《嘉莉妹妹》描写了农村姑娘嘉莉来到大城市芝加哥寻找幸福，为摆脱贫困，出卖自己的贞操，先后与推销员和酒店经理同居，后又凭美貌与歌喉成为歌星的故事。作家以嘉莉为代表深刻揭露了美国资本主义制度对贫苦人民压榨的残酷性和资产阶级生活方式对小资产阶级分子的腐蚀性。

嘉莉是21世纪末一些涌入城市寻求发展的中国乡村女孩的代表，嘉莉顽强拼搏的奋斗精神为当代年轻人树立了榜样，而她的堕落也为当代年轻人敲响了警钟。嘉莉的生活经历及其成功的道路带给了现代年轻人一些有益的启迪。

十八岁的嘉莉，漂亮而胆小，性格单纯，为了谋生，她满怀着希望和对大都市繁华生活的幻想来到芝加哥，可是面对她的却是贫困与失业。无奈之下，她和推销员杜洛埃同居，后来又成为酒店经理赫斯渥的情妇。在纽约，一个偶然的机会使嘉莉成为演员，并大获成功。但是丰裕的生活并未带给她幸福，她依然觉得孤独、无助，她不知道耀眼的光华背后有多少谎言、邪恶和伪善在等着她……

Chapter 1

  The Magnet Attracting—A Waif AmidForces

Chapter 2

  What Poverty Threatened—Of Granuite andBrass

Chapter 3

  Wee Question of Fortune—Four-Fifty a Week

Chapter 4

  The Spendings of Fancy—Facts Answer With Sneers

Chapter 5

  A GUttering Night Hower the Use of a Name

Chapter 6

  The Machine and the Maiden A Knight of To-day

Chapter 7

  The Lure of the Material Beauty Speaks for Itself

Chapter 8

  Intimations by Winter—An Ambassador Sunnnoned

Chapter 9

  Convention's Own ~nder-Box- The Eye

  That Is Green

Chapter 10

  The Counsel of Winter—Fortune's Ambassador Calls

Chapter 11

  The Persuasion of Fashion—Feeling Guards O'er Its Own

Chapter 12

  Of the Lamps of the Mansions m The Ambassador Plea

Chapter 13

  His Credentials Accepted—A Babel of Tongues

Chapter 14

  With Eyes and Not Seeing—One Influence Wanes

Chapter 15

  The Irk of the Old Ties—The Magic of Youth

Chapter 16

  A Witless Aladdin—The Gate to the World

Chapter 17

  A Glimpse Though the Gateway- Hope Lightens the Eye

Chapter 18

  Just Over the Border—A Hail and Farewell

Chapter 19

  An Hour in Elfland—A Clamour Half Heard

Chapter 20

  The Lure of the Spirit—The Flesh in Pursuit

Chapter 21

  The Lure of the Spirit—The Flesh in Pursuit

Chapter 22

The Blaze of the Tinder—Flesh Wars with the Flesh

Chapter 23

  A Spirit in Travail—One Rung Put Behind

Chapter 24

  Ashes of Tinder—A Face at the Window

Chapter 25

  Ashes of Tinder—The Loosing of Stays

Chapter 26

  The Ambassador Fallen—A Search for the Gatq

Chapter 27

  When Waters Engulf US We Reach for a Star

Chapter 28

  A Pilgrim，an Outlaw—The Spirit Detained

Chapter 29

  The Solace of Travel—The Boats of the Sea

Chapter 30

  The Kingdom of Greatness—The Pilgrim a Dream

Chapter 31

 A Pet of Good Porttme—Broadway Haunts Its Joys

Chapter 32

 The Peast of Belshazzar—A Seer to Translate

Chapter 33

  Without the Walled City—The Slope of the Years

Chapter 34

  The Grind of the Millstones—A Sample of Chaff

Chapter 35

  The Passing of Effort—The Visage of Care

Chapter 36

  A Grim Retrogression—The Phantom of Chance

Chapter 37

  The Spirit Awakens New Search for the Gate

Chapter 38

  In Elf Land Disporting—The Grim World Without

Chapter 39

  Of Lights and of Shadows—The Parting of Worlds

Chapter 40

  A Public Dissension—A Final Appeal

Chapter 41

  The Strike

Chapter 42

  A Touch of Spring—The Empty Shell

Chapter 43

  The World Turns Flatterer—An Eye in the Dark

Chapter 44

  And This Is Not Elf Land—What Glod Will Not Buy

Chapter 45

  Curious Shifts of the Poor

Chapter 46

  Stirring Troubled Waters

Chapter 47

  The Way of the Beaten—A Harp in the Wind