"Sister Kerry" is the first novel by American writer Theodore Dreiser. It was not immediately accepted by the American public and critics. The novel was rejected for the fact that his idea did not correspond to American values. Dreiser raised in his realistic novel the problem of realizing the "American Dream." In the center of the novel are three main characters.
A young girl, Kerry, passive and dreamy, who was brought up on the basis of classical moral values. A brief summary of "Sister Kerry" shows that life's difficulties quickly lead her astray.
Charles Drouet, a young salesman, frivolous and fluttering in life like a moth.
George Gerstwood is a man with a respectable fortune, a respectable family man who, by the end of his life, has lost everything he has achieved.
Arrival in Chicago
The time described in the novel is the end of the 19th century. The work takes place in America. The main character is Carolina Mieber, a girl of eighteen years old, whom all household members called Kerry's sister. She travels from Columbia City's hometown to her sister in Chicago, who lives there with her family.
On the train, Kerry meets a traveling salesman, Charles Drouet, who frankly flirts with her. From the summary of “Sister Kerry,” the reader learns that Kerry has only four dollars in her pocket, but this does not prevent her from dreaming of a beautiful and happy life in this big city.
The summary of “Sister Kerry” demonstrates that, having arrived there, she was very disappointed. Sister is preoccupied with family problems and household. Her husband earns very little by cleaning glacier cars in a slaughterhouse. They are oppressed by constant lack of money, they cannot afford any excesses and entertainments, they lead a boring measured life.
Kerry is forced to look for work, she wanders around the city in her search. But, since she does not know how to do anything, she is denied everywhere. Finally, she manages to get a worker at a shoe factory. This work is monotonous and poorly paid. All her complaints to relatives about the severity of the work do not find sympathy. With the advent of winter, the girl, without warm clothes, fell ill. Thus, she loses her job.
Realizing that she is a burden for her sister's family, Kerry decides to return to her hometown. A brief summary of "Sisters of Kerry" shows that a chance meeting with the familiar young salesman Charles Drouet changes her plans.
Kerry and Drouet
Drouet convinces Kerry to borrow money for warm clothes from him and settles the girl in a rented apartment. He offers her his care for her life. She agrees and accepts his courtship. However, Kerry does not love him, although she agrees out of gratitude to become his wife. Drouet is in no hurry to marry her, telling her about the need to first settle all matters with the receipt of a certain inheritance.
Meet Gerstwood
Soon, Drouet introduces the girl to George Gerstwood, who runs a fairly respectable Fitzgerald and Mine bar. With his many years of work, diligence and perseverance, Gerstwood rose from the bartender to the manager of a prestigious bar. Over time, he became the owner of his own home and a solid bank account.
After reviewing the summary of “Sister Kerry” by Dreiser, you can imagine Gerstwood as an exemplary family man who leads a respectable lifestyle. He has two adult children: a son and a daughter. However, not everything goes well with his family; relations with his wife are becoming increasingly tense. Gerstwood immediately shows interest in a pretty young provincial woman - a kept woman Drouet. On Kerry, his impeccable manners and lifestyle make a strong impression. When compared with Drouet, he appears to her in a more favorable light.
At the beginning of the meeting, Gerstwood and Kerry meet in the presence of Drouet. Then they begin to meet secretly from him. Herstwood's offer to move from Drouet Kerry is refused. She agrees to do this only on condition of his marriage to her.
Stage debut
Gerstwood agrees on the lead role for her in an amateur performance. Kerry's debut is a success, despite the fact that she performs on stage for the first time. Many talk about her artistic talent, and for the first time she feels what independence can bring success.
A summary of Theodore Dreiser’s “Sisters of Kerry” tells us that at this time Drouet suspects Kerry’s betrayal: the maid with whom he flirts during Kerry’s next absence informs him of the frequent visits of Gerstwood. The same suspicion grows with the wife of the manager of the bar.
She does not love her husband, but she is very jealous of him and is ready to go to extreme measures and leave the hated spouse poor, especially since all his property is registered with her. The wife drives him out of the house. Gerstwood is in despair. He decides on a crime: using the trust of the owners, he steals a large amount of money at the box office and leaves the city with Kerry, cunningly convincing her to go with him.
