Hurstwood stole money from his employer and fled with Carrie to New York, sacrificing his respected position, his family, and his future for a woman who would eventually outgrow her need for him.
2Reading· 오늘의 본문
We · Yevgeny Zamyatin · 1924
Hurstwood's life was a comfortable ascent, managing a popular saloon in Chicago. His world was one of respect and routine. Meeting Carrie, however, ignited a desperate obsession. Abandoning his wife and children, he saw only her. This single-minded passion led to his catastrophic decision: stealing from his safe and fleeing to New York. In that moment, he sacrificed everything—his career, his social standing, his very identity—for a relationship built on illusion. Carrie, initially dependent, would soon find her own footing in the city's theaters, leaving the man who had thrown away his entire world for her stranded in the shadows of his own making.
B2 · 128 wordsavg 25.6 w/s
The trajectory of Hurstwood's life presents a stark study in the corrosive power of obsession, framed by his relationship with Carrie. Initially the embodiment of bourgeois stability, his managerial position afforded him social capital and a defined identity. Carrie's arrival catalyzed a profound psychological shift, wherein his desire transcended mere infatuation, becoming the singular axis around which his morality and rationality revolved. This culminated in the embezzlement and flight to New York, an act of profound self-annihilation. He didn't merely change cities; he severed himself from his entire former existence. The tragic irony lies in the asymmetry of their trajectories: while Hurstwood immolates his past for a future with Carrie, her own ascent in the theatrical world is just beginning, destined to outpace and ultimately discard the very man who sacrificed his all. His downfall is thus not just financial or social, but the complete erosion of a previously integrated self. What makes Sister Carrie endure as a work of literature is precisely this refusal to offer easy consolation — it demands that readers sit with the discomfort of a world that does not resolve neatly, and find their own position within it.
C1 · 170 wordsavg 34.0 w/s
3Vocabulary· 핵심 어휘 & 연습
abandoned
버리다, 포기하다
He abandoned his stable life and family for a chance at passion.
fled
도망치다, 달아나다
They fled Chicago by train under the cover of night.
sacrificing
희생하다
He was sacrificing his entire future for an uncertain love.
respected
존경받는
He left his respected position as manager without a second thought.
outgrow
성장하여 ~을 벗어나다
Carrie would eventually outgrow her need for Hurstwood's support.
Activity 1 · 빈칸 채우기5 questions
1. Every hour of D-503's life was carefully ____ by the Table of Hours.
2. The ____ of privacy did not exist in the One State.
3. Individual names were ____ and replaced with numbers.
4. The glass walls guaranteed there was no ____ for citizens.
5. The State was ____ declared to represent perfect happiness.