Money Can Buy Happiness: The Question of Choice in Dreiser’s “The Second Choice” Essay

The United States in the late 19th and early twentieth century was undergoing a drastic change. A war surrounded by its states had just concluded, enslaved people were granted freedom, immigrants from e real(prenominal) told over the world flocked to the inelegant, and a tartness divide amid rich and paltry was beginning to form. The literature followed the same flight of stairs of the country and, as does most literature, became a mirror of the happenings across gender, race, and kind. Many cogent insights intimately the vernal construct of country post-Civil War could be found in spite of appearance these guides.One much(prenominal) insight about the United States concerned the relationship amidst women and resource. During this new chapter of Ameri smoke hi romance, women were making their voices bopn. Writers homogeneous Marg aret Fuller, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman were some of the most prominent female writers during this time and wer e large contributors to this new wave of literature. They blended feminine linear location with a form of literature that became exceedingly popular in the late 19th and early twentieth century Realism. maidenly realism was so marketable that rase male authors produced such writings. One such male author was Theodore Dreiser with his short story The Second Choice. Much can be inferred from this story, but mainly that while property can buy womens felicitousness and the freedom to choose, true mobility and choice is something solely accessible to rich, unclouded men. The title of the work may give some readers the discount that Shirley, the protagonist, ultimately resigns to her fate and chooses Bart, her second choice for a mate.While that is a precise valid interpretation, it certainly isnt the only if one. One information into the title could purpose that Shirley is the second choice. Consider the opening pages of the story, which is Arthurs, Shirleys love, letter to Shirley. While Shirley is limited to her choices, Arthur has, and has made, many choices. He tells her, But Im too young to bind now. You know that, Shirley, dont you? He continues with, Roxbaumthats my new employercame to me and wanted to know if I would standardised an assistant overseershipin burnt umber (p. 1). Within one paragraph of a letter, Arthur has already made two choices Furtherto a greater extent, the circumstance that he has change surface penned this letter to Shirley all the way from Pittsburgh shows the mobility and free range that he has. Dreiser perhaps was reminding his audience (which was largely calm of immigrant and/or lower discipline women) that contempt the fierce feminist transmitment that had gripped the nation, equivalence between men and women was clam up grossly imbalanced.In the span of about xl pages, Arthur easily moves from West Leigh (the adjoining suburb), to Shirleys town, to Pittsburgh to Java. However, for Shirley, West Leigh is the furthest she travels in the story, and level then, she was invited by a friend. It is only by means of anformer(a) person that Shirley is able to move from one place to a nonher. Another reading into both the title and plot is the straits about class. Anatomy already puts half of the population at a disfavour in attaining mobility, but class can also be a major hinderance to the freedoms of choice.In the beginning of the story, Shirley muses, her parents, her work, her daily shuttling to and fro between the drug company for which she worked and this street and familywas typical of her life and what she was destined to turn tail always. She continues her lament by comparing herself to other girls who were so much more fortunate. They had ok clothes, fine homes, a world of diversion and opportunity in which to move (4). Shirley is very conscious of her position as a fetch not and yearns for that world of cheer and opportunity in which to move. It is with this passag e in mind that raises the question Is Shirley really in love with Arthur or is she simply careworn to the opportunity and world he represents? A compelling case can be made for both, however, the question nor answer are as important as the result. payable to her gender and class, she will not have the chance to find out. Her gender and class are parts of Shirleys identicalness that restrict her from movement. The choices that such confining wad allow are so limited, Shirley king as well have no choice at all. She can marry Bart, marry someone else, or happen her life alone.None of these choices include Arthur, so none of them will make her happy. done this short story, Dreiser is making a relation about the position of lower class women in the feminist movement. Feminism does not include someone of Shirleys status and gender. This was a movement strictly for the higher(prenominal) classes. Besides this, perhaps Dreiser is making an even broader statement about the suffrage movement. indeed the suffrage movement was largely comprise of genteel women, but much like Shirley, the only chance at more freedom and choice for any charwoman in this country is still through a man.Womens right to pick out and the right to make more unconditional decisions for themselves still must be O.K. by a federal presidential term run exclusively by men. careless(predicate) of any choice that Shirley (women) could have made, Arthur (men) still have the greatest mobility. Dreiser probably incomplete praises or condemns the feminist movement, but quite reminds his readers to keep things in their proper perspective and not to allow themselves to be carried forward quite so quickly. No intimacy class or gender, true freedom is still only reserved to rich, white males.