Theodor Dreiser’s 1925 novel, An American Tragedy, is generally considered to be the author’s masterpiece. It’s a tragic story about a young man’s ambition and his tragic downfall, and it’s one that is eerily familiar to anyone that’s ever followed the news. It tells the story of Clyde Griffiths, a poor boy from a dysfunctional family, whose dreams of becoming wealthy and successful result in his destruction.
The novel is set in the early 20th century, and begins with Clyde fleeing his impoverished family in search of a better life. In his wanderings, he finds himself in a smaller city in Kansas and takes a job at a shirt factory. He works hard and is soon noticed by his employers, which earns him a promotion that sparks his ambition even more. He befriends a young wealthy girl named Roberta, who is new to the city, and Clyde starts to believe that his dreams of success might finally be possible.
Things take a dark turn when Roberta turns out to be pregnant with Clyde’s child. Knowing that a baby would devastate his plans for the future, Clyde meets with Roberta and convinces her to have an abortion at a questionable clinic. Though the abortion fails, Clyde believes Roberta has terminated her pregnancy and pockets the money she gave him for the procedure.
Unfortunately for Clyde, Roberta is still pregnant, and when the baby is born it’s revealed that Clyde is the father. Roberta’s family, unwilling to accept a poor, illegitimate child into the family, places pressure on Roberta to cut ties with Clyde. Meanwhile, Clyde’s expensive ambitions are further hindered after a new family moves to town, and they obsessively flaunt their wealth and success.
Desperately in need of money, and desperate to save his reputation and sense of self-worth, Clyde devises a plan that will let him get rid of Roberta and the baby once and for all. He invites Roberta out to a resort and plans to murder her, only to chicken out at the last second. Roberta, gravely disappointed and shaken, returns home and eventually moves away, leaving the baby in the care of her family.
Just when everything seems settled, Clyde is approached by a private investigator and is arrested for murder. Though he thought Roberta had died as a result of her abortion, the truth catches up with him, and he’s charged for the death of both Roberta and the baby. His trial ends in a death sentence, and Clyde’s dreams of success come to a cruel and abrupt end.
An American Tragedy is a powerful story of ambition gone wrong. Through the tragedy of Clyde’s downfall, Dreiser’s novel serves as a lesson on the consequences of striving too hard for anything, and of being too eager to get rid of something that’s considered by law and society to be a crime. Through a mix of characters and social issues, An American Tragedy paints a vivid and enduring picture of life for a young man in the early 20th century, who is just trying to make his way in the world.
