Sister Carrie book club questions

The reading plan

Meeting 1: Chapters 1 to 17

1. How much freedom does Carrie have when she chooses Drouet's help over staying with the Hansons?
2. What do Carrie's humiliating applications and small wage suggest about the value the working city places on newcomers?
3. How fairly should we judge the household's thrift when it blocks Carrie's evening out?
4. Why might new clothes and entertainment soften Carrie's doubts without settling them?
5. What might Carrie find appealing about Hurstwood's loneliness, and how could sympathy shape her judgment?

Meeting 2: Chapters 18 to 33

6. Does applause seem to give Carrie more freedom when her stage success also brings jealous demands for affection?
7. How do you judge Mrs. Hurstwood's decision to threaten legal action after hearing reports about her husband?
8. How might failed job applications change what independence means to Carrie?
9. How much weight should Carrie's permission to continue the journey carry when Hurstwood first brings her away through deception?
10. What does Hurstwood's smaller life in New York suggest about the connection between status and household peace?

Meeting 3: Chapters 34 to 47

11. How much sympathy does Hurstwood deserve when pride blocks his search for work despite household money worries?
12. Is Carrie justified in hiding earnings as she gains stage advancement while supporting Hurstwood?
13. How does the strike violence affect your judgment of Hurstwood's decision to abandon work?
14. What responsibilities, if any, does Carrie still have toward Hurstwood when a better stage role allows her to leave?
15. What does Carrie's success in a small silent role suggest about how audiences recognize talent?

Themes to talk about

Tips for the host

1. Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
2. Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.