her. He helps her family and declares his wish to marry her. Jennie, grateful for his benevolence, agrees to sleep with him.
What did Theodore Dreiser believe in?
Through these readings and his own experience, Dreiser came to believe that human beings are helpless in the grip of instincts and social forces beyond their control, and he judged human society as an unequal contest between the strong and the weak.
What kind of person is Mr Lester in Jenny Gerhard?
A weak man, Lester is torn between his desire for social and financial affluence and his feeling for Jennie. He neither marries her nor leaves her, until his father’s will demands that he act within three years.
Was Theodore Dreiser a realist?
One of the foremost practitioners of American realism, Theodore Dreiser wrote novels and stories that explored such themes as the dangerous lure of urban environments, the conflict between Old World parents and their Americanized children, and the hollowness of the American drive for material success.
Why does Jennie not tell Lester about Vesta?
She doesn’t tell Lester about Vesta & the longer she waits, the harder the confession becomes. Jennie finds it easier to convince herself that she can keep Vesta a secret & that her father doesn’t need to know about her unmarried state. She knows that she is not being honest but she’s frightened of the consequences.
What is Theodore Dreiser known for?
His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm moral code, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of choice and agency. Dreiser’s best known novels include Sister Carrie (1900) and An American Tragedy (1925).
Was Theodore Dreiser a communist?
Yet Dreiser considered himself a full-fledged communist and a “Bolshevik”. His political activities since the early 1930s had clearly been in concert with ostensible communist aims with regard to the working class.
What is the first novel written by Theodore Dreiser?
Sister Carrie (1900)
Works of the Theodore Dreiser. Dreiser’s first novel, Sister Carrie (1900), is a work of pivotal importance in American literature despite its inauspicious launching. It became a beacon to subsequent American writers whose allegiance was to the realistic treatment of any and all subject matter.
What is Carrie’s first job in Chicago?
Carrie Meeber Her first job is a low-paid, arduous position in a factory. When she loses her job, her sister and brother-in-law cannot support her, so she becomes Charlie Drouet’s mistress. Afterward, she becomes infatuated with another man, George Hurstwood.