Industrialization

In the late 1800s, the growth of industrialization caused a massive migration of poor workers into the cities, but also it was a time when the public desired to advance in their social standing. “As Industries continued to grow, young men and women poured into Chicago…hopping to earn their fortunes” (Source 2). In the novel, “When Carrie Meeber boarded the afternoon train for Chicago, her total outfit consisted of a small trunk, a cheap imitation alligator-skin satchel, a small lunch in a paper box, and a yellow leather snap purse, containing her ticket, …. and four dollars in money” (Dreiser 1). The poor, who migrated from rural communities across the mid-west, had an inadequate amount of money and only possessed their essential belongings that were easy to transport. Often times, these people moved to locations that did not guarantee a job. It was difficult for them to find work due to lack of experience and fear of rejection. Carrie was declined multiple times before she found a dreadful job on the assembly line with the salary of four-fifty a week. Nearly all her wages went to her sister for rent, which left Carrie a minimum amount of money for entertainment. Moving up the social ladder was laborious because “social distinction revealed itself only through the disparity in wages earned but also through the kinds of leisure activities people enjoyed and the fashions they were” (Source 1). This is illustrated within the novel, when Mrs. Hurstwood said, “George, … we want you to get us season tickets to the races” (Dreiser 136). The races were considered quite the social affair among the wealthy. Mrs. Hurstwood, the wife of George Hurstwood, was a greedy woman who has always endeavored to shine. She wanted her daughter, Jessica, to marry a man of means; therefore, they attended the races to exhibit Jessica. Through Jessica, Mrs. Hurstwood hoped to increase her social status where she could draw to herself the privilege of pointing proudly. The novel accurately portrays the late 1800s struggle to arrive in a new city and to advance in social class.