THE PROBLEM OF SOCIAL LIFE AND WOMAN’S FATE IN
THEODORE DREISER’S “JENNIE GERHARDT”
Tamara ATAKISHIYEVA
Qafqaz University
zaur.atakishiyev@box.az
“Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men.”
― Joseph Conrad. Social life and woman’s fate were the major problems of different ages. Theodore Dreiser is one of
the greatest writers who paid attention to every little detail which made people’s life unbearable. Edgar Lee Masters
compares Dreiser to a jack-o-lantern because his mouth droops and his eyes are “fixed” and “scarcely sparkling.”We
witness his ideas as a socialist writer reflected in his works. What is this connected with? The answer is simple, it’s
connected with society. Without inequality, injustice of this society women like Jennie Gerhardt, Carrie Meeber wouldn’t be
victims of community. Dreiser had sent his hidden message namely in his “Jennie Gerhardt” as a socialist writer, specially
blaming this type of society. The American life of 19
th
century was like a dark world coming through the poverty for the
Gerhardts and like other families. Girls of these families either should marry or carry honorably the heavy burden of life, or
they should connect their lives with non-formal marriage. Jennie didn’t choose this life. This girl was a victim of society on
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