Sister Carrie · Chapter
XLV: Curious Shifts of the Poor explained
Hurstwood, now destitute and living in cheap lodging-houses, watches his money dwindle and his health decline.
What happens
Hurstwood, now destitute and living in cheap lodging-houses, watches his money dwindle and his health decline. He sees notices of Carrie's success and eventually decides to beg her for help, but fails to approach her. After running out of money, he seeks work at the Broadway Central hotel, where he is given a menial job but struggles to fit in.
Themes in this chapter
Poverty and Survival
Hurstwood's descent into extreme poverty is depicted in detail, from counting his last cents to seeking menial work and considering begging.
Social Class and Mobility
The stark contrast between Hurstwood's former life as a manager and his current destitution highlights the precariousness of social class.
Urban Modernity and Alienation
Hurstwood is alienated in the bustling city, surrounded by wealth and entertainment yet utterly alone and ignored.
Characters to notice
- George Hurstwood
Hurstwood is now impoverished, living in a fifteen-cent lodging-house, and his health and appearance have deteriorated. He attempts to find work and considers begging.
- Caroline Meeber
Carrie is mentioned as a successful actress, with her picture in newspapers and posters; Hurstwood sees her as distant and successful.
- Sagar Morrison
Morrison appears in Hurstwood's memory, discussing a real estate investment in Chicago.
Key passages
“The gloomy Hurstwood, sitting in his cheap hotel, where he had taken refuge with seventy dollars—the price of his furniture—between him and nothing, saw a hot summer out and a cool fall in, reading.”
Hurstwood, depressed and living in a cheap hotel with only seventy dollars from selling his furniture, spent the summer and fall reading.
Establishes Hurstwood's poverty and passive state.
“He was not wholly indifferent to the fact that his money was slipping away. As fifty cents after fifty cents were paid out for a day’s lodging he became uneasy, and finally took a cheaper room—thirty-five cents a day—to make his money last longer.”
He was aware his money was running out, so he moved to a cheaper room to stretch it.
Shows Hurstwood's gradual descent into deeper poverty.
“Frequently he saw notices of Carrie. Her picture was in the World once or twice, and an old Herald he found in a chair informed him that she had recently appeared with some others at a benefit for something or other.”
He often saw Carrie's name and picture in newspapers, learning of her success.
Highlights the contrast between Carrie's rising fame and Hurstwood's decline.
“When all but twenty dollars of his money was gone, he moved to a fifteen-cent lodging-house in the Bowery, where there was a bare lounging-room filled with tables and benches as well as some chairs.”
With only twenty dollars left, he moved to a very cheap lodging-house in the Bowery.
Marks a further step in Hurstwood's descent.
“He was unconscious of just how much this habit had hold of him until one day he found his lips repeating an old answer he had made to one of his friends.”
He didn't realize how much he dwelled on the past until he caught himself speaking old conversations aloud.
Illustrates Hurstwood's psychological decline and nostalgia.
“One day, looking down the ad columns of the Evening World, he saw where a new play was at the Casino. Instantly, he came to a mental halt. Carrie had gone!”
Seeing an ad for a new play at the Casino, he realized Carrie had left town.
Shows Hurstwood's dependence on Carrie's presence for comfort.