Kerry and Gerstwood
From the summary of “Sisters of Kerry”, the reader will learn from chapters that Gerstwood says on the train that he broke off relations with his wife and is waiting for a divorce. He offers Kerry to stay with him, promising her his loyalty. He does not say a word to her about stealing money.
So, with theft and deception, their life together began. They got married in Montreal. But there he is already waiting for the detective, who was hired by the owners of the bar. Gerstwood has to return most of the stolen money. Thanks to this, he can return to the United States.
To New York
Gerstwood and Kerry move to New York. There he invests the rest of the stolen money in a bar, having bought his share and the position of manager. The summary of the novel “Sister Kerry” tells us that their life is becoming more stable and secure.
Kerry meets a neighbor, Mrs. Vance. They spend a lot of time together, visit restaurants with her and her husband, go to theaters. Kerry meets Mrs. Vance's cousin, the young engineer Bob Ems, whom she was very impressed with. However, Ems takes marriage very seriously and respectfully, so this acquaintance has no continuation, and he returns home to Indiana.
For the girl, he became an ideal. She compares him to other men close to her, noting for himself his superiority.
The crisis
A brief summary of Theodore Dreiser’s novel, “Sister Kerry,” describes how, after three years, Gerstwood's problems begin again. The bar passes to the new owner and the partner breaks all relations with him. The case that gave him income fell apart.
Gerstwood is left without a livelihood. He is trying to find a job. But over the years he has not learned anything new. Gerstwood listens to the failures again and again. Old connections also do not help him, since he can no longer use them.
Gerstwood and Kerry move to a cheaper apartment, begin to save on everything. But the money runs out very quickly. Gerstwood begins to sink: he does not follow himself, plays poker, which in the old years he played very skillfully. Soon he loses all the last money.
Kerry realizes that now you can’t rely on Gerstwood. She begins to look for work herself. Kerry remembers his successes in the amateur production of the play, so he is looking for work on the stage.
From the summary of T. Kerry's Sister Kerry, it becomes apparent that her attempts were successful: Kerry was taken to perform in the corps de ballet. Over time, she manages to become a soloist.
Gerstwood is in despair. He was tormented by constant refusals in search of work. In the end, he decides to earn some money, and during the strike of Brooklyn trams, he is hired by a carriage driver. But the work is beyond his power: he listens to constant insults and threats, he has to dismantle the barricades on rails.
Then the rebel trams attack him and injure him. The wound is not serious, but Gerstwood no longer has the strength to endure all this. He leaves the tram during the shift and goes home. He does not tell Kerry anything about these events, so she believes that her husband does not want to work.
Kerry's success
Kerry rehearses a lot, her talent was noticed by the directors. She receives another promotion and throws Gerstwood, leaving him twenty dollars goodbye and a note with the message that she no longer wants to contain him.
From this moment, everything begins to happen in the opposite direction. Kerry is the favorite of the public, all theatrical critics are supportive of her, she is surrounded by wealthy fans who want to achieve her society. Gerstwood is in complete poverty. He has nowhere to live, he sleeps wherever he has to. Gerstwood has to queue up for free food. Once the manager of the hotel took pity on him and gave him the dirtiest work for which he paid a pittance. But Gerstwood was very happy about that.
Final story
Gerstwood’s health is undermined, he gets pneumonia and gets to the hospital. Having recovered, he again finds himself unemployed. He has nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep. Gerstwood becomes a beggar. Under a brightly lit advertisement for a play in which his ex-wife participates, he asks for alms.
Kerry again has a meeting with Drouet. He wants to renew relations with her. However, for Kerry this is not interesting, she does not need him.
Inventor Bob Ems arrives in New York. He has succeeded in his staff and is now planning to open a laboratory in New York. He is present at the next operetta in which Kerry plays. Engineer Ems believes that she is capable of more serious roles than those that are offered to her. He convinces her to try herself in drama.
Kerry flatters his opinion, with which she agrees. But she does not want to change anything in her life. Longing grips her. Druet left her life. There is no nearby Gerstwood. She does not even realize that he, unable to withstand the blows of fate, committed suicide by gas poisoning in one of the New York night shelters.
The main character does not know what she wants. Analysis and summary of the novel "Sister Kerry" shows that nothing brings her happiness. From the outside it seems that all her affairs are going well, life is going well. But victory does not make her happy. In search of happiness, she forgets what real life is.