The setting of the novel Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser had its setting in Detroit between the year 1880 and 1910. The setting in the book has certain similarities and differences between itself and the city of Detroit during the same period. This essay will compare the city of Detroit and Chicago in the novel during the same period. It will discuss various events which took place between 1880 and 1910 and compare these events with those which are discussed in the novel Sister Carrie.
This notion of women joining the workforce instead of being left at home to tend to domestic chores was embraced during this period in both cities. Work is difficult to find during this period and as a result the young woman is forced to leave her home town and move to the city of Chicago in search of employment in the year 1889. Women were beginning to join women in the work force and in the year 1890, 17 percent of the work force in Chicago comprised of young women. One of the major changes which took place during this era is the notion of gender roles which dictated that women should be left at home to deal with domestic chores while men worked. More women were leaving their homes including those who were married in order to find work . This was attributed to the nature of factories which were found in these cities. Detroit had factories which were less friendly for women to find work with the most popular companies being associated with steel manufacturing such as railway companies and the automobile company. Chicago on the other hand had more to offer in terms of work for women since its manufacturing activities were more diversified. Other factors such as the topography of Chicago made the city more suitable for residential purposes as compared to Detroit. Hull House in Chicago was an organization in Chicago which trained women on leadership skills. This is another factor responsible to the high percentage of women in the work force in cities such as Chicago . In the year 1890, the percentage of women workforce in Detroit was 21.3% as compared to 16.6% in Chicago. This was later to change by the year 1910, with Detroit having a women workforce of 26.7% against 31.1% in Chicago the same year . The women workforce was increasing without doubt, but Chicago had gained speed and surpassed Detroit by far.
The onset of industrialization during this period was forcing people to turn to cities in search of employment. The agricultural era was slowly being replaced by industrialization, with most people having to look for work in factories In order to provide for their families. Factories were being set up and most people were finding work in these factories. Carrie had to find work at a shoe factory . Industrialization was happening fast in Detroit with many factories and industries being set up. The city of Detroit was recognized for the numerous number of industrial activities which were taking part in city. The city was responsible for the manufacture of many goods which include bicycles, shoes, beer and paint among others. Major industries dealt with products such as iron, lumber and salt. The leading industry was however the tobacco industry which accounted for the city’s largest economy.
A lot of change was also taking place in terms of infrastructure and communications in both cities during this period. Transport and communication took a turn for the better with the invention of trains. The Detroit City Railway was the first railway to be put up and was followed by three other railway companies which were responsible for transportation around the city. Other modes of transport included wheel driven carts, while cities such as New York were experimenting with electricity powered cars. The economy of New York was higher as compared to that of Chicago, with 83 % of banks having activity in New York while only 63.8 % of these banks had locations in Chicago . The Ford automobile company traces its origin to this period in Detroit, where it started with the manufacture of 20 poor models and at the time was referred to as Detroit Automobile Company in 1901 .
The population in Chicago had also increased tremendously to reach a population of one million by the year 1890. Urbanization was taking place at a rapid speed and more and more people like Carrie in the novel were moving into the cities. Over 50,000 people were joining the city of Chicago yearly . Similarly the city of Detroit was also experiencing an increase in population. By the year 1890, the population of Detroit was 205,876. The city of Detroit was being expanded in order to accommodate the large numbers of people who were streaming into the city. Two annexes were constructed in the year 1891 while the city expanded to its western side and another expansion was underway for the eastern side.
Strikes by workers, low wages, and poor working conditions common during this period, led to the emergence of workers union. Corruption was also a major concern in Detroit during this period with most people in power being accused of corruption. Several activists became very active in the fight against corruption such as Mayor Haven Pingree. April 1891 saw transit workers on strike attack the Detroit Railway Co. as well as the Grand River Railway Co. which led to massive destruction of property. Among the concerns of the employees is that their working hours be reduced from 12 hours a day to 10 working hours . The strike turned into a riot which lasted for 3 days and several people were injured in the process. The workers of these two companies later formed a union whose aim was to fight for the rights of the workers. Their employers retaliated by firing several workers and what ensued was another strike in the same month with many sympathizers joining the workers. The second riot affected many civilians whose cars were overturned and destroyed in the course of the riots. The union was later recognized in May the same year after intervention by Pingree who was also the mayor of the city at the time. The demands of the union were granted with working hours reduced to 10, and an off day granted to each worker every 14 days. The railway companies also recognized the union which was named the Amalgamated Association of Street Railway Employees of America on the 15th September of 1892. The union is the present day Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).
As a result of the World War 1 most factories in Detroit were still experiencing a shortage in labor. This shortage was giving the employees against the employers and as a result, the association decided to deal with this shortage. In order to deal with this shortage, the employee association made various advertisements for workforce from outside Detroit . Several strikes were experienced during this period with the last one taking place in 1907, where the employees were unable to get their demands and eventually the strikes ceased.
The theater industry was very popular during this period in both cities especially among the world class and could fetch talented actors a good fortune. While still working at the shoe factory, Carrie tries acting and she is successful . The theater industry was also doing very well in Chicago at the time with most workers participating in theater activities. Polish drama was a major attraction for the middle class people of Chicago and those who had talent made a fortune in the theater industry. Other activities were polish plays which included participants from all races as well as choirs. The theater industry in Chicago was similar to that in Detroit and the people had the same preferences in theater. The industry was doing very well and great actors were making a fortune out of acting. Detroit was however more successful than Chicago with performances such as polish drama and choruses on the plight of workers gaining a lot of popularity . There were several theaters in Detroit such as the Finn theater which was responsible for the production of various plays. Theater was also doing very well in New York at the time since Carrie was able to defy poverty and become famous after joining the theater industry later in New York.
In conclusion Chicago and Detroit had a lot of similarities between 1880 and 1910. The two cities were experiencing a lot of growth and other changes which included a transition from the age of agriculture to industrialization. Both countries were experiencing technological advancement especially in the transport sector. Many industries were being set up in both cities such as tobacco industry, shoe manufacturing and beer manufacturing among many others. Urbanization was also taking place at a rapid pace and most people were moving from their hometowns in search of work in urban centers. Traditional and conservative trends were also loosing meaning with many women abandoning domestic roles to join men in the work force. The number of women in the workforce kept going up in both cities, although eventually the women workforce was higher in Chicago than in Detroit. This was influenced by factors such as the higher suitability of industries towards women in Chicago as compared to the suitability in Detroit. Theater was also very popular in both cities with polish drama being preferred by both cities.
Works Cited
Belich, James. Replenishing the Earth : the settler revolution and the rise of the anglo-world, 1783-1939. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2009. print.
Dreiser, Theodore. Sister Carrie : a Novel. Auckland: Floating Press, 1900. print.
Hays, Samuel P. City At The Point: Essays on the Social History of Pittsburgh. London: University of Pittsburg Press, 1989. print.
Lewchuk, Wayne. American Technology and the British Vehicle Industry. Ontario: Cambridge University Press, 1987. print.
Sporn, Paul. Against itself : the Federal Theater and Writers' Projects in the Midwest. Detroit : Wayne State University Press, 1995. print.
