The Fall of Carrie and HurstwoodSister Carrie, written by Theodore Dreiser, is the story of Carrie, who comes to Chicago to somehow win the money she always dreamed of having. In search of the material goods and success she dreams of, she joins forces with two different characters, Drouet and Hurstwood. She eventually ended up in New York, where she had a successful performing career. Even with all the success and material possessions she has acquired, it does not bring her happiness. Due to the naturalism and pre-existing conditions between Carrie and Hurstwood, human interactions in exchange for materialism lead to the downfall of both characters. At the beginning of the text, it is evident that Carrie has excessive greed for things like clothes and money. Upon meeting Drouet, she is immediately blind to the benefits he can bring her, such as expensive and beautiful clothes. Carrier soon realized all that the city had to offer her, such as “wealth, fashion, ease – all the ornaments for women, and she yearned with all her heart for dress and beauty” (Dreiser , 21 years old). Carrie is excited by “something promising in all the material prospects” that Drouet had to offer (Dreiser, 5). Even if her past unconsciously warns her momentarily, she ignores her apprehensions in exchange for the happiness that Drouet's success could bring her. The same things that attract Carrie to Drouet also attract her to Hurstwood. Perhaps it is safe to say that Carrie came to Chicago in pursuit of the American dream because of "the drag of a meager and narrow life" (Dreiser, 11). The exchange of his life from dreary Wisconsin to Chicago signifies his quest for a better, more fulfilling life. The realization that her life was still “the drag of a meager and narrow life” (Dreiser, 11) hindered Carrie's hope for the American dream. Carrie was determined not to be “an ordinary salesperson” (Dreiser, 51). Once Drouet gives Carrie money, he dominates her life because she likes what he has. Her possessions are Carrie's dream and ultimate goal in life. Carrie allows other characters in the story to determine her destiny and guide her actions. Even if Carrie ignores it, her relationship with Drouet establishes a pattern that determines her relationship with him and with other men..