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Teachers & SchoolsWomen and Femininity
In late nineteenth-century America, women—generally speaking—held way less economic, social, and political power than men (remember that this was the era when women couldn't even cast a little old ballot). Yet in Sister Carrie, the main female character ends up becoming much more economically and socially successful than any of the male characters. This fact alone makes the novel deserving of a close look at the role of women. To top it off, Carrie's rise from small-town nobody to big star seems to have a lot to do with her ability to master certain codes of femininity and make herself look super girly. Who would've thought that learning to flip her hair in just the right way would change the whole direction of Carrie's life?
Sister Carrie's views of women and female identity are totally contradictory.
The fact that the leading female character is alive while the leading male character is not at the end of the novel is a really big deal.