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Chapter 21
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Sister Carrie, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Urban Life and Decay
Morality and Instinct
Wealth and Class
Summary
Analysis
Although Mrs. Hurstwood no longer loves her husband, she is still jealous. For women, says the narrator, lack of attention is a worse offense than an actual crime. Mrs. Hurstwood is now “resentful and suspicious,” sensing impending danger. Hurstwood’s neglect of his “duties” and “open snarls,” coupled with the argument at breakfast, causes Mrs. Hurstwood to “[rage] inwardly.”
Mrs. Hurstwood, though cold and superficial, is hardly stupid: she notices that Hurstwood has changed and no longer pays her any attention. Mrs. Hurstwood treats her husband as a sort of suppliant rather than a partner—she expects him to cater to her demands for attention. Rather than feeling sadness at the loss of her husband’s affection, Mrs. Hurstwood shows anger, indicating that she does not love Hurstwood.
Themes
Mrs. Hurstwood finds Jessica in her dressing room after Hurstwood leaves the house and expresses her displeasure at Jessica’s tardiness for breakfast. The two engage in a minor argument before Jessica haughtily leaves. This type of argument becomes “all too frequent” in the Hurstwood household.
Mrs. Hurstwood is not necessarily in an alliance with her children. It seems that all members of the Hurstwood household are self-serving—they use each other to achieve their own goals. Jessica’s haughtiness toward Mrs. Hurstwood shows that she is no closer to her mother than to her father.
Themes
Hurstwood becomes increasingly irritated “to find himself more and more by a world upon which he had no hold, and of which he had a lessening understanding.” He realizes that he is now a follower, and not leader, in his household. His family now seems to be “a most irritating drag upon all his desires and opportunities.” Still, Hurstwood maintains “the semblance of leadership and control.”
Hurstwood is a man who needs a sense of control. Even after losing control, he still feels a need to maintain a semblance of it. In this way, he is similar to his wife: the couple both feel a need to keep up a pretense, though in separate spheres. Mrs. Hurstwood needs to show that her husband is still paying attention to her, while Hurstwood needs to show that he is still in control of his household.
Themes
Mrs. Hurstwood decides to look for proof of Hurstwood’s infidelity. One day, Dr. Beale, a physician, remarks to Mrs. Hurstwood that he saw Hurstwood driving with a woman who he thought was either Mrs. Hurstwood or Jessica. Mrs. Hurstwood remarks that it must have been Jessica to save face, but now privately knows that Hurstwood was driving with another woman “after announcing himself as busy to her.” For Mrs. Hurstwood, “the atmosphere of distrust and ill-feeling was strengthened.”
Mrs. Hurstwood, unlike Drouet, is not unsuspecting enough to deny potential infidelity. In her conversation with Dr. Beale, she shows that she holds the same social adeptness as her husband: she carefully maneuvers the conversation in order to obtain information without revealing anything to the other party or losing face.
Themes
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At the races, Mrs. Hurstwood learns from an acquaintance that Hurstwood went to a play without her and told the other attendees that she wasn’t feeling well. Mrs. Hurstwood then asks another one of her husband’s friends about the play. She learns that the house was full and many of her friends were in attendance. Mrs. Hurstwood grows more suspicious.
Mrs. Hurstwood is a reasonable woman. She knows that she cannot approach her husband with accusations of infidelity without evidence; consequently, she goes around gathering proof. Mrs. Hurstwood’s method of doing so differs from that of Drouet in that she never reveals her own jealousy—she is too clever to risk exposing her intentions.
Themes
By the time Hurstwood returns home, Mrs. Hurstwood “had brooded herself into a state of sullen desire for explanation and revenge.” On the other hand, Hurstwood is “in the sunniest mood.” He means to be forgiving to his wife. This cheerfulness, however, irritates Mrs. Hurstwood, thinking him audacious for presenting himself this way despite his cynicism, indifference, and neglect.” Hurstwood wishes to find an outlet for his good humor but receives only cold responses from his wife and daughter.
Passion for Carrie has blunted Hurstwood’s capabilities for discernment. In this way, the novel shows that emotions can lead one to err in unanticipated ways. Hurstwood feels no guilt with regards to his affair, indicating that by this point in the novel, he has no regard for his wife. The Hurstwood couple has no redeemable qualities in their relationship—it has been based on pretense since long before Carrie even arrived.
Themes
The narrator relates that had Hurstwood been less mentally occupied, he would have noticed that his household was not in good spirits. He attempts to patch things up with Mrs. Hurstwood by declaring that she can go on vacation to Waukesha if she wishes. Mrs. Hurstwood gives a sharp reply: “So you can stay here and trifle around with some one else?” Hurstwood, shocked, pretends to be confused. Mrs. Hurstwood coldly demands money for the trip. The couple begins to argue. Mrs. Hurstwood’s “upper-handish manner” infuriates Hurstwood. Hurstwood leaves after declaring to his wife, “I’ll have nothing more to do with you.
Mrs. Hurstwood shows no anger or despair at the fact that Hurstwood no longer loves her and is pursuing another woman—she uses her husband’s affair as an opportunity to extort money from him. Mrs. Hurstwood appears to be completely cold, calculating, and unfeeling. On the other hand, Hurstwood does not feel apologetic at all towards his wife. He feels only anger at the fact that she now has control over him—he is now the suppliant rather than the provider.
Themes
