By Irene Kovalyova
An American Tragedy is the most brilliant in Theodore Dreiser’s writing career. He wrote a book showing a tragedy, not of one man, but of the disease of the whole nation in the beginning of the 20th century.
An American tragedy tells a story of an ordinary American young man, Clyde Griffiths, who has to commit a murder in order to have a chance to live in the world of his rich relatives.
An American Tragedy is the most brilliant in Theodore Dreiser’s writing career. He wrote a book showing a tragedy, not of one man, but of the disease of the whole nation in the beginning of the 20th century.
An American tragedy tells a story of an ordinary American young man, Clyde Griffiths, who has to commit a murder in order to have a chance to live in the world of his rich relatives.
The book was published in 1925 and was an immediate success. It consists of three parts. The first one covers Clyde’s character formation. The second book deals with the relationship between Clyde and his girlfriend, Roberta. And the third one tells about Clyde’s life after the crime.
Theodore Dreiser is a representative of naturalism which means that he used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character. You can see all the stages of Clyde’s moral degradation while he climbs the social ladder. Dreiser doesn’t rush, he provides his readers with all the necessary information about the characters’ background. That is why the first ten pages might seem a bit boring for those who like instant action. There is not much action but an accurate and detailed description of Clyde’s family, their way of life and their way of thinking. But, please, be patient and later you will thank yourself for thorough reading.
The writer doesn’t let any of his characters be a mystery. He lets his readers get into the thoughts and soul of every character. There are a lot of interior monologues within the novel which contributes to the readers’ understanding of all the characters decisions and deeds.
Dreiser succeeded in portraying his characters truthfully not just because he had a bright imagination and was a good psychologist. He himself fell under the influence of that time’s spirit. That is why he knew very well what Clyde experienced and what was going on in his mind. It’s a notable fact that Dreiser’s background is very similar to Clyde’s. If you read some of Dreiser’s other works you will notice that most of his protagonists have a lot in common with the writer whether it’s their background or most notable traits of character.
The idea of writing An American Tragedy came to Dreiser’s mind when he read about the trial over a young man, Chester Gillette, who was accused of a murder of a young girl in 1906. Dreiser kept that article and began to focus on a story that was rooted in the type of sensational crime that he believed characterized American life.
The generation of the beginning of the 20th century was crazy about money and the social status it could give. Fortune hunting became a disease with the frequent result of murder for money. Dreiser continued to take notes on such cases for years and noticed that type of crime had become rather common. It usually was a murder in which the motive was not personal hatred but the desire of a socially marginal man to escape from a romantic entanglement in order to marry another woman who could bring with her upper-class position and wealth.
So, the author used stories of hundreds of Americans and their lives ran together into the story of Clyde Griffiths.
There have been a few film and television adaptations. The last one was produced in Russia in 2008 and was entitled A Life That Was Not Meant To Be. The novel has also been adapted into a musical of the same title and its premier took place in the United States on March 24, 2010.
Theodore Dreiser is a representative of naturalism which means that he used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character. You can see all the stages of Clyde’s moral degradation while he climbs the social ladder. Dreiser doesn’t rush, he provides his readers with all the necessary information about the characters’ background. That is why the first ten pages might seem a bit boring for those who like instant action. There is not much action but an accurate and detailed description of Clyde’s family, their way of life and their way of thinking. But, please, be patient and later you will thank yourself for thorough reading.
The writer doesn’t let any of his characters be a mystery. He lets his readers get into the thoughts and soul of every character. There are a lot of interior monologues within the novel which contributes to the readers’ understanding of all the characters decisions and deeds.
Dreiser succeeded in portraying his characters truthfully not just because he had a bright imagination and was a good psychologist. He himself fell under the influence of that time’s spirit. That is why he knew very well what Clyde experienced and what was going on in his mind. It’s a notable fact that Dreiser’s background is very similar to Clyde’s. If you read some of Dreiser’s other works you will notice that most of his protagonists have a lot in common with the writer whether it’s their background or most notable traits of character.
The idea of writing An American Tragedy came to Dreiser’s mind when he read about the trial over a young man, Chester Gillette, who was accused of a murder of a young girl in 1906. Dreiser kept that article and began to focus on a story that was rooted in the type of sensational crime that he believed characterized American life.
The generation of the beginning of the 20th century was crazy about money and the social status it could give. Fortune hunting became a disease with the frequent result of murder for money. Dreiser continued to take notes on such cases for years and noticed that type of crime had become rather common. It usually was a murder in which the motive was not personal hatred but the desire of a socially marginal man to escape from a romantic entanglement in order to marry another woman who could bring with her upper-class position and wealth.
So, the author used stories of hundreds of Americans and their lives ran together into the story of Clyde Griffiths.
There have been a few film and television adaptations. The last one was produced in Russia in 2008 and was entitled A Life That Was Not Meant To Be. The novel has also been adapted into a musical of the same title and its premier took place in the United States on March 24, 2010.
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