Jean Girl - World Literature Library

Author: Dreiser
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Jennie Gerhardt is Dreiser's second novel. The novel depicts the humble origins of the poor girl Jennie, who is naturally beautiful and exceptionally lovely. Forced by the pressures of life, she succumbs to the temptation of Senator Brand. Soon after, Brand dies violently, leaving her with an illegitimate child and sowing the seeds of tragedy in her fate. After meeting the wealthy young man Lester, she falls into the same pattern again, living with him for several years before being abandoned by him. The novel follows the tragic experiences of Jennie as its main thread, portraying the increasingly severe unemployment and poverty in the big cities of America. It vividly portrays the extravagant and decadent life of the upper class of the bourgeoisie, revealing the insurmountable gap between the rich and the poor. On one hand, it praises the excellent qualities of the working people—such as diligence, integrity, and self-sacrifice. On the other hand, it condemns the various evils of a society where material desires run rampant and money holds absolute power. The entire novel is ingeniously crafted, with a natural and tight plot arrangement, free of artificial. The characterization tends to be typical. Jennie embodies beauty, poverty, kindness, hard work, and self-sacrifice, filled with love for the world yet receiving no return. Her character fully reflects the profound roots of the tragedy of the working people's lives under the capitalist system. Dreiser's early difficult experiences made him deeply empathetic to the lives of the lower class, allowing him to portray the characters in the novel with profound insight, vividness, and lifelike detail, bringing the characters to life on the page.