Sister Carrie · Chapter
The Feast of Belshazzar: A Seer to Translate explained
Carrie, after attending a matinee with Mrs.
What happens
Carrie, after attending a matinee with Mrs. Vance, is deeply affected by the glamour and luxury of the theater and the wealthy women she sees on Broadway. She becomes increasingly discontented with her modest life with Hurstwood. Later, at a dinner at Sherry's with the Vances and a young man named Robert Ames, she encounters a new perspective that challenges her materialistic desires and leaves her feeling intellectually inferior.
Themes in this chapter
Materialism and Consumption
Carrie's longing for the luxurious dresses, carriages, and apartments of wealthy women, and her dissatisfaction with her own modest flat, highlight the theme of material desire and consumption.
Social Class and Mobility
Carrie's observation of the wealthy theatergoers and her sense of exclusion underscore her struggle with social class and her desire to rise above her current station.
Ambition and Desire
Carrie's renewed ambition to become an actress, sparked by the matinee, and her yearning for a life of elegance and pleasure reflect her driving desires.
Characters to notice
- Caroline Meeber
Carrie is deeply stirred by the matinee and the opulence of Broadway, leading to a moody discontent with her life. She later dines at Sherry's with the Vances and Ames, feeling both drawn to and challenged by Ames's intellectual and moral perspective.
- George Hurstwood
Hurstwood notices Carrie's moodiness after the matinee and her expanding desires for finer things, but he does not openly object, though he feels uneasy about her growing wants.
- Mrs. Vance
Mrs. Vance invites Carrie to the matinee and later to dinner at Sherry's and the theater. She frequently advises Carrie on fashionable clothing and accessories, influencing Carrie's tastes.
- Robert Ames
Ames dines with the Vances and Carrie at Sherry's. He expresses disdain for wealth and luxury, criticizes popular novels like Dora Thorne, and impresses Carrie with his intelligence and moral clarity.
- Mr. Vance
Mr. Vance participates in the dinner conversation, mentioning a popular book and engaging in light social talk.
Key passages
“Such feelings as were generated in Carrie by this walk put her in an exceedingly receptive mood for the pathos which followed in the play.”
The emotions stirred by her walk made Carrie especially open to the sad parts of the play.
Carrie's mood is shaped by her surroundings before the theater.
“She had never forgotten her one histrionic achievement in Chicago.”
Carrie still vividly remembered her one acting success in Chicago.
Carrie's past theatrical experience continues to influence her aspirations.
“It ached her to know that she was not one of them—that, alas, she had dreamed a dream and it had not come true.”
It pained Carrie to realize she was not among those wealthy women and that her dreams had not been fulfilled.
Carrie's disappointment with her unfulfilled ambitions is evident.
“The great awakening blow had, however, been delivered.”
The powerful shock of realization had already struck her.
Carrie's discontent has been awakened and will persist.
“I shouldn't care to be rich... not rich enough to spend my money this way.”
Ames said he wouldn't want to be wealthy enough to waste money on such extravagant dining.
Ames expresses a moral critique of materialism that challenges Carrie's values.
