An American Tragedy and the Futility of the American Dream
An American Tragedy is an intriguing, frighteningly realistic journey into the mind of a murderer. It is a biography of its era. And, it is also historical fiction. But what makes this novel a classic? While society has changed dramatically since 1925, Dreiser's novel, which shows the futility of "The American Dream" and the tragedies that trying to live it can cause, accurately summarizes social mores of this and any time period.
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<br>Before Theodore Dreiser was born, his father, a devout German immigrant, lost everything when his large wool mill burned down (kirjasto.sci.fi 1). After a beam hit his head, Dreiser's father was subject to dramatic mood swings; this brain damage caused him to became an evangelist (Survey of American Literature 571). Theodore Dreiser, the twelfth of 13 children, was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1871. By this time, his parents were poor, nomadic preachers. Their nomadic lifestyle meant that Dreiser did not have any companions outside his family. While travelling, his mother taught him to avoid degrading and destructive experiences (Hart 236). Certain that his parents were failures because of their strong morals and their constant preaching, he rebelled. Dreiser had no friends, money, social status, or sex life, which he craved. For most Americans, these were collectively "The American Dream." For Dreiser and his most famous character, Clyde Griffiths, living the American Dream -- the evasive pinnacle of success -- became an obsession.
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<br>That obsession led 13-year old Dreiser to Indiana University, which he flunked out of. Instead of preaching, he instantly abandoned his unsuccessful family for the promise of riches and women in industrial Chicago. After living in abject poverty for years (Parker 203), he worked as a journalist for both Chicago Globe and St. Louis's Globe-Democrat, which gave him a glimpse of high society. There, he married Sara White. Within months, the two separated permanently, and Dreiser became a
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<br>Before Theodore Dreiser was born, his father, a devout German immigrant, lost everything when his large wool mill burned down (kirjasto.sci.fi 1). After a beam hit his head, Dreiser's father was subject to dramatic mood swings; this brain damage caused him to became an evangelist (Survey of American Literature 571). Theodore Dreiser, the twelfth of 13 children, was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1871. By this time, his parents were poor, nomadic preachers. Their nomadic lifestyle meant that Dreiser did not have any companions outside his family. While travelling, his mother taught him to avoid degrading and destructive experiences (Hart 236). Certain that his parents were failures because of their strong morals and their constant preaching, he rebelled. Dreiser had no friends, money, social status, or sex life, which he craved. For most Americans, these were collectively "The American Dream." For Dreiser and his most famous character, Clyde Griffiths, living the American Dream -- the evasive pinnacle of success -- became an obsession.
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<br>That obsession led 13-year old Dreiser to Indiana University, which he flunked out of. Instead of preaching, he instantly abandoned his unsuccessful family for the promise of riches and women in industrial Chicago. After living in abject poverty for years (Parker 203), he worked as a journalist for both Chicago Globe and St. Louis's Globe-Democrat, which gave him a glimpse of high society. There, he married Sara White. Within months, the two separated permanently, and Dreiser became a
Cited: <br><li>"Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945)." Theodore Dreiser. 1999. Online. Internet. 5 October; 1:00 EST. Available: http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/dreiser.htm. <br><li>Bucco, Martin. Cliffs Notes: An American Tragedy. Edited by Gary Carey and James L. Roberts. Lincoln, Nebraska: Cliffs Notes, 1974. <br><li>Day, Martin S. History of American Literature From 1910 to Present. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1971. <br><li>Dreiser, Theodore. An American Tragedy. Cambridge, Massachusetts : Robert Bentley, 1953. <br><li>James D. Hart, ed. Oxford Companion to American Literature. 4th edition. New York City: Oxford University Press, 1978. <br><li>Lundquist, James. Theodore Dreiser. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co, 1974. <br><li>Magill, Frank N., ed. Magill 's Survey of American Literature. Volume 2. North Bellmore, NY: Marshall Cavendish, 1991. <br><li>Magill, Frank N., ed. Masterplots: Digests of World Literature. Volume 1. New York: Curtis Books, 1949. <br><li>Magill, Frank N., ed. Masterplots: Digests of World Literature. Volume 1, Revised Category Edition. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Salem Press, 1985. <br><li>Master the Modes. New York City: Scholastic Magazines, Inc., 1975. <br><li>Parker, Peter, ed. A Reader 's Guide to 20th Century Writers. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.