An American Masterpiece

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	• An American Tragedy (Signet Classics) Theodore Dreiser Signet Classics, 2000 - 880 pages average customer review:based on 102 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

An American Tragedy

An American Tragedy, by Theodore Drieser, puts a weak man in the way of temptation and then observes the consequences. Drieser creates suspense early and maintains it, so this book, while lengthy, is a fast read. I went to bed early at least a couple nights to read this book.

Clyde Griffiths is a young man "with a temperament that was as fluid and unstable as water." Raised in a poor family with narrow religious views, he quickly falls under the influence of an element with low morals and little education. He is offered an opportunity to redeem himself, but wastes it. At this point, the pace of the plot accelerates as he rushes toward destruction.

What is frightening in this book is what we have in common with the protagonist: Clyde wants power, and he wants to mate with the most desirable women available. Perhaps he is more foolish than most of us would be in pursuing these goals, but few men have not made some of the same mistakes that Clyde makes.

A subordinate theme in the book is the marked difference in opportunities available to the privileged few versus the many in the pre-Depression, pre-New Deal United States. A ruling caste, nourished by oligarchy, dominates the world that Clyde lives in, and those who are born outside of this elite group live circumscribed lives.

Another subordinate theme is the relationship between religion and morality. Drieser harshly portrays the weak who fall back on religion for support, but Clyde's mother, who is intensely religious, is portrayed in more positive terms. While she draws strength from her religion, she also brings her own strength. In the conclusion, we find that she has matured and acquired perspective as a result of the events portrayed in the novel.

(I have a minor complaint about the Signet Classic edition: the inner margins of this book are so narrow that you almost need to break the binding to see the text nearest the spine.)

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A great read

I love this book. It works on two levels. One is pure entertainment. Dreiser truly knows how to weave a page-turner, as he proved with Sister Carrie. You will find, despite this book's intimidating length and less than admirable subject, that you cannot put it down, nor can you help feeling sorry for Clyde, even if he's unbelievably callous. This sympathy Dreiser evokes for Clyde, a very unsympathetic character, is one of the writer's great achievements.

The novel works on a second level, of course, which gives the novel historical importance.

Basically, this engrossing tale of social climbing shows us the viciousness of a status-obsessed, capitalistic, back-biting, pre-Depression America. Although (thank God) few of us could identify with Clyde, who will remind modern readers of Scott Peterson, with his unthinkable deed toward the pretty young woman expecting his child, most of us can identify with Clyde's hapless pursuit of the good life and his feverish attempts to escape his humble roots.

It is a really fun read, and a really entertaining one. You won't notice the length-you won't be able to put it down. A very sad story, one that still has relevance today, as the gap between the poor and rich widens as I write.

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An American Masterpiece

Theodore Dreiser captures the American spirit in his brilliant portrait of early 20th century commerce and society. His observations are as relevant in the early 21st century as they were one hundred years ago.

Clyde Griffiths is the hero and the anti-hero of the novel. Clyde grows up poor with parents who preach on the streets for a not very good living. He lives the American dream as he rises both economically and socially. He moves from the position of bellhop to factory manager through cunning, avarice, and hard work. He rises from social outcast to man about town using the same skills.

Eventually he is forced to choose between two loves: his pregnant poor mistress and the wealthy small town social whom he dreams of as his wife. How he extricates himself from this situation causes his downfall and eventual ruin.

Through Griffiths rise and fall, and further fall, Dreiser weaves the themes of the importance of money and social class in America. His character has no moral compass, no conscience. Ultimately this leads to his annihilation.

I highly recommend this book to those who love American literature. It is not a book for the fainthearted. You need to dedicate yourself to this book when you read it. But your efforts will be rewarded by the gifts of an American masterpiece.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, page 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

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